Students win award for plan
to save the port from climate change
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| From the report "Galilee: A Vision for a Resilient Port." Boarding the ferry to Block Island (or what's left of it) will be a bit challenging due to anticipated sea level rise. Unless, of course, Donald Trump is right and climate change is a myth |
University
of Rhode Island students have won a state award for their proposal to protect
the Port of Galilee from rising sea levels caused by climate change.
The
Rhode Island chapter of the American Planning Association selected “Galilee: A
Vision for a Resilient Port’’ as the winner in the student category.
CLICK HERE to read their report.
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| Galilee by the end of this century. |
Landscape
architecture, environmental science and management, and marine affairs students
contributed to the report, which was prepared by William A. Green, a professor
in URI’s Landscape Department, and Austin Becker, assistant professor of
Coastal Planning, Policy and Design at URI, among others.
The
students worked on the project for months, responding to the concerns that sea
levels will rise 3 to 5 feet in Rhode Island by 2100. Climate change is to
blame.
The
Port of Galilee, the state’s largest fishing port and critical transportation
hub for Block Island, stands to be affected, especially during coastal storms.
The
students looked at ways to make the port more resilient and sustainable. The
projects range from constructing floating buildings and a living breakwater
system to installing walking paths through wetlands and rebuilding the dunes at
Salty Brine State Beach.
The
living breakwater system would be made up of reef balls, grass plantings and
eco-friendly concrete. The floating project involves buildings that would be
constructed on cement foundations, but would float during floods.
Students
also suggested creating more efficient parking and a museum about the
community’s history. Policy ideas were also proposed.
“The
awards committee loved the project,” said Jeff Davis, the planning group’s
awards chair and a project planner for the Horsley Witten Group in Providence.
“It involved fantastic ideas, meaningful, inclusive collaboration, great
visuals and robust data and trend analysis with inventive yet
regulatory-compliant solutions. We all hope to see steps taken to implement
these ideas both at Galilee and at other areas along the Rhode Island coast.”
The
award will be presented during a ceremony Jan. 12 at Slater Mill in Pawtucket.