Kirsten’s Response to Sophia

I think your blog post was very well written Sophia, and didn’t just sum up the readings; it was very helpful and informative! Although I myself am not convinced that the sea levels will rise drastically, but I do think we should be prepared in case they do and also for any future major storms. Like you, I also originally thought it was fine to put structures near the water, but after the readings I realized that it is not such a good thing. The city is compromising safety for business, and the lower income neighborhoods are being neglected, with respect to environmental safety. You summed it up well when you wrote “No one is going to come to these areas and provide these technological barriers without some form of income. If they can grab land and transform it to a new real estate market then the technology will certainly follow. However, this just ends up being a loop where the poor are pushed out and once again at the mercy of violent storms.”. I agree that it is not feasible to draw people back from the waterline, so that left me thinking about possible alternatives. The flexible adaptation pathway mentioned by Jarrett Murphy in “The Flood Next Time” seems to be a good idea. The many protective measures is a good idea, since it’s not likely the people will leave. It was interesting to hear about the different ideas proposed in the article you posted. I hadn’t heard about these ideas before, nor about the different measures the city was taking. However, like you mentioned, I’m thinking that the poor will fall through the cracks in all of these efforts, and that mainly the wealthy will benefit. The Big U does seem like a cool idea, but like you said, it would probably cater to the wealthy. Also, it doesn’t address the current problems such as toxins. However, it could be a step in the right direction for protecting the city from future storms. Your post was very thought-provoking!