With $330 million as our local cost for flood protection, there’s no distance too far to look when it comes to searching out good ideas that may tie into the project in some way. And though this idea isn’t directly related to saving life and property, it may be a way to enhance the project. If you’ve driven by the water treatment plant on 16th St. SW, you know that a lot of effort has gone into delivering a wall that looks nice and blends in with the character of the area. In short, aesthetics matter when it comes to an imposing wall that we’re going to live with — hopefully — for the next hundred plus years.
So to that end, this idea out of Selkirk, Scotland may have merit. Basically, they’ve taken their big, imposing walls and turned them into a canvas for art installations. Now, we probably wouldn’t be successful securing State Water Commission dollars for our own public art, but what about designing some intentionally-blank areas? Early phases of the project are well on their way, but perhaps as designs for the Roosevelt Park Zoo flood protection approach — an area that will require a lot of floodwalls, this idea could be considered.
Here’s the source article on the idea out of Scotland; pictured below is a concept rendering for one of the installations.
