Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
hydraulic calculations
and engineered treatment systems but rather close
analysis of
hydrologic function
and the leveraging of ecosystem services.
46
An SPU staff member states, “NDS signifi ed a shift from the conventional
stormwater approach, which is all about getting water from point A to
point B, to saying that SPU does more than just convey water. We do
habitat work and water quality work.”
47
Refl ecting on the impetus for the
NDS approach, another SPU staff member notes: “We already had a lot
of interest in the creeks and there was an opportunity because it was the
upcoming millennium. We convinced the mayor [Paul Schell] that instead
of building some fancy building like in London, we should restore our
creeks and trees. So we got this huge infl ux of money in 1999 to do projects
and that's how the idea gelled to try the NDS approach. The money was
fl owing, the economy was good, so we got the opportunity to try this.”
48
The NDS approach is an evolutionary step in the Promethean approach
as developed by Thomson and his contemporaries in the fi rst half of the
twentieth century. It builds upon the bureaucratic structure and centrality
of scientifi c and technical experts, supplementing their knowledge with
the ecological and biological sciences (similar to the Lake Washington
cleanup) as well as a signifi cant emphasis on the design disciplines. Though
the character of intervention is markedly different, the NDS and Pro-
methean approaches share a faith in the underlying structure of techno-
managerial governance.
The fi rst project to follow the NDS approach was SEA Street (SEA
is an acronym for Street Edge Alternative), a small retrofi t project on
a single block in the Piper's Creek watershed directly upstream from
Carkeek Park. An environmental activist plainly states that “the high
quality of Piper's Creek and the downstream quality of Carkeek Park was
a key factor in SPU choosing the location for the SEA Street project.”
49
SPU staff members also targeted the Piper's Creek watershed because it
had a ditch-and-culvert network for stormwater drainage and they could
thus justify the project not only as a retrofi t but also an upgrade to a street
with antiquated infrastructure.
50
SPU staff identifi ed several neighborhood
blocks of appropriate slope and length for the pilot project but also sought
strong support from the residents who would be directly affected. They
held a contest and the winning block on Second Avenue NW between
NW 117th and NW 120th Streets had eighteen out of nineteen residents
voicing enthusiasm and support for the project.
SPU staff members oversaw a collaborative design process with the
residents (refl ecting the Seattle tradition of neighborhood self-governance),
and the design team negotiated the various issues such as street and
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