Chicago has already seen more than double the average rainfall for the month of July. These heavy rains have tested the capacity of our drainage system, overwhelming below-ground storage provided by the Deep Tunnel, and leading to flooding in many parts of the city.
The same tools and systems that used to keep flooding at bay just aren’t up to the task. An often overlooked solution to flooding is green infrastructure, like green roofs, greenways, and street trees. These green spaces act like a sponge, absorbing water that might otherwise contribute to flooding.
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Adding more green infrastructure will not only help supplement the capacity of our sewer system, it also provides other benefits that the sewer system cannot. Green infrastructure can help improve air quality, reduce urban heat, and provide a space for community gathering and recreation. Experts have proposed ideas like replanting lawns with native plants, replacing unused parking lots with community gardens or converting rooftops into green roofs to spread these benefits across the city. So why aren’t we installing green infrastructure anywhere we can?
The problem is data on how these systems perform is still lacking and not many of the green infrastructure systems that are implemented in this region are monitored to measure their impact. This is a critical step in being able to expand the use of green infrastructure in cities.
While this research has often been conducted predominantly by universities, it doesn’t need to be that way. City green infrastructure projects should include monitoring as part of their plans and budget. Resources like training and workforce development should also be made available to community organizations who want to implement their own neighborhood-scale green infrastructure so they can document the impact that it has in their communities.
Citizen science initiatives could help raise awareness and provide education for monitoring these systems. All of these efforts will require time, resources, and regional coordination. But without better understanding these systems, we lose a critical tool in the race to make our cities more flood resilient.
Colleen O’Brien, Ph.D. candidate in environmental engineering, Northwestern University
U.S. Steel site would be sweet home for Bears
I read about an idea for the Bears to build their stadium on the Far South Side where the U.S. Steel South Works site was located. It’s over 400 acres and on the lakefront. I was a fan of their plan for Arlington Heights, but one thing that makes Chicago better is the fact that Chicago has far more taxpayers than Arlington Heights to share any burden. The Bears would truly be Chicago Bears, and they would own the stadium.
I would also hope that Soldier Field could still be a great place for concerts, sports and other things. The city wins! Fans win.
Carl F. Rollberg, Calumet Park
Florida rewrites Black history
Florida’s new history standards, approved Wednesday, will teach students that Black people benefited from slavery because it taught them useful skills. l guess next they will teach Florida students that displacement of Indigenous people taught them travel management skills.
Warren Rodgers Jr., Orland Park
