1. Houston: Embracing water
Matt Bartholomew
Houston, Texas is the largest city in the state of Texas and fourth largest in the nation. The city was founded in 1836 and has grown steadily since that time. The city currently has a population of 2.14 million within its city limits and nearly four million in the metropolitan area. The city itself has grown , now encompassing 579 square miles with a population density of 3,371.1 people per square mile. The median household income is $36,616. Since its inception the city has had a very close relationship with the system of bayous that drain rainwater. In the coming years the city of Houston’s inhabitants will have to make very important decisions about how the city will respond to its water.
Until recently Houston has been dealing with this issue by treating it as a problem that can be solved with large scale civic works such as widening the bayous. Houstonians themselves have ignored water and view it as a nuisance to be dealt with only when absolutely necessary. Viewing water as a nuisance to be dealt with is not feasible as a long term, sustainable solution. Houston is located in a geographic area that is flood prone, in order to properly deal with this issue the city must embrace water and in extension flooding. Water must become a central part of the city’s culture, the society that has turned its back on the bayous must embrace it in the future. Water must become central to the lives of people in the city so that during times of flooding the presence of more water than normal becomes an amenity and opportunity to the local culture.

2. To encourage this new relationship the built environment must change
To encourage this new relationship the built environment must change. New developments can both bring culture in more direct contact with water, and aid the bayous in flood drainage. An overall system will be set in place where new development along the bayous becomes central nodes become collection points for water from existing flood prone areas in the city. The central nodes take the water from upstream and slow it down enough so that the bayou is allowed to drain normally and flood prone areas are spared. For existing developments near the bayou that cannot be reconditioned, a smaller scale strategy can be implemented to contain only the water for that particular area.
Water must become a central part of the city’s culture, the society that has turned its back on the bayous must embrace it in the future. Water must become central to the lives of people in the city so that during times of flooding the presence of more water than normal becomes an amenity and opportunity to the local culture.
Currently water is filtered through the city of Houston via the bayou system. The bayous are neglected to such a great degree in the city planning that often there is no indication that there are any bayous at all. This lack of design in this area creates an unfortunate situation in which the presence of any water outside the bayou can only be a negative. Houston exists because of its close relationship with these bayous, therefore it is necessary to bring this city’s culture back into close contact with water.
With proper design the presence of water can have a positive affect on the culture. The built environment can become a framework that forces water into the culture. Being forced to interact with water in more situations than just flooding will create a new relationship with water.

3. Our research showed that for most of its history Houston has ignored its water and only seen it as a problem to be dealt with when it overflows its natural boundaries. Apart from the Galveston area the city basically ignores the presence of water. The bayous which form the main high volume drainage system of the city overflow very quickly in a major rain event. Because of the city’s geographical flatness the bayous cannot move the collected water into the ocean quickly enough and often overflow their banks. Another large part of this problem is high amount of impervious cover already existing in the city, and the fact that more is added every year. This impervious cover changes the drainage characteristics of the area it is placed on, forcing more water into the bayous at a higher rate, thus adding to the already drastic drainage issues in the bayou. To encourage this new relationship the built environment must change. New developments can both bring culture in more direct contact with water, and aid the bayous in flood drainage. An overall system will be set in place where new development along the bayous becomes central nodes become collection points for water from existing flood prone areas in the city. The central nodes take the water from upstream and slow it down enough so that the bayou is allowed to drain normally and flood prone areas are spared. For existing developments near the bayou that cannot be reconditioned, a smaller scale strategy can be implemented to contain only the water for that particular area.

4. This strategy’s intent is to create nodes of designed space along the bayou that collect water and slow it down. This will place less pressure on flood prone areas and allow water to keep flowing efficiently without overflowing the banks. The water that falls over the majority of the city in residential and light commercial areas is allowed to flow away from these areas as quickly as possible, towards the developed areas on the bayou that are designed to flood.
Specific nodes of designed urban space are placed at appropriate places along the bayou. In these spaces the built environment takes an active role in water management. Buildings become active participants in directing the water’s flow. Creating streams, reservoirs, and even a smaller bayou. All building in these areas are required to be water resistant. The spaces they create to hold water are to be able to be inundated with water for hours or days at a time, and still be suitable for public use.

5. A major part of this plan will be to divide the developed area into terraces. The circulation pathways through this area will be the main terraced elements, with public courtyards as secondary terraces. The main circulation terraces will be the main path of water through the designed areas. The courtyards and public spaces along the pathways will be terraced down from the main pathways to provide overflow from the main areas. Because of the terracing the water flowing down the main circulation spaces the water’s path will be impeded and the time that it takes to get to the bayou will be impeded. The terracing affect will also force water into the center of the built environment where people live, work, and play. This will force people to adapt to water’s presence instead of ignoring it.

6. In order for this strategy to be effective the buildings in the area must be designed to be impervious to water. The built environment must respond to the flooding in Houston by accepting it within its program when necessary without damage. The built environment will provide its normal function to the people living there when dry, when water is present its program will expand to adapt to new these new conditions.
Another way that water can be brought into contact with society and stored to prevent flooding is by containing it within buildings. The water can be pumped up into the building to form new spaces such as waterfalls and wetlands on already existing terraces. The water can be run through a low intensity filter as it is pumped to remove some of the contaminants and make it aesthetically pleasing for visual use. Water stored in underground cisterns could be used long after a rainstorm has passed, and retain water from the bayous during flooding.

7. One of the greatest problems with this area is the high imperviousness of the city. As land is developed great amounts of previously natural landscape are removed from the natural drainage cycle. The naturally high clay content of the soil also presents another challenge as it forms another natural barrier to water drainage during heavy rainfall, trapping the water in the first 18 inches of soil. A major part of the design solution will involve using site planning and design to help aerate the soil. The addition of plants and grass instead of concrete allows for a drainage rate on the site to be closer to that of undeveloped landscape.

8. Context is the central aspect of this approach
Context is the central aspect of this approach. The context of the site will dictate how my approach will be adapted. Different aspects of the site and its relationship to the rest of the city will inform the designers of how they should approach the site. Each site will need to be analyzed on a case by case basis to adapt a design solution based on my system.
Site:
These areas are sparsely populated and are grouped together in certain areas of the city. They are secluded from populated areas and often have large unused spaces. The functions of these areas are vital to the future of the city and must be protected from flooding.
There is a great opportunity in the large, open spaces to contain vast amounts of water. The terracing approach can be added to these areas to provide a great deal of surface area detention along the bayou. Because of the operations performed in the buildings in these areas the built environment cannot accept water into them. By making them waterproof they can aid in the detain age process.
These areas can form the backbone of the overall drainage plan for the city. Because of their high volume and strategic locations they can hold a great deal of overflow from elsewhere in the city. The industrial areas near downtown can carry much of the overflow from the Buffalo Bayou and allow other areas of city to drain quickly.

9. New Development:
A large area of concern for the future of the city is in new development. Currently these new developments are not designed in an environmentally conscious way and only add to the growing storm water runoff problem. New developments have the most potential for truly becoming spaces that both control water and bring society back to the bayou. Since the designer is starting from a blank slate and there are far fewer restrictions to the design, there is more opportunity to incorporate the community fully into the water flow system. The goal in these areas is to bring people in contact with water as much as possible through design, and contain as much water as possible within these developments during flooding.
Industrial:
These areas are sparsely populated and are grouped together in certain areas of the city. They are secluded from populated areas and often have large unused spaces. The functions of these areas are vital to the future of the city and must be protected from flooding. There is a great opportunity in the large, open spaces to contain vast amounts of water. The terracing approach can be added to these areas to provide a great deal of surface area detention along the bayou. Because of the operations performed in the buildings in these areas the built environment cannot accept water into them. By making them waterproof they can aid in the detain age process.
These areas can form the backbone of the overall drainage plan for the city. Because of their high volume and strategic locations they can hold a great deal of overflow from elsewhere in the city. The industrial areas near downtown can carry much of the overflow from the Buffalo Bayou and allow other areas of city to drain quickly.

10. Dense urban development:
These areas are some of the most established built environments in the city. The difference between them and historical areas is that they have much more robust drainage systems and often drain better than the average parcel of land in Houston. The health center is one noticeable exception to this. There is very little that a designer can do in these areas because of the infrastructure that is already set in place. The goal in these areas is to improve drainage wherever possible, and develop spaces that bring the people living and working here in contact with water.
The city of Houston has already begun to develop these areas so that they can flood easily. They have integrated water with were people play very well in many areas of the city. These public areas are good examples to look to when designing how to bring people in contact with water.
Built areas that can be changed:
These areas are very similar to new developments with some of the historic area characteristics. These areas have some flexibility in design, but since they have been previously developed there is not going to be total freedom in design. The importance here is to integrate what cannot be changed with the designed areas to bring water into these areas as much as possible without flooding.
Historical:
These areas have enough social and historical value that they must be protected completely from water with as little alteration as possible. In these areas it is important to drain the rainwater out of them as quickly as possible, and to place designed spaces around them to form a barrier between them and possible flooding areas. Because of this the historical area will not be in direct contact with the bayou. The barrier of new designed spaces allow the area to be protected without changing it.