Dr. Ido Sella presented his unique insights at a session in this year’s American Society of Landscape Architects’ (ASLA) conference in San Francisco, California. He shared the latest on cutting edge designs at a coastal defense project from the Mediterranean Sea, the development of “Living Breakwaters” as part of the Rebuild by Design initiative, and an ecological enhancement project at the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront. The conference’s focus this year was climate change and design solutions, with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson’s keynote speech: “The Blue-Green Connection: Water and Land in Climate Action”. ECOncrete’s foundation has always been innovative design and ecological consideration, so we were thrilled to be a part of this conversation at the conference.
The learning lab explained key environmental issues related to the design of coastal and marine infrastructure, including shoreline and underwater landscapes, and suggested a new definition for “urban marine environments,” as a first step towards applying the term “urban ecology” to the marine realm. Ido also presented current approaches in sustainable management of urban marine structures from both temperate and tropical environments.
Learning Outcomes:
1) Key environmental issues related to the design of coastal shore and marine infrastructure, and how they impact natural resource conservation, the design of environmental systems and the management of marine ecosystems.
2) Define “urban marine environments,” and apply the term “urban ecology” to the marine realm.
3) Learn from case studies that present new approaches for sustainable management and design of urban marine structural systems.
4) Discuss innovative technologies for increasing the biological productivity and ecological value of coastal and marine infrastructure including methods, technology and applications.
Additional Resources:
- Our article about marine urban ecology