Urban nature, long unnoticed by almost everyone, is getting some much deserved attention as of the last year or two. Most of the attention paid to urban nature is to animals and plants that have adapted to urban conditions. Another element of urban nature, one that is still not gaining much attention, is that of urban hydrology.
Water flows downhill. As a 'complex system', water flow is an example of something with very simple rules that result in very complex phenomena. As it flows through urban environments, some very unexpected things can happen. Since water flow is scalable (the smallest trickle acts in a similar way to the largest river), very neat little worlds can be found in areas of water flow in the city.
I've created a Google Map of urban hydrology I've noticed in Burlington, Vermont. Inspired by my Junction Hollow Historic Channels map of part of Pittsburgh, and an LA Creek Freak "Where's My Creek" map, this map illustrates some features I've found. If anyone expresses interest in this, I will probably add more later. Meanwhile, go ahead and explore the map... click above, or click below for an in-blog map window.
View Burlington Urban Hydrology in a larger map
Stories about the ways water moves through natural and human-constructed landscapes... what we can learn from it and how we can use old and new ideas to understand, appreciate, and sustainably use this resource.
Wow! Awesome, I'll start look for some more creeklets.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you find! There is lots more out there. For instance I want to map the intact creeks and seeps within open space around Burlington also.
ReplyDelete