Effects of Urban Storm Water Runoff on the Natural Environment, Effects of the Natural Environment upon People, and Greenspace Solutions to Remediate Potential Flooding in the Proctor Creek Watershed

The case for undertaking a bicycle trail project must illustrate a number of justifications in an era where motor vehicles are the default mode of transit. In recent years, non-motorized transit has become at once trendy in its current representation among urban planning issues, and of crucial importance in its need to be brought to the forefront of public attention; the rise of numerous health crises associated with a sedentary lifestyle has brought about a resurgence in bicycling and other methods of active commuting. In Atlanta, the congestion of travelers on any given day has created a concurrent crisis of transit, leading some to forego the vehicle in favor of the bicycle, and for many to reconsider whether it is worth their while to use a vehicle to navigate the city. A second concurrent issue, that of urban storm runoff, is extensive in its reach. Cities are characterized by grey spaces, with extensive areas of imperviousness, and Atlanta, while very rich in greenspaces as well, is no exception. Runoff entering the watershed has the potential to cause a number of hydrological and ecological disruptions, in addition to exacerbating any flood areas that may emerge in cities that experience generous rainfall and inundation events from local rivers. With the reclamation of abandoned paved parcels, and conversion to semi-permeable greenway materials, the total area of impermeability in Atlanta may be decreased. Here, I propose via scenario analyses of environmental overlay, transit patterns, and socioeconomic regressions the value of a mixed-use, multi-material greenway forming a belt around the northwest quadrant of Atlanta’s inner perimeter.

Date

2016

Resource Type

Text

Resource Subtype

Masters Project
Applied Research Paper

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