Tactic

Design for robustness (the capacity to withstand adverse conditions)

Options

  • ...with over-engineered or overbuilt elements (like heftier light poles, railings, trash cans, and furnishings anchored below ground; deep bridge pilings in soft soil).
  • ...with the selection of plants with low soil oxygen requirements and salt-tolerance that can withstand prolonged salt water inundation.
  • ...with the selection of plants with low soil oxygen requirements that can withstand prolonged freshwater inundation.

Case Study

For Mill River Park and Greenway, an urban river renaturalization project, OLIN planted several inundation-tolerant species in the re-engineered riparian floodplain including river birch (Betula nigra), American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis), and swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor).

Case Study for 4.1.1

Explore more tactics and resources in the Design for Floodability strategy.