The landscapes we live in determine the kinds of risks we face during inclement weather and natural disasters. Communities at the bottom of large watersheds may be at risk of flooding. Coastal regions may be at risk of damage from storm surges.

The first step to any project is to clearly define the underlying problem that needs to be solved. During this process there is a crucial question that is often overlooked. Does this solution work for the community and environment?

Traditional infrastructure projects look at engineered methods to reducing impact from extreme events. For example, a community that experiences seasonal flooding might look into constructing more storm culverts and concrete channels to divert water around the community. A nature based approach to the same situation might include planting more trees in the surrounding hillsides to help retain more water and reduce the amount of flooding in the nearby town. Every landscape is different, and a nature based approach may require more localized design expertise compared to a traditional engineered solution.

After the 2011 Tsunami in Japan, cities developed new coastline protection techniques. Some of the best solutions have combined traditional grey infrastructure solutions with nature based solutions. The image below showcases a plan for a tsunami-resistant city in northern Japan. A concrete wall is used as the main barrier for average tsunami sizes; the topography of the coastline and the use of natural features like treed areas add further resilience for extreme events.

Research on many initiatives around the world continue to show the value of nature based solutions that go beyond the visual appeal. The David Suzuki Foundation features a report outlining an initiative in New Brunswick, Canada that reviewed the benefits of proactive forest management and engineered solutions to reduce the amount of storm water runoff into the St John River. The study was commissioned after years of continued damage to storm culverts and damage to roadways during intense rainstorms. The study looked at the benefits of two predominantly forested watersheds in the same region.

The value of the forested areas for storm water retention was estimated to be $3.5 to $4.1 million because that would be the cost of building an engineered storm management system if the lands were cleared. The forested areas are not just providing this value for water retention. There are many other benefits to maintaining forested areas. Some of these benefits, like water retention, can be quantified. Many other benefits are present, but do not as easily translate to dollar figures on a page.

The Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre recently issued an economic valuation of maintaining the Hondbossche Dunes in the Netherlands. The existing sea dike in the northern Netherlands no longer met the required safety standards. Instead of raising the height of the existing sea dike, policy makers decided to construct an artificial dune system 7km in length along the coast. The dunes are a nature based coastal protection system.

The report considered the cost-benefit of the sand dunes (nature based infrastructure) and a sheet pile wall (grey infrastructure) solution. Based on continued measurement, the natural dune structure will grow in size overtime due to prevailing winds, and will become more resilient as natural grasses continue to grow and reinforce the landscape.

The following graph shows the net present value of each solution under various scenarios. In all projections, the natural dune project is a more effective use of money in order to protect the coastline, as seen in figure 8 below.

This video shows the ongoing research on the Hondbossche Dunes, and showcases the many benefits of a nature based solution. Check out Ecoshape Building with Nature for more content. Simply put, Nature Based Infrastructure is building with nature.

There are many benefits to building with nature as opposed to building on top of nature. Two examples of nature based solutions have been presented here, but there are many more projects that are being researched and evaluated around the world to show the benefits of nature based infrastructure.

When the cost-effective solution is also better for the environment, everyone wins.

~~~

References:

• David Suzuki Foundation - Natural Asset Evaluation - New Brunswick

• International Institute for Sustainable Development - Hondbossche Dunes

~~~

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Humanitarian organizations are needed to help set up basic infrastructure in places of conflict, war, and disaster. There are many global and grassroots organizations that assist around the world.

While this is not an exhaustive list of involvement, it does highlight some of the biggest aid projects that the organizations have been working on in recent years. The information below is a snapshot in time. For updated information you can visit the websites for UNHCR and MSF. In November of 2022, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan leaders have signed a truce. Both UNHCR and MSF have operated to assist displaced persons during this war. Support from these organizations will be needed on an ongoing basis. Hopefully the truce will allow for humanitarian supplies travel more easily.

~~~ UNHCR ~~~

UNHCR 2021/2022 Donor Impact Report

• January 2021: Over 200,000 people have been displaced due to insecurity with general elections in the Central African Republic.

• February 2021: Conflict in Yemen’s Marib Region continues, and famine is a threat for 20 million people.

• March 2021: Fire in a Rohingya Refugee camp destroyed the camp set up in Bangladesh’s Kutupalong settlement.

• April 2021: Ongoing armed attacks in Mozambique continue to displace people in the region. Over 700,000 people have been displaced since the start of the crisis three years ago.

• May 2021: 450,000 people were displaced due to a volcanic eruption in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

• June 2021: Displaced Venezuelans have been struggling with the southern hemisphere winter season.

• July 2021: Violence in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia continues as hundreds of thousands flee as refugees to neighboring countries including Sudan.

• August 2021: Support efforts continue in Afghanistan to help internally displaced persons, which are mostly women and children.

• September 2021: Covid-19 continues to affect so many in countries where UNHCR is active. Ongoing health, water, and sanitation assistance is ongoing.

• October 2021: Refugees in eastern Europe continue to face hardship in finding shelter and food.

• November 2021: Ethiopian refugees in eastern Sudan face risk of flooding in the rainy season of Sudan. Approximately 80% of the world’s displaced people come from countries that face an immediate threat from the climate emergency.

• December 2021: In Cameroon’s far north region, there is ongoing fighting over dwindling water supplies. This has displaced tens of thousands in the region.

UNHCR 2020/2021 Donor Impact Report

• January 2020: Violence in Sudan’s West Darfur Displaces tens of thousands. Many fleed to Chad or were displaced internally. UNHCR assisted displaced persons.

• February 2020: Fighting escalated in North West Syrian Idlib province. UNHCR assisted displaced persons.

• March 2020: Covid-19: The virus has had a severe impact on forcibly displaced persons, who are more likely to be living in poverty and have less access to healthcare. UNHCR scaled up health, water sanitation and hygiene services to keep people safe.

• April 2020: Central Sahel Region (Burkino Faso, Mali, Niger): world’s fastest growing displacement crisis. UNHCR scaled up protection and assistance to displaced persons.

• May 2020: Rohingya refugees: Cyclone Amphan was the strongest storm ever recorded in Bay of Bengal. Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. UNHCR provided emergency response and strengthening shelters.

• June 2020: Cold Winter for Venezuelans: dispaced persons were especially vulnerable. UNHCR provided shelter blankets and food.

• July 2020: Aid Funding gaps in Yemen from various countries resulted in severe lack of funds. 20 million Yemenis rely on aid for survival. UNHCR was able to continue to assist the program.

• August 2020: Lebanon Port Explosion: UNHCR was able to provide on ground assistance.

• September 2020: Fires in Moria Camp in Lesvos Greece. UNHCR was there to support.

• October 2020: Underfunding due to COVID-19 pandemic has made humanitarian projects more challenging to fund. Funding from donors has allowed UNHCR operations to continue.

• November 2020: Eritrean refugees in Tigray Ethiopia, flee to Sudan. UNHCR on site to assist with relocation efforts.

• December 2020: Climate change risk increasing risks for displacement. UNHCR is increasing climate action and identifying at-risk populations.

Afghanistan (Details as of September 10, 2021)

• “Afghanistan is on course to witness the highest ever number of documented civilian casualties in a single year since the UN’s records began.”

• 390,000 fleeing Afghanistan since May 2021.

• 3 million civilians are already displaced.

• 2.2 million civilians are refugees in Iran and Pakistan.

• Women and children represent 80% of those forced to flee.

• “More women and children have been killed in 2021 than in any year since records began.

Ethiopia (Details as of March, 2021)

• Eritrea Refugees fleeing to Tigray Region (Ethiopia), and forced to flee to Sudan.

• Ongoing civil war between the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and national government.

• Since November 2020, Ethiopia’s Tigray Region has been under a state of emergency.

• Approximately 2.3 million people affected.

• Ethiopia is the second largest refugee-hosting country in Africa.

• Conflict is making it difficult to provide aid in Tigray Region.

• UNHCR has been assisting with relocation of Eritrean refugees to southern camps in Tigray Region and to Sudan as well as providing shelter.

• UNHCR working to establish a protocol for verification and assistance to these refugees.

• Ethiopia has many challenges now including urgent need for food, health and nutrition, clean water, hygiene, sanitation, shelter, and emergency infrastructure.

Sudan (Details as of March, 2021)

• UNHCR is screening and registering new refugees to the country, and providing temporary shelters.

• Medical assistance for most vulnerable: pregnant women, persons with disabilities, unaccompanied children.

• Increased refugees coming from Ethiopia and from Eritrea.

• Need protection, education, health, access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and core relief.

• Continued development of refugee sites.

~~~~ Medecins Sans Frontier ~~~

MSF Canada 2021 Annual Report

• Afghanistan has seen great misfortune since the withdrawl of forces in 2021. MSF continues to assist in providing medical assistance to patients in all regions of the country.

• Hundreds of thousands have been displaced in the Central African Republic. In 2021, there was ongoing fighting between armed opposition and the government forces. MSF runs multiple programs continue to provide medical treatment to so many in need.

• After the presidential assassination in Haiti in July 2021, there has been ongoing unrest in the country. Less than one month later, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the country. MSF continued to run emergency operations, and ran mobile clinics.

• South Sudan has a volatile security situation despite having a unified government. Food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and sever flooding continue to affect the country. It is estimated that by the end of 2021 approximately two thirds of the country required humanitarian assistance.

• There are approximately 2.7 million displaced people in northern Syria. Where the security situation permitted safe operation, MSF supported eight hospitals in Idlib and Aleppo governorates.

In 2020, due to Covid-19 pandemic, MSF had interventions from 72 to more than 85 countries around the world. Below is a summary of some of the aid projects they are involved in.

Democratic Republic of Congo (2020 Annual Summary)

• $174 million in aid

• 1.69 million outpatient consultations

• 2020 Staff Local: 2707

• 2020 Staff International: 362

• Armed conflict, displacement, sexual violence, measles epidemic, Ebola outbreak

South Sudan (2020 Annual Summary)

• There are no roads or cars, only boats in some areas requiring urgent care. “Since there is no phone network, people usually send the strongest person available to walk fast and inform us that someone needs medical care, or they ask fisherman or commercial boats on the river to tell us.” - Mamman Mustapha – MSF project coordinator from Nigeria.

Niger (As of September 24, 2021)

• Southern Niger teams treating a high number of children with malaria and malnutrition.

• “Between July and October, the rainy season and seasonal food insecurity triggers a spike in malaria and malnutrition rates” The combination of struggles leads to 1 million children affected by malnutrition annually, and approximately 50,000 die each year.

Mozambique (As of 5 July, 2021)

• Cabo Delgado, one of Mozambique’s poorest provinces

• Armed groups attacking villages since 2017

• May 28, 2020 violence increased in Macomia. Internal displacement is a continued challenge in the region.

If you got through the entire article, I appreciate you taking the time to read through the content and learn about the challenges faced by so many around the world. Organizations like the UNHCR and MSF help a lot of people around the world. For updated information you can visit the websites for UNHCR and MSF.

~ ~ ~

Disclosure: I do not receive any form of compensation to promote either organization.

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Scandinavian countries have a long history of finding creative ways to build with wooden structures. Prefabricated wooden houses have been made in Sweden as early as the 1780’s. By the 1930’s a prefabricated house could be purchased from a catalog. The style of house is still commonly referred to as a Schwedenhäuse.

Wood has always been an important part of the construction process of homes, but other materials like concrete, steel, and masonry have had a stronger advantage in the form of building codes.

In many countries, there have been long-standing limits on the maximum height of wooden structures. The same style of restriction has not been in place for steel and concrete structures. As early as 1994, Sweden removed the height restriction for wooden structures. Some countries have started to showcase the potential of wooden structures, such as Setas de Sevilla (Mushrooms of Seville) in Spain. The structure was completed in 2011. The Architect for the project was Jürgen Mayer.

Building codes are changing. A recent project at the University of British Columbia is an 18-storey student resident. Cross-laminated Timber makes up 17 of the 18 floors, and wood columns are used for the structure with the exception of the concrete elevator cores. According to the University’s fact sheet on the building, the US and Canada grow the volume of wood used in the project in six minutes. Due to the use of prefabricated wooden materials, the contractor was able to install two floors per week. Traditional concrete construction progress is generally closer to 1 floor per week to allow the concrete to cure and achieve a minimum strength before the next level can be constructed.

While an 18-storey timber building is not an old fashion single family Schwedenhäuse, mass timber design and prefabricated Scandanavian structures share many properties: prefabrication. Prefabricated mass timber elements can be assembled on site much faster than traditional wooden framing. Floors, columns, and wall panels can all be manufactured offsite.

Prefabricated wooden construction techniques could offer some relief to the fast-paced demand for housing in many cities around the world. Wood is by no means a suitable material for all kinds of construction, but it does have many benefits for some kinds of construction.

Trees grow to magnificent heights in the wild. Perhaps we can learn a thing or two as cities continue to grow upwards. Oscar Wilde said “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

Moreover, what could be more satisfying than saying, ‘I live in a Schwedenhäuse.’

~~~

References:

• Wooden house construction in Scandinavia – a model for europe | T. Schauerte Internationales Holzbau-Forum

• UBC, Brock Commons Tallwood House

~~~

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Based on figures from BP, approximately 70% of emissions generated within cities are based on consumption. In a typical household, there could be hydro-generated electricity, natural gas for heat, and gasoline for the average vehicle. Future cities will need to develop integrated energy systems in order to reduce emissions. This approach will be much easier for bigger cities due to the amount of both new and retrofitted infrastructure.

The chicken-and-egg problem with electrification of cities continues for now, but it is only a matter of time before mass cooperation is necessary for reaching net-zero targets. Small scale projects are already underway that showcase the benefits of a centralized approach like the central heat distribution system and fuel cell buses in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland.

While direct energy consumption is a major focus for reducing emissions, decarbonizing our building materials is just as important when retrofitting existing buildings and constructing new ones. Concrete and steel production is an energy intensive and emissions heavy process. While these materials are common in construction now, there are lots of new building projects which are favouring wood for the main structural members.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a common term in the field of wood construction. Simply put, CLT is a large prefabricated panel comprised of wood stacked in alternating directions and secured with structural adhesives. A recent project at the University of British Columbia showcases an 18-storey student residence with 17 storeys of CLT floors, and wood columns.

The added bennefit of using forestry-products as building materials is they can be grown and harvested locally, reducing the volume of emissions normally associated with shipping building materials around the world. We need cropping timber to absorb carbon in the air and then be turned into high quality timber and building materials. At the Future of Cities Summit, hosted by Tortoise Media in 2021, Tilly Collins of Imperial College London spoke about how locally resilient tree species would be best for ease of cultivation. When we are able to grow trees locally, and manufacture timber locally, we reduce the volume of carbon emissions emitted as part of the construction process.

We sometimes lose the architectural vernacular of an area when we begin to overdevelop areas trying to take advantage of all usable space. Many European cities can teach us a lot about design of communities; narrow streets provide for shade during warm weather, and roofs sloping towards gardens to reduce water consumption, and reduce water runoff on hardscaped surfaces. Some cities in the world have also begun to incorporate porous landscaping materials to reduce run-off. Referred to as “sponge cities in parts of Asia, they improve water management and reduce localized flooding in typically hard-landscaped areas.

Simon Birkett is the founder of Clean Air in London, and participated in the Future of Cities Summit in 2021. According to Birkett, combustion is associated with 80% of air quality problems. Reducing emissions also improves air quality in cities. Per capita emissions are far greater in developed countries, so a combination of political leadership, and policy change are needed.

There are two broad categories of approaches that can be taken to reduce emissions: technological and lifestyle changes. A mix of the two will be required in order to achieve cleaner air and a net-zero target. Lifestyle change is a category of measures typically left out of cost-bennefit studies. And lifestyle changes can have “political costs” as well.

Current building codes and energy efficiency standards can be fairly prescriptive and point-systems can sometimes determine design decisions. For example: the LEED building system which categorizes buildings based on a rubric specifies a point system for the awards. Green Power and Carbon Offsets account for two points, and bicycle facilities count for one point. While both aspects are important, it is far more expensive to put in place a green power plan, than bicycle facilities.

There is still lots of work to be done in the development of net-zero cities. Existing frameworks are helpful, but there is still room for improvement in our net-zero ambitions. When we look around at cities around the world, there are lots of helpful design examples that we draw from in our combined efforts to reduce emissions and build healthy cities.

~~~

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This article was first inspired by the Future of Cities Summit, hosted by Tortoise Media in 2021.

Net Zero: can cities deliver us from the climate crisis host: Giles Whittel, Sensemaker Editor. Speakers: Tilly Collins, Senior Fellow & Deputy Director, Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, Andres Guevara, Vice president region & city Decarbonisation, BP

Operating in extreme conditions comes with immense operational challenges. Since inauguration, there have been power outages and equipment failures. Simple tasks like starting a snow mobile for research outside can be a challenge in extreme temperatures. The summer months allow for researchers and supplies to travel to and from the remote base.

The warmest temperature ever recorded in Antarctica was 19.8 degrees Celsius. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -89.2 degrees Celsius. This combined with extreme winds, snowfall that accumulates every year, and limited times to ship materials to the continent makes this one of the most challenging types of buildings to construct.

A team used to be stationed at the facility in the winter, but in 2017, a crack was discovered in the Brunt Ice Shelf. As a safety precaution, the decision was made to not house a winter team in the station. Automation projects have made it possible for instruments to continue to collect data in the wintertime.

The facility is comprised of eight individual modules, each with different functions such as accommodation, research, equipment storage, meals and socializing. One of the most striking features of the structure is its modular design and its ski-fitted hydraulic legs. The station can be pulled in sections to a new area, and raised or lowered in the case of snow accumulation. The innovative design was completed by Hugh Broughton Architects and AECOM.

The Halley VI is a good example of resilient design for a changing climate. As existing cities are subjected to greater swings in temperatures and weather events, we can begin to see the benefit of resilient designs. Large temperature swings can have a great impact of the thermal performance of a building, and design for cold climates is notoriously difficult. The Halley VI is just one of many extreme cold climate projects that Hugh Broughton Architects has been involved in. Their other projects include:

• New Zealand’s Scott Base Redevelopment

• Australia’s Davis Station

• British Antarctic Survey’s largest research station, The Discovery Building

• Juan Carlos 1 Spanish Antarctic Base

• Atmospheric Watch Observatory in Greenaland,

• Jang Bogo Korean Antarctic Research Station

• Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Research Station

Fewer windows are common among these sub-zero buildings, which is necessary given the insulation requirements. The architect worked closely with a colour psychologist during the design phase in order to make the structure as welcoming as possible, while adding a sense of warmth and spaciousness.

Although the structure is modular, it is not a cookie-cutter design. The design was based on first-principles. This is a term commonly found in the course notes of an engineering or architecture class. First-principles is similar to a ground-up approach. You begin with the most fundamental pieces of a puzzle and build from there. Once the designers were awarded the project, one of the first things they did was travel to Antarctica to complete some field tests in order to see how much weight could be pulled across the terrain. Previous “rules of thumb” suggested 20 tonnes was the limit, but the teams tests showed hauling loads of 200 tonnes was possible. Had the designers accepted this rule of thumb, the research station as we see it today may never have been built.

Many designers will never get the chance to complete projects in such extreme climates, but the Halley VI shows that innovative design requires challenging the boundaries of possibility.

For more info on the Halley VI research station, check out the British Antarctic Survey website.

~~~

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“Governments still plan to produce more than double the amount of fossil fuels in 2030 than what would be consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, in stark contrast to increased climate ambitions and net-zero commitments.” - productiongap.org

A presentation was held on 21 October 2021, by the panel of authors and contributors to the report.

~~~The Plan~~~

A review of different mitigation strategies was completed with all relevant data from national energy regulators and administrators by Peter Erickson of SEI. The review of proposed energy production outlooks showed a distinct difference in countries’ plans and projections compared to their own climate pledges and production benchmarks consistent with limiting warming to 1.5 C or 2.0 C. In general, most nations plan to increase production of fossil fuel resources. While each nation has individual energy agency regulators, the International Energy Agency (IEA) provides a good overview of energy resources on a global scale.

~~~Investment~~~

High levels of investment in fossil fuel production have been seen around the world as part of covid-19 financial support. Although there has been money invested in clean energy, financial support was greater for fossil fuel production.

State-owned coal, oil, and gas companies control approximately half of the global production of fossil fuels, which provides an opportunity and challenge for reform according to researcher Lucile Dufor with the IISD.

An increased number of Multi-level Development Banks (MDB) and Development Finance Institutions (DFI) have begun to adopt policies that exclude future investments in the production of fossil fuels. Approaches like this will be needed in order to tip the scales in closing the production gap.

~~~ Transparency~~~

The report presented an in depth review of 15 of the largest fossil-fuel producing countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States. Although each country has a different approach to coal, oil, and gas, the chart summarizing the projected changes in national fossil fuel production for 2030 relative to 2019 show a general increase in fuel production overall. Government will play a big role in changes to production gaps around the world. Miquel Munoz Cabre of SEI and his team showcased what is happening in the planning stages of energy production, but transparency is not easy to achieve.

The main challenge with transparency initiatives is they are scattered across various organizations. According to Harro Van Asselt, there is no central database. A central repository of information would make decision making and international cooperation much easier, if audited information was available for policy makers.

~~~What’s Next?~~~

There is a common story told that investment is needed in fossil fuels to transition a developing country into a developed country, sometimes referred to as an “investment gap in low cost energies.”

While this is the approach that many countries took through the industrial revolution, this is not the same path that countries must take now. Fossil fuel based energy rarely gets delivered to serve poor and remote communities, because it is often costly to extend the distribution networks to these areas.

The role of central banks could have profound impacts on a timely transition to alternate fuel sources while reducing consumption. Central Banks could require carbon liabilities to be disclosed not only to banks, but to shareholders as well in financial reports.

Policy measures related to reducing consumption (behavioral changes) are not always popular since there are “political costs” associated with reducing demand for particular goods and services like energy. There are numerous other policy mechanisms at the disposal of governments including trade agreements, tariffs, and taxes. While sound of taxes make the ears of business cringe, the sound of subsidies tend to have an alluring jingle to them. Ultimately, we need to take into account the full cost of doing business. Carbon has avoided the balance sheet thus far, but it can not escape forever.

The one thing every business person agrees on, is that a balance sheet must balance. Oil has long been viewed as an asset, but it might just be the greatest liability of all time.

~~~

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This Corsi-Rosenthal box helps clean the air in a space such as a classroom, or personal living space. The unit can be easily built, comprised of a few easy to source components from your local hardware store. This is a low cost solution for improving indoor air quality, and it can be implemented quickly.

With the heightened focus on indoor air quality in the past couple years, a simple do-it-yourself air filtration box was developed by Richard Corsi and Jim Corsi. The combined effort was jointly named the Corsi-Rosenthal Box, also called a Comparetto Cube. There are variations of this device, some including four or even five filters in the one box unit.

Air changes per hour (ACH) is a term used in the study of indoor air quality. While there is some variation on the optimal number of air changes for a building, the number six seems to be fairly common. Simply put, the Corsi-Rosenthal box is a series of filters connected to a fan, which pulls air through the filters. Running the fan increases the number of air changes in the room, which results in cleaner air.

Whether it is a classroom, personal living space, or shared space like an area for meals, the Corsi-Rosenthal box helps remove particles from the air. There is a lot to discuss in terms of indoor air quality. Professor Jeffery Siegel, a former professor of mine, at the University of Toronto was in a recent interview with an update on air filtration and Covid-19.

What do you need to build your own Corsi-Rosenthal box?

• (4) MERV-13 air filters (20” by 20”)

• (1) roll of duct tape

• (1) Box fan

• (2) sheets of cardboard

James Andrew Smith, a professor at York University, built his own filter box and uploaded the footage to YouTube to show the experience of building the unit for the first time.

There is a comprehensive description of the design and details to the process provided by EdgeCollective with lots of information on their airbox project. This group runs a distributive research, teaching, and facilitation cooperative that provides opensource materials associated with this project. Below is a poster that summarizes the overall construction process of one unit. The filters need to be replaced every six months based on Edge Collective’s research, but they may need to be changed sooner depending on the frequency of use.

This is not a perfect solution, but it does have a benefit in the fight for better indoor air quality. Every building has a unique solution to improving air quality. While retrofitting the existing HVAC system in the building may be the best solution, the Cori-Rosenthal box is a quick to deploy unit at a very reasonable price.

For more information on indoor air quality, you can check out Edge Collective: Ventilation and reducing the risk of COVID transmission, and the WHOs main page on Advice for the public.

~~~

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London is a well established metropolis of business and commerce. While the city should be for everyone, there is a clear focus on business, especially given Brexit. Philip Hubbard used the term Institutional Thickness to describe the city of London, which makes it a good city to do business, and nearby cities can assist with other areas of production regarding future production of green technology and infrastructure.

The characteristics that make a city enjoyable to live in are some of the hardest hit sectors during the Pandemic like the fields including creative workers. In a recent poll shared by Hubbard, approximately two-thirds of Londoners enjoy the quality of life, and approximately 40% plan to leave in the future due to affordability. The same poll in Paris resulted in 20% of residents saying affordability a concern.

There is a push in the city of London for more affordable living spaces in new housing developments, and at the same time reducing the number of “rabbit-hutch homes” in the city. Adding to existing amenities or converting existing structures into multi-use areas like public gardens greatly improve the quality of life of residents. In cities like Toronto, there is a program that allows for community gardens to be set up and maintained along hydro corridors that are otherwise void of development.

Green spaces help improve both physical and mental health in cities. Physical activity is important, and creativity as well. One of the challenges with the geography of London is that artsy areas have lots of passersby; these areas tend to be identified as well-off places that are not necessarily affordable for artists. One of the easiest ways to improve quality of life of residents is to increase the amount of street furniture to encourage people to use public spaces.

~ ~ ~

Affordable housing is an ongoing challenge in many countries including Canada. In the Future of Cities Summit, Dr. Deborah Pots spoke in length on housing with the focused question of can we create enough affordable and decent city homes.

The culture around housing is different around the world. North Americans tend to focus on owning a house, while many Europeans are content to rent. Singapore is a unique case where approximately 80% of people live in housing built and subsidized by the government, where affordable mortgages are available. This approach is possible as the government owns approximately 90% of the land in Singapore. One in six households have at least 1 million US dollars in disposable wealth. In Britain, there used to be policy (incentives) to encourage buy to let (buy to rent) housing.

Across the world the migration out of cities is typically seen due to lower incomes, and the primary cause based on Dr. Pots discussion is due to the labour markets. There are many people working jobs that do not earn enough to live in decent, safe legal housing. As a result of the increased inequality, housing markets have become segmented; this problem has only ever been overcome by government subsidization.

Deregulation has been central to driving prices up in housing. People seeking safe-havens for their capital have landed on using homes as investments. The solution to affordable housing will not be through profit-seeking endeavors. We need to develop a broad range of models for living together and more sustainably and being able to share more things.

The immediate goal is to ask for a definition of the term “affordable” wherever it is used in housing legislation because in many cases these housing projects are not actually affordable to the local incomes in the area.

Aside from affordability, we want to create communities where people really want to live. Agamemnon Otero is CEO of Energy Garden, which is a project to get more people engaged in their local communities. This project makes people more engaged in their local communities through community gardens and the installation of solar power infrastructure in underutilized areas. The projects aims at creating a more holistic process of creating spaces where people want to be.

Finding a pathway to creating enough affordable city homes means challenging the status quo. All new investment needs to be done with reasonable terms over a long period of time to reduce the focus on profit when creating housing and zoning bylaws must be flexible enough in various countries to allow for building creative housing solutions.

The U.K. has had public housing policies in the past that worked, why not increase planning budgets and go back to a tried and true method? We know what cities look like now, but what will they look like in the future?

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~~~

What is London now Host: James Harding, Co-founder and Editor, Tortoise Media

Speakers: Clair Bradbury, Author of Dwellbeing: Finding home in the city, Philip Hubbard, Professor of Urban Studies, King’s College London; Editor Urban Studies., Muniya Barua, Managing Director, Policy & Strategy, London First

Can we create enough city homes Host: Hashi Mohamed, Barrister, Broadcaster and author of People Like Us

Speakers: Dr Deborah Potts, Author of Broken Cities: inside the global housing crisis, Maria Smith, Director, Buro Happold, Agamemnon Otero, Energy Garden, co-founder of Repowering, Brixton Energy, Community Energy England, Melanie Leech, Chief Executive, British Property Federation

The Future of Cities Summit was held by Tortoise Media on November 25th, 2021. There were a total of five sessions as part of the summit. The first was hosted by Liz Mosely titled “Who are cities for?

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Hosted by Liz Mosely, Editor, Tortoise Media, this session featured three speakers that outlined who cities are typically designed for, and how we need to rethink how we are designing cities for a future where people are living longer.

Natalie Turner (Head of Localities, Centre for Ageing Better) outlined the change in older populations in cities. As healthcare and medicine have improved over the decades, people are now living longer in developed countries, which is in turn increasing populations.

Where you live has an impact on the age at which a person may develop health conditions that have an impact on the ways they live their lives. A person may live to approximately 60 in a city like London before having a health condition, whereas a person living in a suburb or rural community may live until their mid 70’s before having a health condition affecting their well being.

The number of people (age 50+) renting apartments in big cities has doubled in recent decades, and most people between the ages of 50 and 75 will need to continue working. This means that there needs to be a focus in cities to allow older people to continue to live in their neighborhoods where they have built their friendships and communities. Additionally, we will need to make workplaces accessible for older workers.

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Sowmya Parthasarathy (Urban Design Leader, ARUP) discussed the biggest challenges facing older people living in cities: loss of individual freedoms, social isolation, and diminishing access to infrastructure.

As aging begins to take its toll on everyday mobility, getting out of the house The loss of everyday freedoms, and inability to get out of the house. As family and friends move away, it is typically more difficult for older people to downsize in their same community. For example, a neighborhood with “family houses” may not have nearby apartments of similar quality, but reduced size and increased accessibility.

Diminishing access to city infrastructure is disproportionately felt by older people in cities. Healthcare facilities and institutions are very large and challenging to navigate, and everyday infrastructure like stairways and crowded streets can become large obstacles for healthy participation in city amenities.

Parthasarathy presented a series of solutions to better address equitable design of cities.

Increase access to public transport and creating walkable routes to transit, as well as increasing the amount of accessible housing would provide the greatest improvement towards integration of older populations within cities.

Promoting inter-generational programs that encourage sharing of knowledge similar have shown benefits towards mental well being and improving an overall sense of community. In Japan gardening programs have been offered that create a community between younger and older gardeners. A recent initiative in Paris made it easier for older home owners to rent out rooms in their houses to students. The program provided some basic income to older people, and affordable rent for students with an added sense of responsibility.

Designing healthcare for the future will be a major task. A design for a 200-bed healthcare facility called The Living Systems Hospital was awarded the Wolfson Economics Prize for 2021. Ad Rogers Design was inspired by the ‘adaptive qualities of living systems found in nature.’ The building design attempts to offer a holistic approach to healthcare and healing.

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Lisa Taylor (Executive Director, Future of London) discussed the impact that housing has on a persons health. Wealthier individuals can live in their homes for a longer period of time; poorer people may end up in care homes at a younger age. There is little variety for living accommodations for older people, which is why there needs to be increased policy focused on older people.

Climate change is forcing us to improve the energy performance of our buildings. While new construction can accommodate changes in design standards, retrofits to existing buildings are more difficult to design. Cost will be a problem for a long time with these kind of repairs, and this will be a challenge for maintaining the heritage characteristics of a building and retrofitting buildings due to climate change.

Taylor discussed an idea is to find a piece of property for a co-operative living space for older people. The cost of having 25 people living in isolation is more costly to a government in terms of public services than allowing these people to build a communal housing structure for themselves. Taylor’s idea is not an old age home; it is a place to live. The community would work together to discuss how each person can get the best out of their experience. A person may have to move into a dedicated care facility at a later time if that would best suit the community member.

As our populations change, so too will the cities we live in.

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Nathan Cohen - 02 December 2021

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The session by Tortoise Media was broken into five different sessions:

1. What are cities for?

2. What is London now?

3. Net Zero: can cities deliver us from the climate crisis?

4. What is the purpose of city centres now?

5. Can we create enough city homes?

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It didn’t limit all temptation, but I clearly started to look at my phone as a tool and less of a means of entertainment. Messages, and calls, yes. Endless scrolling, no.

I switched my phone screen to a monochrome display for a week. I enabled some developer settings on my smartphone and switched my normally vibrant screen to endless shades of gray.

The inspiration for this came out of my desire to fight the built-in temptation that cell phones and App-developers rely on for generating income. I disabled notifications for some of the less functional apps, and no longer received the luscious desirable red notification icons that are hard to resist.

Colour plays a huge role in the way that these systems are developed, to the point where I started to notice that certain features were actually inaccessible for individuals with the inability to distinguishes between certain colours.

My phone has a notification icon which is a small LED on the top left corner above the screen. The phone boasts eight different colours for notifications that can be customized so your peripheral vision locks onto them the second you receive a useless notification that someone liked your recent photo of your lunch. A great idea, but not a fully accessible solution.

Certain colours evoke particular emotions. We subconsciously know this every time we look at an advertisement, or a company logo or symbol. Think of a few company logos and what they mean to you. Do any of the associations overlap with the descriptions below?

Red: lust, power, excitement, love, speed, anger.

Blue: masculine, competence, higher quality, corporate, reliability.

Violet/purple: authority, sophistication, power.

Green: good taste, envy, eco-friendly, health, money.

Yellow: Competence, happiness, inexpensive, low quality.

To be fair, the list above is based on a wikipedia article called “color psychology,” but I think the point is clear. Colours have a much more powerful impact than just “looking nice.” Many social media and photo sharing platforms now have embedded advertisements in the content that users are scrolling through. The perfect combination of colours and brightness draw the eye and divert attention from the main materials we intended to view.

After a week of having a gray screen I noticed my eyes were drawn to contrast between dark and light. A photo of colourful field of flowers was pale in comparison to a square plain building with a darker and a lighter side. The added perspective will help with my photography when trying to tell a story that is more accessible.

I was less likely to scroll for my next dopamine rush, and more likely to actively think and plan how I intended to use my smartphone. With a gray screen, the app icons more or less blended in with the screen so my eye was never drawn to a particular icon, and I found my eyes were more drawn to the name of the app as opposed to the normally bright attractive colours.

The challenge with the monochrome screen is that some functionality relies on the interpretation and full vision of colours.

Did the message send? Is the notification gray or highlighted blue? Is it a green bar, or a red bar? Is the emoji a blue face for sad or red face because the weather is so warm? How does the pie chart match up with the legend?

After one week I realized that for individuals who can not distinguish the difference between particular colours there must be even more challenges than the ones I experienced.

Smartphones have a lot of advantages and bennefits, but true innovation must push the envelope to expand the possibilities. An extra camera on a phone is not going to solve the worlds problems, but acknowledging our limitations might be a start.

After a week, I switched my phone back to a full colour screen; it was overwhelming. There were so many colours jumping out at me. It felt hard to focus, and it felt less like a tool and more like a demanding obligation. So, my phone is back to monochrome. It is simpler that way, and if I need more functionality, I’ll sit down at a computer and actively pursue a particular task.

I am pondering what my next experiment will be. My old QWERTY keyboard phone? Maybe it is a good thing that pagers no longer exist. Can you imagine anyone in the world being able to buzz you expecting an immediate reply?

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Nathan Cohen - 13 September 2021

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It has been 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami occurred on 11 March 2011. The Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) hosted an event to mark the occasion with four speakers discussing the events of the Tsunami, policy changes, and lessons learned from the catastrophic event. The event included speakers from the International Research Institute of Disaster Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University in Japan.

On 11 March 2011, a 9.0-9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred off of the north eastern coast of Japan. This earthquake caused a series of large tsunamis that destroyed much of the north eastern coastline of Japan’s main island. During the tsunami, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was damaged. Following 2011, Japan reduced their energy demand on nuclear plants from 20% to a few percent, and the design of cities have changed as well in terms of what types of structures can be built close to coastlines.

~~~~ What Happened? ~~~~

Professor Fumihiko Imamura (IRIDes Tohoku University, Japan) discussed an overview of the events that occurred leading up to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Japan has an integrated system of sensors and seismic meters around Japan that detect early signs of earthquakes and tsunamis. The combination of sensors work together in conjunction with computer models to function as a tsunami warning system.

According to Professor Imamura, in 2011 the tsunami warning system estimated smaller waves than what occurred. This happened because the system recognized the instantaneous earthquake and issued an alert immediately; since tsunami waves can arrive at the shores before an earthquake is finished, an alert must be sent out quickly in the early stages of the earthquake. The warning system relies on a historic registry of earthquake locations, frequency, duration, and magnitude.

The initial 2011 earthquake lasted three minutes in duration and was one of the most catastrophic earthquakes ever experienced in Japan. At that time the tsunami warning database had about 100,000 models of earthquake samples, damage projections, and size of tsunami generated. Research continues to improve this warning system. During the initial stages of an earthquake, the computer models need to review existing data sets quickly, to determine the areas that will most likely be affected by a possible tsunami.

Following the events of the 2011 tsunami, a new ISO standard on Disaster Risk Reduction was developed. Artificial intelligence and machine learning is a promising technology to help improve the speed at which event outcomes are determined at the onset of an earthquake.

~~~~ Archiving History ~~~~

“While the past doesn’t change, what we think is important about the past changes.” - Professor Andrew Gordon. Professor Andrew Gordon is a historian at Harvard University. He spoke about the importance of archiving, and revisiting historical events to provide new perspective.

One of Gordon’s projects is the Digital Archive Project. This was created to document and archive all kinds of data and information related to major events. The goal was to set up an archive of all the digital records associated with the 2011 Tsunami including items like tweets, and social media posts.

During and immediately after the 2011 Tsunami, lots of materials were archived, but sustaining interest in archiving projects can prove to be challenging. According to Gordon, sustaining interest can be achieved by relating “foreign disasters” to a local scale, and relate previous disasters to ongoing or future disasters in other parts of the world. For example, hurricane prone areas may want to consider how they can react, and rebuild after a devastating event. A digital archive allows the world to learn and prepare for events that have already happened. This can assist with policy development and preparedness in disaster prone areas.

~~~~ Policy and Community ~~~~

Kanako Iuchi (IRIDeS, Tohoku University) spoke about the impact of different policy mechanisms that were used to help rebuild after the disaster. Iuchi spoke about the two approaches typically used in policy making: a top-down approach, and a bottom-up approach.

In a typical response to national emergencies, the national level of government provides funding for infrastructure after a natural disaster (top-down approach). Funds are normally earmarked for specific projects. Letting a community tell a national level what is needed would be considered a bottom-up approach.

One fundamental approach that made the rebuilding unique in Japan was the means by which funds were allocated. In some cases, local governments could apply with a request for funding based on their needs. Two successful examples were shown in smaller communities: Kerobe, Kamaishi and Moune, Kesennuma. The communities determined what was most important for the prosperity of their communities and created a clear list of requirements. In both cases, the locally developed proposals were cheaper and more effective than the original government proposals.

In Kerobe, Kamaishi City, 40% of houses were destroyed by the Tsunami. The initial plan was to build a levee to protect the coastline from future disasters. The local community was strongly against this plan because the levee would impact their biggest industry: seaweed processing. The processing facilities need to be near the shoreline with the ability for machinery and boats to roam freely.

After consultation, a new community redevelopment plan was created, whereby houses were built on higher ground, and the road was designed to be at a higher elevation to act as a levee to protect households. The workplace for the seaweed processing plant was located near the water level. In the event of a tsunami, the workplace could be evacuated, and homes would be protected.

This is an example of a cohesive community clearly voicing their concerns and providing a clear set of priorities needed for their community to thrive. This method is more challenging for larger cities with many leaders of multiple industries, but it is an approach that has shown positive results with the right applications.

~~~~ Hazard Awareness ~~~~

Professor Shunichi Koshimura is a Civil Engineer with the International Research Institute of Disaster Science at Tohoku University. The events of 2011 are considered a super-cycle event, meaning that the earthquake magnitude, tsunami size, and damage was far higher and rare than previous events. The earthquake in 2011 was the fourth most powerful earthquake recorded in history.

Immediately after the tsunami, there was a period of time where it was deemed not safe to enter the area due to debris, downed infrastructure, and ongoing aftershocks. Once deemed safe to enter, damage was surveyed by in-person visits to the areas, and with the use of satellite imagery. In the past ten years, developments in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and cameras now make it possible for survey’s to be completed regardless of ground conditions.

Coastlines in Japan have hazard maps, which identify high risk areas for tsunamis. These maps can be helpful for development planning, but are not all-encompassing. In 2011, there were areas affected that were not identified on local hazard maps. The hazard maps at the time would not have been able to predict all of the affected areas since the tsunami was a super-cycle event.

The function of a hazard map is to identify high risk areas, but areas not indicated still have the potential for risk, as shown by the events of 2011. Engineering design standards changed after the events of 2011, and construction of large barriers known as seawalls increased around the country. Seawalls are large structures located along coasts, and coves to protect low-lying communities from tsunamis, while allowing ships to pass around the walls.

Earthquake and Tsunami simulation software continues to improve, and provide more accurate disaster modeling. These models help with planning new infrastructure projects that are resilient against natural disasters.

The above photos are an example of a seawall and coastal protection located in Yamaguchi prefecture. The wall acts as a barrier against large waves to protect the cove. Boats can pass freely around the wall. (Cohen, 2018)

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The disaster science community is making continual progress in knowledge sharing about the risks that face countries, cities, and communities around the world. This conference held by the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) was free for all to attend, and it attracted audiences from around the world.

Warning systems, archiving, policy, planning, engineering standards, and preparedness all have a part to play in the design and continual improvement to healthy infrastructure and communities. In the case of Kerobe, Kamaishi City, a giant sea wall could have been built to protect a city, but changing the location of housing and roadways provided a better solution for the community.

Scientific and engineering communities continue to work to improve the tools that make design of new resilient infrastructure possible. There is still a gap between the sciences and the social sciences, but stories like those from Kamaishi City show that the gap is closing, and great infrastructure can be achieved by engaging directly with the communities they serve.

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Nathan Cohen - May 2021

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You can watch the original presentation 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (session I) online hosted by the APRUSecretariat

The Japan Disasters Digital archive can be viewed online https://jdarchive.org/en

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Amid the year of eye-bulging headlines, Wall Street has quietly introduced a new type of futures contract: water.

On December 7th, 2020 public trading began on futures contracts for water. They are listed under the ticker NQH2O on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Investors can use this financial mechanism to bet on the price of water in California. The futures market includes commodities like gold, lumber, and cocoa. While the principle of futures is to reduce uncertainties of future pricing, this financial mechanism opens up the possibility of market manipulation.

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals include “availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Allowing for the exploitation of a basic right is a dangerous precedent to set. Real people pay the price. As we turn the fundamental requirements for human life into commodities, we devalue ourselves and the people around us.

So, What are Water Futures?

Water scarcity is becoming a bigger issue in California every year. The state has seen drier summers and more intense wildfires every year. Some of the biggest water users include farmers, municipalities, and home owners. During droughts, the price of water increases as demand increases. During rainy seasons, the price of water decreases as demand decreases. A futures contract (also referred to as futures) allows the holder to buy or sell a commodity at a fixed price at a future time. For example, if you agree to sell a case of water to your friend for $5 tomorrow, you have entered into a futures contract.

Water futures were introduced with the explanation that they would provide certainty in pricing to big users. In theory this allows users to hedge their bets, but ultimately one person’s loss becomes another person’s gain. Speculation can influence the cost of water, which could have drastic impacts on equitable access to water. This sets a dangerous precedent for other markets in the world.

How do Futures Hurt People? - A Case Study: Cocoa in Western Africa

An example of the negative impact of the futures market can be seen in the Cocoa market on the west coast of Africa. Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) are major suppliers for the world’s Cocoa market. Chocolate companies buy large supplies of cocoa and have to pay a price premium called the Living Income Differential (LID). The cost is an additional $400 USD per tonne which is used to help improve the quality of life of impoverished farmers. This price premium is supported by many companies in a response to consumer demand for ethically sourced products. When chocolate companies purchase cocoa from the physical markets in western Africa, the LID is applied to the purchase.

Hershey allegedly used the Futures Market to buy up large quantities of cocoa thereby circumventing the LID price premium. By purchasing a large quantity of cocoa via futures contracts, they could procure cocoa without paying a fee premium which improves the quality of life of farmers in the region.

Futures markets for cocoa are largely used as a financial mechanism for hedging investments, and not purchasing physical beans. Actions within the futures market also directly affected the regular markets. Hershey’s alleged purchase of cocoa in the Futures Market caused a 30 percent increase in the same commodity in the physical markets. The use of these financial tools have a direct impact on the quality of life of the farmers, communities, and other infrastructure that facilitate the production and supply of Cocoa.

Is Water Really a Big Concern?

The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner has denounced the introduction of water futures in a news release on 11 December 2020 titled: “Water: Futures market invites speculators, [and] challenges basic human rights – UN expert.”

Water is closely tied to public health, livelihoods, and the public good. In 2010 the UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council formally recognized the right to safe drinking water. Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, Emeritus Professor of Economic Analysis at the University of Zaragoza in Spain, said: “while there are on-going global discussions concerning water’s environmental, social and cultural values, the news that water is to be traded on Wall Street futures market shows that the value of water, as basic human right, is now under threat.”

While some institutions make the argument that the water futures market will provide greater clarity and certainty for water pricing, experts urge that this is a dangerous arrangement.

In an interview with Earther, Basav Sen, a climate justice project director at the Institute for Policy Studies expressed concern:

“What this represents is a cynical attempt at setting up what’s almost like a betting casino so some people can make money from others suffering...My first reaction when I saw this was horror, but we’ve also seen this coming for quite some time.” - Basav Sen

What do the Climate Scientists Say?

The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a special report titled Global Warming of 1.5 °C. In the summary section alone, there are 14 distinct sections identifying concerns with water in the future. Issues like water security, water stress, food security and water supply, and saltwater intrusion in coastal areas are well documented concerns with the potential to accelerate in severity in the coming century.

Florida, USA, faces an ongoing battle with saltwater intrusion. The difference in elevation of seawater levels and depleting fresh water has caused a gradient allowing salt water to infiltrate fresh water supplies. While Florida is a visible example of saltwater infiltration, as sea levels continue to rise, the potential for infiltration in other coastal cities around the world is a growing concern.

How Do We Protect Water? - Canada Water Agency (CWA)

Through research, innovation, and constructive government policy, our most sacred resources can be protected and managed equitably. In December 2020, the Government of Canada announced the public consultation process for the new Canada Water Agency (CWA). The goal of the Canada Water Agency is to address the issues related to the Climate Crisis, most notably fresh water supply. The CWA provides an opportunity for job creation in a sustainable manner.

The Covid-19 Pandemic continues to stress the job market. Job creation and GDP are directly linked to fresh water access. A discussion paper, Toward the Creation of a Canada Water Agency, released on December 17th 2020 by Environment and Climate Change Canada, identified that access to fresh water contributes to 22% of Canada’s GDP, and 13% of Canada’s employment.

“Fresh water is an economic driver. In 2017, the main water users by sector were electric power generation, transmission and distribution (65%); manufacturing (10%); agriculture (7%); and mining and oil and gas extraction (3%). These industries contributed 22% of total GDP and 13% of Canada’s employment in 2019, highlighting the significant link between sustainable freshwater quality and quantity, and Canada’s economic security.” - Discussion Paper Excerpt

How Do We Protect Water? - Global Water Futures (GWF)

The Global Water Futures (GWF, not to be confused with water futures contracts) is a Canadian-led research program led by University of Saskatchewan and includes: University of Waterloo, McMaster University, and Wilfrid Laurier University. The goal is to develop risk management solutions to manage water resources, and position Canada as a global leader in water sciences. The research program is funded in part by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The project aims to be a leader for innovation in water management, and critical decision making for resource management as climate change continues to limit accessibility of our resources.

Canada’s Changing Climate Report (2019, Government of Canada) discusses projections for future changes to the climate. The interactive online report is located on changingclimate.ca.

As the northern climate beings to warm more rapidly, warming temperatures have shifted the peak streamflow following snowmelt. This effectively causes higher water flow in early spring, and sometimes leads to lower water flow in the summer. Water levels have a great impact on water management in terms of both flooding and droughts. Summer droughts are projected to be more frequent. More info on freshwater availability in Canada can be found in chapter 6 of the report.

Canada has approximately 7 percent of the world’s renewable fresh water supply, which is a generous supply for a country that contains less than 0.5% of the world’s population. The figure is sometimes referred to as 20% but this figure includes non-renewable water sources called fossil water. Fossil water is water that is retained in glaciers, lakes, and underground aquifers.

Water security for Canadians is one of the main goals of the GWF, but science-backed policy developments can be used to encourage other countries to participate in future proofing their access to fresh water. A group of Indian and Australian research institutions have already launched a new research centre, The Australia India Water Centre, to focus on water scarcity and sanitation challenges around the world. The project includes 15 Indian and nine Australian institutions. Both countries have seen first hand impact of drought, flash floods and a changing climate.

“History Does Not Repeat Itself, But it Rhymes.” - Mark Twain

This quote, often attributed to Mark Twain best describes the events making their splash on Wall Street.

After the 1973 Oil Crisis, oil was top of mind. Oil shortages caused massive effects on economies and ways of life. In the late 1970’s the cult-classic Mad Max followed this trend and portrayed an apocalyptic future where oil and resource shortages led to a collapsed civilization; those who controlled oil, had all the power.

This year, Dune, a sci-fi movie is set for release. Dune is about a desert planet, where water is scarce, and water is power.

Water is essential, and no number of financial mechanisms can create more water out of a dwindling supply. The water crisis needs to be handled by managing our resources, not betting on them. Wall Street will not save us, but Canada might.

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Nathan Cohen - March 2021

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After graduating my civil engineering program in the spring of 2014, I went on a trip. At a time with no worries, cares or responsibilities, I learned about new cultures and ways of life. This trip was the inspiration for The Engineering Nomad. My travels gave me a new way of looking at engineering and the importance of sustainable development. This trip was the final capstone project of my undergrad. Based on my experiences, I began to write about infrastructure challenges and local solutions.

After returning from this trip I learned of an organization titled Global Dimension in Engineering Education (GDEE). The organization was active from 2013 to 2018, but all of the resources can still be viewed online including course guidelines, course readings, case studies, and videos. GDEE fueled my interests: a blend of engineering and sustainable development. The project is an initiative to teach Engineering students around the world about the relationship between technology and sustainable development.

“The next generations of engineers need to understand the challenges our world faces and critically assess issues such as poverty, inequality and sustainability.” Engineers Without Borders UK.

GDEE provides teaching resources and case studies (free of charge) for educators under a free Creative Commons license. While these resources are aimed at educators, they are available to anyone with the interest and desire to learn more about the Global Dimension in Engineering Education. The majority of information (linked above) is hosted through the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Spain, also referred to as Barcelona Tech.

The purpose of GDEE is to provide a more rounded education for Engineers who are tasked with solving the world’s challenges. As globalization continues, and work can be outsourced to companies all around the world, it is important for Engineers to be aware of local factors that affect the success of a design. The goal of the GDEE project is to fill the gap that students face in the existing engineering curriculum in social studies. Each case study, prepared by Engineers with various backgrounds, is formatted to be an educational tool with a lesson plan, classroom activities, and assignments complete with answer guides.

Every problem that an Engineer is trying to solve relates to people and the struggles they face. This factor is all-too-often skimmed over in the traditional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curriculum. Yes, there is a need to be able to design brand new buildings, yes there is a need to design power grids, yes there is a need for bridges, planes, cars, and chemical plants. The big gap in engineering education is the human factor, not the technical factor. Sustainable development is greatly hindered when engineers and designers are not aware of the global dimension to their profession.

Traditional engineering education focuses on the technical aspect of providing a solution to a problem; the human factor is about defining and understanding the problem on a local scale. This is discussed in detail throughout the course materials. In particular, the first volume of materials under the course readings is titled “Making the case for a critical global engineer.”

More than 30 case studies are made available through GDEE. The case studies range in topics including: rural water supply and sanitation, photovoltaics in off-grid systems, and trade and mobility in rural areas. The full set of case studies are available here.

A related initiative to the GDEE is the Engineering Services and Global Development (EScGD) group as a part of Barcelona Tech. Their focus is on research and development in engineering with a focus on helping vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.

Practical Action is another group that provides information for groups focused on poverty reduction. Their vision is to provide knowledge and resources for people that are focused on poverty reduction in the world. Some of their resources are available here. Their resources cover a broad range of topics such as disaster mitigation, economic development, and construction. Practical Action has a portal that allows people to share how these resources have helped improve their situations. Some of these “Stories of Change” can be found here.

“Gravity goods ropeway is a simple means of goods transportation technology for the hilly communities of Nepal where access to road is limited.” This video is developed by Mani Karmachary and narrated by Shradha Giri. Practical Action.

There are so many resources at our fingertips to educate future engineers about the importance of sustainable development. As we face more and more challenges associated with a changing climate, it is crucial that we incorporate the global dimension into engineering education.

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Punching through the hills, scraping the tops of the skies, an endless expanse of snow-covered rock; the Himalayas are the perfect backdrop for any story. Terrifyingly beautiful and inhospitably welcoming, climbers are called by the sirens of the Himalayas every year in the hope of standing on top of the world’s highest peaks. Behind every summit attempt are thousands of hidden stories of motivation, drive, and purpose. But, the mountains did not grow tall to be conquered or to be featured in headlines; they became pedestals from which climbers shout otherwise silent truths to the world.

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Standing on top of Shishapangma on October 29, 2019 Nimsdai Purja set a new world record time for quickest time to summit all 14 of the world’s highest peaks. Purja climbed the world’s 14 highest peaks in a record time of 6 months and 6 days during a mission titled “Project Possible” in 2019. The title speaks to the importance of a positive mindset, and goal-setting attitude. Purja sought to show by example that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. He grew up in Chitwan, Nepal, and eventually earned a spot in the Ghurka regiment in the United Kingdom Military. Nepali citizens have had the opportunity to join the Ghurkas for the past 200 years.

Ever since he began his physical training for the Ghurka’s, he began to work on his goal-setting attitude. This mindset allowed him to continue to push himself towards realizing his dreams. He continued to develop these skills throughout his military career as he eventually made his way into the elite U.K. special boat service. In his recently released book, Beyond Possible, Purja describes many of the parallels between a military operation and a mountain climbing expedition. Although physical strength and endurance are both requirements for any mission, having a positive mindset can be the difference between success and failure.

Nirmal 'Nims' Purja has climbed all 14 of the world's 8,000-metre-high mountains in a record-breaking 189 days. -The Guardian News

Purja led multiple rescue missions during his world-record breaking project, and he has consistently shown the importance of climbing with supplemental oxygen in these high altitude regions. Some have criticized Purja’s use of supplemental oxygen as “performance enhancing” but Purja has spoken about how this can jeopardize the safety of everyone else on the mountain.

On the summit of Everest, the air contains approximately one-third of the oxygen it contains at sea level. Altitude sickness is a common occurrence on tall mountains. The physiological effects due to low oxygen levels at high altitudes can be severe and long-lasting. The immediate effects include reduced energy levels and impaired decision making. Not using supplementary oxygen in extreme altitudes can limit a climbers ability to help someone who may be in trouble. Through his consistent social media outreach, Purja has shown the hardships faced on the mountains, and how difficult rescue missions can be in extreme conditions. He and his team participated in multiple rescue missions during the Project Possible climbs.

The preparation and execution of the Project Possible expedition required a lot of teamwork. Although Purja was the front-person of the mission, he continuously acknowledged the efforts of his team mates. His team of Nepali mountaineers were able to build their mountain resumes with the goal of showcasing the abilities of Nepali expedition planners. Himalayan mountain expeditions have long been dominated by non-Nepali mountaineering guides, and Project Possible has brightened the spotlight on these extreme athletes. Nepali mountaineers are not necessarily Sherpas. The term Sherpa has long been misinterpreted. Sherpa does not refer to a person carrying climbing equipment on a mountain. Sherpa is an ethnic group in Nepal. The Unsung Heroes of Everest is a National Geographic story by Aaron Huey that describes the life of Sherpas in the Himalayas.

Unsung Heroes of Everest by Photographer Aaron Huey

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There are many roles in an expedition that are overlooked. Before reaching base camp of any mountain, equipment is often carried in by porters, as it is considered to be the cheapest - and sometimes the only way - to bring in equipment. Nathaniel J. Menninger’s documentary, The Porter, follows the hardships of porters in Nepal as he himself signs up to work as a porter on the trek to and from Everest Basecamp. This documentary showcases some of the hardships that face communities in the climbing regions of Nepal. Porters are paid very little and rely heavily on tips from wealthy climbers. Climbing is a big source of revenue in this part of the world, but this documentary highlights some of the inequities in these communities that provide necessary infrastructure and services for climbing expeditions. It shifts the perspective from the magazine covers and interviews to the everyday people trying to earn an honest living.

The Porter Film by Nathan J. Menninger

During Purja’s mission he spoke to the issue of Climate Change around the world. Effects of climate change can be seen clearly from the tops of some of the highest mountains. Speaking from the summits of Mountains, Purja has pointed out large sections of glaciers that have melted in valleys below. This has an immediate effect on the local communities as it changes the ways they live their lives. As a result of Purja’s efforts and work showcasing the irreversible changes to our planet due to climate change, he has earned the position of Mountains & Climate Change Ambassador for the U.K. Embassy in Nepal.

Minimizing the impact of Climate Change is a monumental task. It is a giant expedition that we are all part of whether we want to be or not. Purja’s positive mindset and goal-setting attitude allowed him to join the most elite military unit in the U.K., climb the world’s 14 highest mountains in record time, and showcase the impact of climate change from the tops of mountains.

Climate change is the Mount Everest of our time and it is up to each and every one of us to contribute to the expedition in the best way we can. Some people may do the heavy lifting, like porters, some people may push through storms and cold, like the elite mountain guides, but we all have a part to play in reducing the impacts of Climate Change.

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You can read more about Nimsdai Purja on his website, and see updates on the K2 winter expedition. Read more about Nathan J. Menninger on his website.

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The story of Apollo 13 offers many lessons about how to come together as a team to solve challenging tasks. We cannot all become astronauts, but we can use some of the same skills and techniques the Apollo 13 crew used to ensure their safe return. Space exploration requires large teams of scientists, engineers, technicians, pilots, and so many other staff in order to run a successful mission. You can watch the full mission at apolloinrealtime.org. This website showcases a comprehensive set of radio communications, video footage, news conferences, and mission data for the entire 152 hour mission. It includes detailed photos and diagrams showing the layout of the command module and landing module.

Once a decision is made to launch a crew into space, a detailed planning process ensues. Protocols and checklists are developed and tested to ensure the crew can go on their mission safely. Teams plan, build, and test every piece of equipment. During a mission, everyone must be quick-thinking and strategic in the way they attempt to solve the issue at hand. This article discusses the value of communication, problem solving, checklists, working with limited resources, benefits of simulations and drills, and leadership.

Part 1

“Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Jim Lovell

The No. 2 oxygen tank that was installed on the Apollo 13 service module was a refurbished tank from the Apollo 10 module. During one of the testing procedures, the No. 2 oxygen tank was not emptying as designed. While the history on this tank is detailed, the final decision was to use the electrical heater within the tank to “burn off” the remaining oxygen. It was unknown at the time, but this heating process ended up damaging the No. 2 oxygen tank that would lead to an explosion while in space.

Days before, the launch backup pilot Charles Duke unknowingly exposed the Apollo crew to Rubella. Since the original command module pilot did not have immunity to Rubella, he was replaced by John Swigert days before the launch. Backup crews are always trained and in place ready to step in at times like these. It changed the crew dynamic, but consistent training make these transitions as smooth as possible. Soon after liftoff, the S -II engine on Apollo 13 shut down two minutes early. This caused the remaining engines to burn longer in order to get the spacecraft into orbit. This unexpected event put the crew on edge.

Approximately 56 hours into the mission, 200,000 miles from earth, the No. 2 oxygen tank aboard the spacecraft exploded. The No. 1 oxygen tank also began to fail as a direct result of the explosion. Warning lights indicated that one oxygen tank was empty and the second was depleting rapidly. Two of the three fuel cells were no longer functioning; the fuel cells supply the module with its power. While all of this was happening, the crew also observed that there was a gas leaking from the spacecraft.

Amid the chaos of radio communications, the decision was made to relocate the crew from the command module (CM) to the landing module (LM), using the landing module as a “life boat.” After isolating the problem, and determining the extent of damage, the next step was to figure out how to get the crew safely back to Earth.

Part 2

Failure is not an option.

Once the crew was safely relocated to the landing module, mission control and the crew members needed to assess what resources they had available to them, and had to develop entirely new procedures to bring the crew home. The main problems included: navigation, rationing consumables like water, extending the battery supplies, removing excess carbon dioxide from the air, surviving the cold, and developing a new landing procedure. It normally takes months to plan, write, and test new procedures, but mission control no had a matter of days to develop a plan.

Missions are carefully choreographed. Nicely formatted checklists and procedures ensure that information is quickly accessible to everyone involved in the mission. Captain Jim Lovell’s cuff checklist currently resides in the Alder Planetarium in Chicago Illinois. This cuff checklist is attached to the astronaut’s wrist for quick viewing, with all the key elements they need to remember. The point of the checklists are to provide a clear list of instructions on how to perform the mission; they also attempt to predict possible complications and provide quick solutions. This photo of two pages of the checklist strapped to Lovell’s wrist reminds the astronaut to ‘duck’ to avoid getting entangled in the antenna lines while on the moon surface. This part of the checklist was never used because the crew never made it to the moon surface. Mission control began to develop new procedures immediately in order to develop a safe way to return the crew back to earth. NASA provides a full set of the Apollo 13 mission rules which can be downloaded here. Within the mission rules there is a list of all potential failures or malfunctions, with a predetermined action to take depending on the stage of the mission. When seconds count, a checklist becomes the most valuable item to have.

The landing module was designed to disconnect from the command module and go down to the surface of the moon. Since the crew was relocated to the landing module, new procedures had to be developed to extend the life of the module that was originally built for 45 hours of use, to 90 hours. Oxygen was not an immediate concern due to additional reserves that were onboard, but other consumables like power, water, and carbon dioxide removal became paramount. Failure was not an option.

Part 3

“We have no more water in the potable tank” -Jim Lovell

Resource management enabled the astronauts to return safely to Earth.

Procedures were developed to reduce power consumption in the module and limit the use of power to about 20% of normal levels, which was just enough to keep critical systems functioning. When the electrical systems were turned off to reduce power, this reduced the amount of heat generated in the spacecraft. The temperature dropped and as the mission progressed condensation began to form on the inside of the spacecraft. Although the astronauts were cold, the bigger concern was the amount of condensation that was building up on the electronics. There were concerns that short circuits could cause a fire when restarting the electrical systems.

Procedures that normally normally took three months were written in three days to develop the proper method of restarting electrical systems, and due to critical safeguards installed, there were no short circuits. These safeguards were developed after the catastrophic fire that occurred on board the Apollo 1 shuttle in 1967.

The landing module was designed for two men for two days, and now as a “life boat” it was required to sustain three men for four days. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is removed by using canisters of lithium hydroxide to filter the contaminant. The canisters from the command module were square, and the canisters for the landing module fit in round openings only. As CO2 alarms began ringing in the landing module for excess CO2, mission control raced to develop a method to connect the square canisters to the circular openings using materials that the crew had on board. Mission control communicated the procedure to the crew, and they were able to use tape, cardboard, plastic bags, and other materials in order to secure the canisters and reduce the build up of CO2 in the landing module. With limited supplies on board, the crew could not afford to cut something incorrectly so mission control had to be precise with their instructions.

Navigation using the landing module was going to be a challenge. In order to navigate back home the crew was required to complete two burns using the landers engines. During the burns, the orientation of the spacecraft was crucial to ensure a correct trajectory. An Alignment Optical Telescope (AOT) was normally used to ensure the correct alignment of the spacecraft. This method was no longer viable because the earlier explosion created so much debris that the stars could not be viewed clearly enough for the system to function correctly. A method was developed by mission control to use the sun as a navigational star, and was sighted manually by Captain Lovel. Precision was crucial because firing the engines with an incorrect orientation could have sent the spacecraft on an incorrect flight path. The first burn was short, but the second burn lasted for nearly five minutes.

As the crew was getting closer and closer to earth, they eventually ran out of water approximately 25 hours before landing. The astronauts rationed the water to a minimal daily intake of 6 ounces per day. Their meals were adjusted to mostly wet foods. On April 17, 1970 the crew landed safely in the pacific ocean near Samoa, where the U.S. navy greeted them with celebration.

Nasa Mission Control was headed by lead flight director Gene Kranz. His team, and many others, were tasked with constant calculation, decision making, and task management. No one could have predicted or trained for the number of issues the crew and mission control faced on the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. The Apollo 13 mission was designated a successful failure because the crew was returned safely even though the odds were stacked against them. The success can be attributed to the amount of training and planning that goes into mission preparation. Procedures, chain of command, teamwork and clear communication were crucial to bring the crew back home safely.

The story of Apollo 13 shows that with the right amount of determination, we can achieve the improbable.

If at first you don’t succeed, fail successfully, then try again.

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Even in the dead of winter, natural hot springs bubble up through the snowy peaks of northern Japan. These are the same types of hot springs that offer refuge for the always adorable and photogenic Japanese Macaque “snow monkey”. There are many natural hot springs in Japan, and Noboribetsu is one of them. Noboribetsu is located in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, which is on the mountainous northern island of Hokaido. It takes about 6 hours by train from Tokyo. The region that has a large collection of volcanoes and hot bubbling water is called hell valley. The surrounding town is filled with hotels that advertise spas and onsen experiences. Onsen is the Japanese word meaning hot spring.

With Japan’s large reserve of naturally heated water, there is the potential to harness the geothermal power of hot springs for the energy demands of the country. Geothermal is one way Japan could begin to diversify their energy production, and reduce the number of nuclear power plants required to sustain the nation. Events like the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster have put a spotlight on exploring safer renewable technologies like geothermal.

Geothermal is a word that has created division in the past years. The best locations in Japan to install geothermal technologies overlap with large clusters of onsen. There is concern among onsen advocacy groups that geothermal power plants would affect the quality of the water supplying onsen. Due to the cultural importance of Japanese onsen, this will likely be a challenge to implement. Check out this Vice documentary on the topic.

There is a clear divide between the owners of natural hot spring resorts and energy consultants looking for different ways to power Japan. Geothermal power plants are not new to Japan, but according to an article by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IREA), geothermal plants supplied just 0.3% of the nation’s energy demand in 2018. This article by the IREA discusses the ways geothermal could be introduced by means of “small-scale generation.” The benefit of small scale generation is the ability for a symbiotic relationship between onsen and energy producers.

The Yumura Onsen in central Japan is an example of a locally appropriate energy solution that respects a cultures way of life. This article by Renewable Energy World shows how a small-scale power plant using binary geothermal technology was successfully accepted by the community it serves. The community was concerned when the project was first introduced. Once the community understood that the technology would not negatively impact their way of life, they embraced the change.

The binary geothermal technology operates with lower water temperatures compared to traditional steam-based geothermal technologies. It uses the hot spring water to heat a secondary liquid that spins a turbine. The natural spring water never comes in direct contact with the secondary liquid, and as a result, the power plant in Yumura did not require the installation of new wells. There is a way for geothermal and onsens to existing together, but it will take a lot of public outreach to convey this message.

On my trip, I learned a lot about the history of the area and the importance of the hot springs to the Japanese way of life. It became clear to me that the true negotiations to implement geothermal energy systems will not happen in a boardroom or government building filled with suits. As long as these energy projects receive acceptance from the local communities they plan to serve, the demons will welcome them too.

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After getting on a train from the airport in 2018, I was on my way to stay at a pod hotel for my first night in Tokyo. Originally, the pod hotels (also called capsule hotels) were originally created for the average Japanese Salaryman. The work culture in Japan includes an overextending loyalty to an employer which often requires working long hours, and occasionally missing the last train home. Pod hotels offer a budget option for those staying in the nation’s largest city. Pod hotels have become a tourist attraction for budget travellers who don’t mind small accommodations.

My “room” was 6 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet tall, with no window. After a mildly uncomfortable nights rest, I packed up my belongings, wiggled out of my room, and went to the lobby. I walked up to the bar counter and redeemed by voucher for a breakfast, which consisted on a coffee and hot dog. Yes, a hot dog. This is in no way a traditional Japanese breakfast, but it was a hit based on the number of foreigners in the hotel lounge that were enjoying their meals.

Japan is well known for being a country of innovation, and creativity. Japanese infrastructure is designed for its users. The inspiration from this trip changed the way I approach both personal and professional projects.

Transportation

The train system in Japan is other-worldly. The majority of the country is accessible by train, subway, and bus. There are many different transit operators in Japan, but the level of cooperation and compatibility between the systems is impressive. The national rail lines run between prefectures (equivalent to a province or a state), and each of these prefectures may have their own local transit networks as well.

The population of Japan is approximately 127 million. To gain a true appreciation of the size of the country, I’ll let you check out the true size of the country yourself. The website “thetruesize.com” allows you to overlay the equivalent footprint of a country on top of another.

Based on 2018 data from the world bank, Canada has a population density of 4 people per square kilometre of land, and Japan has 347 people per square kilometre of land. The higher the population density, the more incentive their is to provide strongly interconnected transportation systems. Train schedules are accurate and tightly regulated. Japan is regularly known for making grandiose apologies when their trains deviate from a planned schedule by a matter of seconds. On one of my train rides to Kyoto, the operator made an announcement apologizing for leaving less than one minute later than planned.

It is rare that there are major shut downs on train lines. Most train lines will close around 11pm. This gives crews a larger portion of time to set up and work overnight before the morning train schedule resumes. Although it means that transportation options are limited in the evening, this schedule reduces the number of times a multi-day closure may occur.

Accessibility

Tokyo is a metropolis. The population of the Greater Tokyo Area is approximately the same as the population of Canada. Signage in tourist ares is mostly in Japanese, English, Chinese, and Korean. Announcements in train stations often cycle between multiple languages as well. Soon into my trip, I started to notice the subtleties that make Toyko an easily accessible city. Throughout the city there are long pathways of “brail walkways” that allow a visually impaired person to navigate within buildings, and on sidewalks. I noticed that most people would not use this section of a pathway or sidewalk in order to reduce the number of obstacles that a vision impaired person might face. Some Canadian cities have roughened steel plates near intersections to warn a visually impaired person, but there are no pathways similar to these seen in Japan.

When I was wandering in Yokohama, I noticed embedded metal markers in the sidewalks. I asked my friend what they meant. He simply said, “It is a compass.” Yes, I know what you are thinking, smartphones, but with the flourishing number of underground pathways in Toronto, and other large cities, navigation can be tough, especially when there is limited signage and cell service. A compass is a simple tool, but provides a lot of information, and it does not run out of battery.

Construction

Construction sites were fascinating to watch. It is interesting to see how different countries tackle construction with different materials and tools. There were a large number of steel buildings under construction in Japan. In a seismic zone, the goal is to have strong buildings that are lightweight. In some cases, steel can provide a better balance between weight and strength, compared to concrete.

One of the construction sites I walked by had a sign displaying the noise (in decibels) from the current construction activities. The second number showed the permitted volume limit. It would be a simple item to add to any construction site which would demonstrate the construction team’s commitment to maintaining good relations with the community. Noise pollution can be extremely challenging to deal with as a resident in a large city, and this has an impact on the health and happiness of residents.

Infrastructure

There are particular regions in the world that are more prone to earthquakes. Japan is in one of these regions. The need to design for high earthquake loading often results in distinct visual differences among buildings and infrastructure. The simplest way to think of seismic loading is this; when you are standing still, you are able to support your own weight, but someone bumping into you will throw you off balance. The instinctual response when this happens, is to take a step away from the person to regain your balance. A wider stance gives you a better balance against a sudden load from the side.

New buildings and structures echo the past. This communication structure (above) is a modern structure seen in Tokyo, but the same pattern can be seen in the construction of old castles from the 1400’s.

Of course, there are a whole host of different design methods that can be incorporated into the design of a building that limit the need to take up large sections of real estate at the base of a building. The view from the lobby of my pod hotel in Tokyo shows a lot of different types of buildings and structures in the Ginza region.

In big cities, utilities are often hidden beneath roadways in underground tunnels and conduits. In order to access a variety of utilities, access tubes are installed at various intervals along routes. The top of these access tubes are capped with a steel man-hole cover. In Canada, a typical man-hole cover looks like a studded waffle-shaped round plate. In Japan I was surprised to see that many cities have unique and often colourful designs for these typically mundane steel plates. The collection of photos below showcase a handful of covers that I saw while in Japan.

In one case, I noticed a series of numbers and letters stamped into the top of the steel cover. This is an easy way to find the correct location to complete maintenance, or repair work in a timely manner. Aside from the functionality of these manhole covers, there is a local taste to the region’s infrastructure.

Japanese infrastructure is forward thinking. Solutions fix the immediate issues and anticipate the future ones. This is the mindset I have adopted as my own design philosophy.

As I strolled through the airport waiting for my flight back home, I browsed the many souvenir shops and food stalls. Alas, I could not find a way to get rid of my last bits of leftover loose change. Perhaps this is because Japan knows I will be back.

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The idea of visual analytics is not new, but now the volume of data that is collected through the digital system we now have allows for larger and more complex data sets than ever before. In 1854, Dr. John Snow plotted cholera-related deaths on a map to look at the relationship between deaths and location in London, England. After collecting a large enough sample of data, the pattern emerged that most of the deaths were within walking distance of one particular water pump, which provided residents with drinking water. He showed that this pump was taking water from a contaminated section of the Thames river.

Now, imagine if you had to look for the relationships in this map shown in a table with latitudes and longitudes; this sounds like a nightmare of a question on an exam. Data visualizations convey information in an easier format than standard statistics do. A table of numbers is more difficult to comprehend than a 'picture.' Data visualizations allow for a clearer definition of the problem. For example, Hanns demonstrates how to split the statistics from regions to countries to different income levels within each nation. Contextualization is very important and this method of showing data clearly shows how blanket solutions are generally not acceptable approach. In recent years, online reports have started to include interactive data visualizations into reports. On big infrastructure and urban development projects, this type of display for data sets is important to track different project indicators.

Studying the way people interact with different displays of data helps to better understand how data should be shown. Complex displays may hide the important information even though they look "cool". Data is only useful if it can be understood and conveyed in a clear manner.

The Ngram viewer is a project by Google which shows the number of occurrences of a given word or phrase in literature between the years of 1800 and 2008. Search words like “sustainability”, and “climate change” are virtually non-existent prior to the 1980s. The tool is based on an immense database of OCR work done by Google. The ability to create massive data sets is left to the companies and organization that have the financial backing to make this happen. Data sets are starting to become more openly accessible to the public. Data visualizations are only possible when data is easily accessible and searchable. As Hans Rosling describes in his Ted Talk, Averages are dangerous. We must have a high level of contextualization when we make decisions.

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My visit to the research center was on a very hot day, about 40 °C (104 °F). It is difficult to grow anything in conditions such as those, but the dry air offers advantages to farmers, that most may not be aware of. I walked through two doorways, pushing the heavy canvas tarps to the side. I was hit with a wave of cool air. Two large black squares of mesh covered the wall to my right blowing cool air. At the opposite end of this building there were fans used to suck air out of the building in order to achieve a balanced pressure.

In desert climates a greenhouse would describe a building with a cooler more humid interior than the exterior air. The process used to achieve such an outcome is called evaporative cooling. By adding water into the air by means of fans, a comfortable climate is achieved for plant life. See the video below for a demonstration of what this system looks like for a greenhouse.

Evaporative cooling is only feasible in desert-like dry climates. The dry hot air absorbs the moisture in exchange for some of its heat. This would not be possible in hotter, more humid climates. As the air becomes more humid, it starts to lose its ability to take more liquid water out of the air.

For example, on a hot dry day, the dry air will allow the sweat on our skin to evaporate nicely in exchange for the sensation of feeling cooler. But if it is a hot humid day, the air is no longer able to evaporate the sweat on our skin. The same principle applies to cooling these green houses.

The moderate temperatures in these greenhouses combined with drip irrigation reduce the amount of wasted water in farming practices. Certain crops, radishes for example, still require traditional spray watering in order to grow properly.

Connection to North America

Aquifers in the southern United States and western states such as California are starting to dry up, and droughts are hitting parts of California harder than ever before. In order to sustain the current level or agricultural production, there will need to be more focus on the practices used to sustain farms. As the climate becomes warmer and drier in some regions, desert farming techniques may become more widely used.

Droughts in California are a severe issue for a major supplier of food throughout North America. Flooding and drought are becoming far worse than they have ever been. Droughts are becoming so bad, that some dams are starting to dry up. (National Geographic, October 2014) Also, wildfire seasons are lasting longer than ever before due to rising temperatures and drought. There are a plethora of problems facing the agricultural industries of the world.

So, what is the point?

The work of the RNDARC has developed farming techniques to: improve crop yields in arid regions, use water efficiently, and make use of saline water irrigation systems. In 2002, a U.S.-Israel initiative increased research and development ties. The Ramat Negev Research Center provides courses and education for farmers. The application of proper agricultural techniques can increase yields, while conserving water.

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Mills at the Riverside

At the riverside of some communities in Northern India, you might find small water powered mills. These mills were originally built for cutting lumber, but when the government made it illegal to cut down trees in the Himalayan foothills, many mills were converted to prepare flour. Lumber can be purchased from government run tree farms. Unfortunately I was unable to visit one of these mills when I was there.

I met a German engineer while in India. He told me about a Nepali trade’s person who designed a different kind of wheel which would provide greater turning efficiencies for traditional mills. During the day the water would turn the water wheel in order to operate the purely mechanical systems for preparing flour. At night, when work has stopped, the turn-shaft could easily be connected to a magnet to spin inside a simple copper coil, in other words, a generator. This system would enable small communities to generate their own electricity. Although electricity is cheap in this region, supply can be unpredictable in this region of India. The unstable nature of the supply is one of the reasons why homes are heated with gas, and not electricity.

There is great potential for micro-hydro turbine projects in the Himalayas. The mill turbine projects would be a more culturally appropriate method for providing power, especially in remote locations. From what I have learned about these mill projects, the generator could be built by locals, with locally accessible materials.

Zahnd Alex, Haddix McKay, and Richard Komp published a paper in 2006 titled ¨Renewable Energy Village Power Systems for Remote and Impoverished Himalayan Villages in Nepal.¨ The article discusses ways to provide power to poor and remote communities in Nepal. The article looks at ways of capturing the potential energy of renewable resources including water and solar to provide lighting for households, which would otherwise be using traditional cooking fires in their homes. Check out the paper here.

Hot Water

Water heating practices vary greatly around the world. In much of North America the standard is to have a large, constantly heated, water tank in the basement of a house. Common fuel sources include natural gas, and electricity. In the hotter regions of the world there are passive heating options which are more practical. For example, forcing water through pipes on the roofs of buildings takes advantage of the solar potential. The water absorbs energy from the sun’s rays, and the heated water is stored in tanks. I have seen this method used widely in both Israel and Turkey. See the two images below.

This exact method only works in hot climates. A system like this in its current form would not work in cold climates. Exposed water pipes would freeze and burst. A workaround would be glycol-filled tubes on the exterior of a house. The heated glycol would then be used to heat the water with a heat exchange system. A solar water heating system for a cold climate is more complicated and does not achieve the same efficiencies as systems in desert-like climates. Factors include: hours of sunlight, percentage of direct sunlight, pipe material.

The Northern Indian climate can be cold in the winter. Based on the locations I visited on my trip I am not sure how common the solar water heating system is in India. I saw three different methods of heating water including: geysers, wood or gas heating tanks, and solar. A Geyser is a style of hot water tank used in India. Geysers are essentially a North American hot water tank on a smaller scale. A bathroom containing a geyser would be attached near the top of a wall. An electrical switch turns the tank on, in order to heat the water for a shower. As soon as the water is heated the switch can be turned off until the next time a shower is needed. This is a much more efficient use of resources than the traditional North American model. This method allows for the compartmentalization of hot water use. One or two geysers, depending on the family size, are installed in a bathroom. A smaller unit can be installed for the kitchen sink.

Another method of heating water in northern India is by using a wood-fueled heating tank. A reservoir, supplied by a water intake pipe, is heated by an adjacent furnace. The water is heated by conduction through the furnace walls. The hot water rises to the top of the reservoir and exits through a pipe entering the building. The system I saw relies on wood or any kind of flammable material, such as cardboard packaging, in order to fuel the furnace. Firewood in northern India is very expensive. It is illegal to cut down trees in some regions due to the concern for erosion in the Himalayan foothills.

An important feature of many houses in Northern India is the location of the household water reservoirs. Many houses have water tanks on their roofs. Water is pumped into these tanks awaiting use. Houses, normally built of concrete or brick, are able to support these loads. The rooftop water tanks provide adequate water pressure to the house without the use of a pump. I experienced many power outages during my visit, but I never faced a water shortage. Some mountain communities at higher elevations use hand pumps to get water.

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