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The Chesapeake Bay presents challenges. Feeded by more than 150 rivers and streams, the bay is home to more than 300 species of fish, shellfish and crabs, as well as a variety of wildlife, and generates more than $10 billion annually through agriculture.
Home to more than 17 million people, the region’s landscape has enormous ecological, cultural, economic, historical and recreational value, but is deeply affected by climate change. It is also deeply influenced by human culture.
“You see how infrastructure impacts culture and becomes part of culture,” Lügelin said. “People go and take pictures of Venice, which was created by people learning to live in the lagoon. At its best, the infrastructure shapes these rich and powerful traditions, but it also has the power to divide and disenfranchise, as far as As is the case with many single-purpose flood protection schemes. The respect and learning we gain from our interactions with the environment are fundamental components of where nature-based infrastructure can take us.”
Traditional infrastructure has its limitations. Often, the sense of security provided by dams, levees, and other structures masks changing environmental conditions. Luglin points out that even Venice is dealing with subsidence and other natural problems.
“In contemporary culture, we build things and then they become an afterthought. People don’t see essential changes in the environment they live in. Hardened infrastructure often hides small-scale changes,” Luegering said. “We need to respect some of these environmental changes more and start integrating them into the culture we live in. One way to do that is to incorporate into our public realm infrastructure that changes as conditions change.”
Luglin said natural infrastructure design does not preclude the use of traditional methods.
“There’s a danger that we culturally overcommit because we think it’s like a better version of a concrete wall, but it’s fundamentally different,” he said. “Some people think, ‘If I build a marsh, I won’t need a seawall.'” Unfortunately, this is fundamentally untrue. As with many things, changing conditions require a careful balance. “
Landscape architects once played a more important role in infrastructure development, which over time has become the domain of civil engineering, Luegering said. Working with the Corps of Engineers is a homecoming of sorts.
“In recent history, landscape architects have re-emerged in the field,” he said. “What I’m most proud of and excited about at the University of Virginia is the role we play in leading research and development to develop greater knowledge and new ways to design and implement natural infrastructure.”
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