The conflicting nature and tradeoffs of planning: The case of the flooded trail

Walking the streets–or Northampton’s case, its trails–is when a person learns about the environment. We took a pre-lunch walk with Joe along the Smith College Trail, which runs right beside the Mill River.

We were also left with a few lessons on the reality of what planning work entails because of an eroded part of the trail. This is a micro-level example of something that planners have to deal with, but it’s a fascinating case for me all the same, because of the public-private interplay on land. It was also a good case for my buddy Fai, who is an environmental engineer working on phytoremediation. Let’s take a closer look.

 

About the trail

The red line shows the entirety of the Smith College trail. (Take note of the terrain elevations.)

Living buildings, green infrastructure, and the collective effort for sustainable cities

It’s been a roller coaster of a ride, going to Whately, Amherst, Williamsburg, Hampshire, Holyoke, and all the places where we can learn so much about sustainability, so here’s a rather loaded post on what we’ve learned here in the beautiful area of the Pioneer Valley in the past two weeks.   We got to study and immerse ourselves in places that tackle medicinal meadows to breathing buildings, from fish elevators and carbon-free cities to spiritual environmentalism.

Let’s start with Whately.

Northampton: Our home away from home

This is a photo- and video-essay about our first two days of the fellowship in Northampton, Massachusetts. It’s such an enthralling feeling to immerse in a city that makes an effort to prioritise the walking and cycling public over cars. It’s also a rare treat to use trails that are protected from the dangers of highways. I like calling it the “Trail City.”

Three states, four days, and so many lessons

YSEALI Professional Fellows Program

It’s been a whirlwind of an experience adding so many miles to the fellowship, both in distance and in lessons learned. We’ve been to three states in four days, and it’s an entire immersion of American culture, city spaces, and the environment. Let’s go through them one by one:

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