<!doctype html><html class="no-js" lang="en-US" prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns# fb: http://ogp.me/ns/fb#"><head><link rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/cache/min/1/7e00ad562f76262be25cdae18317abf9.css" data-minify="1" /><meta charset="utf-8"><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><meta name="google-site-verification" content="QupGryl4pvqma1te_1XyAzjrozVKsV7owVauNt6mrZ8" /><META name=\"y_key\" content=\"b4c475042d144a1a\" ><link href="https://plus.google.com/115563936384377336432" rel="publisher" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit Feed" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/feed/"><link rel="icon" href="/images_site/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /><link rel="shortcut icon" href="/images_site/favicon.ico" type="image/x-icon" /><title>Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding</title><meta name="description" content="Hurricane Harvey and climate change are being blamed for Houston&#039;s unprecedented flooding this weekend. But experts point out that the volume of rain -- 12 trillion gallons -- that deluged the city wasn&#039;t really the problem. It was the lack of planning for predictable increased flooding."/><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/" /><meta property="og:locale" content="en_US" /><meta property="og:type" content="article" /><meta property="og:title" content="Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding" /><meta property="og:description" content="Hurricane Harvey and climate change are being blamed for Houston&#039;s unprecedented flooding this weekend. But experts point out that the volume of rain -- 12 trillion gallons -- that deluged the city wasn&#039;t really the problem. It was the lack of planning for predictable increased flooding." /><meta property="og:url" content="http://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit" /><meta property="article:publisher" content="https://www.facebook.com/triplepundit" /><meta property="article:author" content="https://www.facebook.com/jan.leethiem" /><meta property="article:tag" content="climate mitigation" /><meta property="article:tag" content="concrete" /><meta property="article:tag" content="houston" /><meta property="article:tag" content="hurricane harvey" /><meta property="article:tag" content="infrastructure" /><meta property="article:tag" content="jan lee" /><meta property="article:tag" content="texas" /><meta property="article:tag" content="urban planning" /><meta property="article:section" content="Climate &amp; Environment" /><meta property="article:published_time" content="2017-08-30T02:30:37-08:00" /><meta property="article:modified_time" content="2017-08-29T20:52:47-08:00" /><meta property="og:updated_time" content="2017-08-29T20:52:47-08:00" /><meta property="fb:admins" content="857604924" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg" /><meta property="og:image:secure_url" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg" /><meta property="og:image:width" content="640" /><meta property="og:image:height" content="480" /><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /><meta name="twitter:description" content="Hurricane Harvey and climate change are being blamed for Houston&#039;s unprecedented flooding this weekend. But experts point out that the volume of rain -- 12 trillion gallons -- that deluged the city wasn&#039;t really the problem. It was the lack of planning for predictable increased flooding." /><meta name="twitter:title" content="Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding" /><meta name="twitter:site" content="@triplepundit" /><meta name="twitter:image" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg" /><meta name="twitter:creator" content="@janleethiem" /> <script type='application/ld+json'>{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"WebSite","@id":"#website","url":"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/","name":"Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit","potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/?s={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}</script> <script type='application/ld+json'>{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org","@type":"Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/2017\/08\/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems\/","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/triplepundit","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/triplepundit\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/groups\/1842706\/profile","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/TriplePundit","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/triplepundit\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/triplepundit"],"@id":"#organization","name":"Triple Pundit","logo":"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/big-3p-logo-1.png"}</script> <link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s0.wp.com' /><link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//a.optmstr.com' /><link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//maps.googleapis.com' /><link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//s.w.org' /><link rel='dns-prefetch' href='//www.google-analytics.com' /><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Triple Pundit: People, Planet, Profit &raquo; Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding Comments Feed" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/feed/" /> <script type="text/javascript">window._wpemojiSettings = {"baseUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/2.4\/72x72\/","ext":".png","svgUrl":"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/2.4\/svg\/","svgExt":".svg","source":{"concatemoji":"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-emoji-release.min.js?ver=1007878ff021d7a3295f8c0601a3534c"}};
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In this series, we’ll explore the voluntary carbon market, how to participate and why now is the time for action.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Underwritten by Cool Effect</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-269002" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-269002 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/special/workforce-development-and-education/" data-wpel-link="internal"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-deloitte-50x50.gif" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-deloitte-50x50.gif 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-deloitte-150x150.gif 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-deloitte-165x165.gif 165w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="series-icon-deloitte"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Maximizing Impact Through Workforce Development and Education</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>Deloitte has centered on two key areas where it can leverage its strengths as a business service provider to have a positive impact for the long term on the communities in which it operates: education and workforce development.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Underwritten by Deloitte</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-252404" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-252404 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/special/climate-smart-monsanto/" data-wpel-link="internal"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-50x50.gif" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-50x50.gif 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-150x150.gif 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-300x300.gif 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-768x768.gif 768w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-650x650.gif 650w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-262x262.gif 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/series-icon-monsanto-165x165.gif 165w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="series-icon-monsanto"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Climate Smart Agriculture</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>Monsanto presents a series on what it means to be “Climate Smart” in the world of agriculture. The series will cover the role of climate change in impacting food security, agriculture, weather patterns and society at large.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Underwritten by Monsanto</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-244976" class="two-lines ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-244976 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/special/pearson-education/" data-wpel-link="internal"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-50x50.jpg" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-50x50.jpg 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson.jpg 768w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-650x650.jpg 650w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-262x262.jpg 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/series-icon-pearson-165x165.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50px" height="50px" alt="series-icon-pearson"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Education in the 21st Century</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>In this editorial series we’ll explore the role of business in supporting access to education and opportunities, and consider the best way to prepare a generation of leaders who understand the importance of sustainable development.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Sponsored by Pearson</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-241990" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-241990 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/special/responsible-forestry-procter-and-gamble/" data-wpel-link="internal"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-50x50.jpg" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-50x50.jpg 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-262x262.jpg 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry-165x165.jpg 165w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/series-icon-forestry.jpg 339w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50px" height="50px" alt="series-icon-forestry"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Responsible Forestry</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>In this series sponsored by Procter and Gamble, we’ll explore what it means to practice “responsible forestry” and how trailblazing companies can lead the way.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Sponsored by Procter & Gamble</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-269197" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-269197 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/special/waste-management-covanta/" data-wpel-link="internal"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-50x50.gif" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-50x50.gif 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-150x150.gif 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-300x300.gif 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-768x768.gif 768w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-650x650.gif 650w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-262x262.gif 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/series-icon-covanta-165x165.gif 165w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="series-icon-covanta"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Your Corporate Guide to Responsible Waste Management</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>So, your company wants to reduce its landfill waste. Now what? As sustainability reaches top of mind for investors and customers, more companies are beginning to tackle waste in their supply chains in order to boost their green cred.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Sponsored by Covanta</p></div></div></li><li class="ubermenu-retractor ubermenu-retractor-mobile"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</li></ul></li><li id="menu-item-259215" class="john-layout ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-has-children ubermenu-item-259215 ubermenu-item-level-0 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-auto ubermenu-has-submenu-drop ubermenu-has-submenu-mega" ><span class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-text_only" tabindex="0"><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Events</span></span><ul class="ubermenu-submenu ubermenu-submenu-id-259215 ubermenu-submenu-type-auto ubermenu-submenu-type-mega ubermenu-submenu-drop ubermenu-submenu-align-full_width ubermenu-autoclear" ><li id="menu-item-272872" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-272872 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1181367&#038;tp_key=883846ff90&#038;sti=3p-site" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/report-alert-logo-50x50.png" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/report-alert-logo-50x50.png 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/report-alert-logo.png 132w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="report-alert-logo"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">WEBINAR: Learn how to inspire your CSR report audience</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>Join 3BL Media’s Stephanie Conzelman, VP of Business Development and Sheila McManus, Business Development Director, on February 27 at 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. EDT) for a behind-the-scenes tour of ReportAlert, the report announcement platform used by more than 500 global brands from Marks & Spencer and GSK to CA Technologies and American Express.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">February 27 - Register now!</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-272944" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-272944 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-world-changing-womens-summit-tickets-38401489890?discount=WCWS_3P" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/consious-company-logo-50x50.png" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/consious-company-logo-50x50.png 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/consious-company-logo.png 69w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="consious-company-logo"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">The World-Changing Women&#8217;s Summit: Feb 20-22</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>With Conscious Company. The premier gathering of women leaders
in conscious business.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Use discount code WCSW_3P</p></div></div></li><li id="menu-item-273346" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-273346 ubermenu-item-auto ubermenu-item-header ubermenu-item-level-1 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-1-3" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-target-with-image ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-image_left" href="https://www.globeseries.com/forum/?utm_source=triplepundit&#038;utm_medium=banner&#038;utm_campaign=triplepundit_banner_ad" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img class="ubermenu-image ubermenu-image-size-menu-thumb" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GLOBE-Forum-50x50.png" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GLOBE-Forum-50x50.png 50w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GLOBE-Forum.png 65w" sizes="(max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px" width="50" height="50" alt="GLOBE-Forum"  /><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">GLOBE Forum 2018</span></a><div class="ubermenu-content-block ubermenu-custom-content ubermenu-custom-content-padded"><div style="float:left; width:100%;"><p>The Leadership Summit for Sustainable Business.</p><p style="color:#ff4500">Vancouver March 14-16</p></div></div></li><li class="ubermenu-retractor ubermenu-retractor-mobile"><i class="fa fa-times"></i> Close</li></ul></li><li id="menu-item-216185" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-216185 ubermenu-item-level-0 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-auto" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-text_only" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/media-kit-access/" tabindex="0" data-wpel-link="internal"><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">Media Kit</span></a></li><li id="menu-item-254698" class="ubermenu-item ubermenu-item-type-custom ubermenu-item-object-custom ubermenu-item-254698 ubermenu-item-level-0 ubermenu-column ubermenu-column-auto" ><a class="ubermenu-target ubermenu-item-layout-default ubermenu-item-layout-text_only" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/podium/" tabindex="0" data-wpel-link="internal"><span class="ubermenu-target-title ubermenu-target-text">CSRWire</span></a></li></ul></nav></nav></div></header><div class="wrap container" role="document"><div class="content row"><main class="main col-md-8" role="main"><article class="post-267615 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-climate-environment category-csr-3p category-policy-government category-people-society tag-climate-mitigation tag-concrete tag-houston tag-hurricane-harvey tag-infrastructure tag-jan-lee tag-texas tag-urban-planning"><header><h1 class="entry-title">Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding</h1><p class="byline author vcard"><a href="http://www.triplepundit.com/author/jan-lee/" rel="author" class="fn" data-wpel-link="internal">by Jan Lee</a> on <time class="updated" datetime="2017-08-30T02:30:37+00:00">Wednesday, Aug 30th, 2017</time><a style="color:#ff4500; padding-left:15px; padding-bottom:0; margin-bottom:-4px; font-size:0.9em;" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/category/climate-environment/" data-wpel-link="internal"> <i class="fa fa-globe" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span style="text-transform:uppercase;">Climate &amp; Environment</span></a></p><div class="entry-share"><div class="row"><div class="col-xs-4 col-sm-2"><div class="share-total"> Share</div></div><div class="col-xs-8 col-sm-10"><div class="sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled"><div class="robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing"><div class="sd-content"><ul><li class="share-twitter"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="sharing-twitter-267615" class="share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/?share=twitter" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Twitter" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-facebook"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="sharing-facebook-267615" class="share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/?share=facebook" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Facebook" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-linkedin"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="sharing-linkedin-267615" class="share-linkedin sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/?share=linkedin" target="_blank" title="Click to share on LinkedIn" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-google-plus-1"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="sharing-google-267615" class="share-google-plus-1 sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/?share=google-plus-1" target="_blank" title="Click to share on Google+" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-email"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="" class="share-email sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/?share=email" target="_blank" title="Click to email this to a friend" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-print"><a rel="nofollow" data-shared="" class="share-print sd-button share-icon no-text" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/#print" target="_blank" title="Click to print" data-wpel-link="internal"><span></span><span class="sharing-screen-reader-text">Click to print (Opens in new window)</span></a></li><li class="share-end"></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></header><div class="entry-content"><p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-267661" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg 640w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard-150x113.jpg 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard-300x225.jpg 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard-262x197.jpg 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard-165x124.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />In the coming weeks, experts anticipate that Houston residents will be at risk for something normally only seen in disasters in developing countries: the spread of infectious disease brought on by exposure to contaminated floodwaters and crippled infrastructure.</p><p>The Texas Department of State Health Services is already preparing for what some fear could morph into a public health crisis with insufficient potable water, high humidity and bacteria-laden floodwaters that will take time to recede.</p><p>That&#8217;s because Houston has a serious design problem. While many have been quick to blame the city&#8217;s record-breaking flooding on Hurricane Harvey, the real problem points out <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/08/why-cities-flood/538251/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">The Atlantic&#8217;s contributing editor Ian Bogost</a> has less to do with record-breaking rainstorms and everything to do with planning and design.</p><p>&#8220;The reason cities flood isn’t because the water comes in, not exactly. It’s because the pavement of civilization forces the water to get back out again,&#8221; explains Bogost.</p><p>It&#8217;s not a unique problem, either. San Diego faced the issue in the 1980s when a series of record storms flooded out streets, destroyed homes and forced the city to apply for emergency disaster funding. The problem was poorly designed infrastructure that wasn&#8217;t up to record-size rainstorms.</p><p>But Houston&#8217;s deluge highlights another problem: climate change will be even more difficult to manage in an environment already at risk to chronic flooding.</p><p>In recent years, local institutions like the Houston Medical Center and the NASA Johnson Space Center have worked hard to address environmental risks. Tropical storm Alison taught the country&#8217;s largest medical center a valuable-if-painful lesson about unexpected crises when its bottom floor flooded, killing thousands of laboratory animals, decimating irreplaceable records and forcing emergency evacuations.</p><p>NASA&#8217;s <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hurricane-harvey-closes-nasa-center-in-houston/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">proactive efforts</a> at the Houston facility paid off this week during the siege from Hurricane Harvey.</p><p>TriplePundit has <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/03/noaa-communities-climate-adaptation/" data-wpel-link="internal">written</a> on these efforts in the past, highlighting the strides that were made through climate mitigation. But even though both Houston facilities appear to have weathered Hurricane Harvey, the ability of the city&#8217;s critical medical system to treat patients quickly was hampered by the fact that the rest of the city had not taken similar steps to mitigate the impact of environmental hazards like flooding.</p><p>What&#8217;s interesting is that the city has been at the forefront of green city initiatives. It endorsed the &#8220;We Are Still In&#8221; campaign. It has maintained its <a href="http://www.greenhoustontx.gov/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">website</a> on climate change and sustainable living, despite the fact that it notes the Environmental Protection Agency removed the information from the federal site in April. Its efforts are complemented by a separate initiative, the<a href="http://www.harcresearch.org/work/COH_Sustainability_Action_Plan" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> Houston Advanced Research Center</a> (HARC), which promotes &#8220;independent analysis on energy, air, and water issues to people seeking scientific answers.&#8221;</p><p>But as in a growing number of cities, those efforts haven&#8217;t yet dug below the seeming inpenetrable layer that poses the greatest challenge for addressing climate change: Houston&#8217;s concrete infrastructure.</p><figure id="attachment_267662" style="max-width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-267662 size-full" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="447" srcset="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie.jpg 640w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie-150x105.jpg 150w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie-300x210.jpg 300w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie-262x183.jpg 262w, https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Beijing_climate_mitigation_Ernie-165x115.jpg 165w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Flooding in Beijing</figcaption></figure><p>Other cities face similar problems. In 2013, the city of <a href="http://www.climsystems.com/blog/post/urban-flooding-climate-resilient-infrastructure-new-data-and-methods-for-problem-solving-26-8-2016" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Wuhan, China</a>, realized it had a problem. Known euphemistically as the &#8220;city of a hundred lakes,&#8221; Wuhan has found in recent years that it&#8217;s the streets, stadiums and buildings, not the natural bodies of water, that now serve as retention areas for the region&#8217;s copious rains. The problem, in short, is concrete &#8212; and a failure to build drainage systems that can keep up with burgeoning city expansion.</p><p>So far, Wuhan&#8217;s upgrades have yet to be completed. According to researchers at CLIMSystems in New Zealand, numerous delays by the government have pushed the completion date off to 2018. But as in Beijing, where dozens of deaths were attributed to flooding in 2012, engineers know that city expansion and proper design are at the heart of mitigating climate change. According to engineers, Beijing was able to control flooding problems during a rainstorm 2016 because it had upgraded its sewage system to meet population demands.</p><p>As West Coast U.S. cities are finding, climate change mitigation doesn&#8217;t just mean putting up higher sea walls or building submarine doors for its medical facilities. but keeping ahead of the infrastructure needed for population and real estate expansion. But Houston&#8217;s<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/28/houston-harvey-risk-floods-analysis" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> topography</a> begs another question, one that is going to be even harder to address in coming years: Are there environmental settings in which populations should be limited? Can a low-lying plain with poor drainage soils, heavy rains support unlimited community expansion?</p><p>To be sure, population control is a highly unpopular debate in the U.S. And as is so often the case, unpopular issues tend to spawn better, more acceptable answers. But if there&#8217;s any message to be gained from Harvey&#8217;s landfall this weekend, it&#8217;s that climate change mitigation is a must, even if the Trump administration&#8217;s new executive order puuts<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/aug/29/trump-infrastructure-floods-houston-harvey" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"> safe building mandates benind</a>.</p><p><em>Flickr images: Hurricane Harvey &#8212; <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thenationalguard/36678092442/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">The National Guard</a>; Beijing &#8212; <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/kouchi/1094963934/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Ernie</a></em></p> <span itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Article" class="itempropwp-wrap"><meta itemprop="name" content="Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding" /><meta itemprop="headline" content="Concrete Jungle Exacerbates Houston Flooding" /><meta itemscope itemprop="mainEntityOfPage"  itemType="https://schema.org/WebPage" itemid="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/"/><meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/" /><span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject"><meta itemprop="url" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Harvey_Houston_flooding_climate_mitigation_TheNationalGuard.jpg" /><meta itemprop="width" content="640"/><meta itemprop="height" content="480"/></span><meta itemprop="author" content="https://www.triplepundit.com/author/jan-lee/" /><meta itemprop="description" content="Hurricane Harvey and climate change are being blamed for Houston&#039;s unprecedented flooding this weekend. But experts point out that the volume of rain -- 12 trillion gallons -- that deluged the city wasn&#039;t really the problem. It was the lack of planning for predictable increased flooding." /><meta itemprop="datePublished" content="2017-08-30 02:30:37" /><meta itemprop="dateModified" content="2017-08-29 20:52:47" /></span></div><div style="border-top:1px solid #f0f7fc; padding-top:30px; font-size:0.8em;"><style type="text/css">.cat-list-small{margin-top:-20px;margin-bottom:30px}.cat-list-small li{margin-bottom:0!important;padding-bottom:10px!important;font-size:1.2em!important}</style><p style="font-size:1.5em;"><a style="color:#ff4500" href="https://www.triplepundit.com/category/climate-environment/" data-wpel-link="internal"> <i class="fa fa-globe" aria-hidden="true"></i> <span style="text-transform:uppercase;">Climate &amp; Environment</span></a></p><p class="series-sponsor" style="margin-top:-20px;"> Recent headlines from the <strong>4987 articles</strong> in <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/category/climate-environment/" data-wpel-link="internal">this category</a>:</p><ul class="cat-list-small"><li><a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2018/02/drink-heineken-seeks-boost-renewables-reducing-emissions/" data-wpel-link="internal">Drink to This: Heineken Seeks to Boost Renewables While Reducing Emissions</a></li><li><a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2018/02/xcel-energy-expects-save-millions-renewables/" data-wpel-link="internal">Xcel Energy Expects to Save Millions with Renewables</a></li><li><a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/2018/02/companies-improving-methane-disclosures-many-companies-still-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Companies Are Improving on Methane Disclosures, But Many Companies Are Still at Risk</a></li></ul></div><div class="author-info"><div class="author-info-inner clearfix"><div class="round"> <img alt='Jan Lee' src='https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Jan-Lee_avatar_1408510931.jpg' class='avatar avatar-128 photo' height='128' width='128' /></div><p>Jan Lee is a former news editor and award-winning editorial writer whose non-fiction and fiction have been published in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and Australia. Her articles and posts can be found on TriplePundit, JustMeans, and her blog, The Multicultural Jew, as well as other publications. She currently splits her residence between the city of Vancouver, British Columbia and the rural farmlands of Idaho.</p><p class="twitter"> <img width="24px" class="alignleft" src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/themes/triplepundit-v4/assets/img/twitter_logo_blue.png" >Follow Jan Lee <a href="http://twitter.com/janleethiem" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">@janleethiem</a></p></div></div><footer></footer><section id="comments" class="comments"><div id="respond" class="comment-respond"><h3 id="reply-title" class="comment-reply-title">Leave a Reply <small><a rel="nofollow" id="cancel-comment-reply-link" href="/2017/08/houston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems/#respond" style="display:none;" data-wpel-link="internal">Cancel reply</a></small></h3><p class="must-log-in">You must be <a href="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-login.php?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.triplepundit.com%2F2017%2F08%2Fhouston-flooding-hurricane-harvey-epic-design-problems%2F" data-wpel-link="internal">logged in</a> to post a comment. <a href="/register-for-a-commenting-account/" target="_blank" data-wpel-link="internal">Register here </a>if you need an account.</p></div></section></article></main><aside class="sidebar col-md-4" role="complementary"><section class="widget-odd widget-first widget-1 widget sponsor-slide-3 widget_sponsor-slide"><h3>Our sponsors</h3><div class="responsive-slider" data-spy="responsive-slider" data-autoplay="true" style="width:295px !important; margin:0 auto;"><div class="slides" data-group="slides"><ul><li><div class="slide-body" data-group="slide"><a href="https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackclk/N6040.147253TRIPLEPUNDIT/B11030707.208378498;dc_trk_aid=408148798;dc_trk_cid=80922343;dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img  src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cool-effect-slider-logo.jpg" width="295px;" height="95px";></a></div></li><li><div class="slide-body" data-group="slide"><a href="https://www.pearson.com/us/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img  src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pearson-logo-265x95.jpg" width="295px;" height="95px";></a></div></li><li><div class="slide-body" data-group="slide"><a href="http://www.deloitte.com" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer"><img  src="https://www.triplepundit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/deloitte-logo-2017-265x95.jpg" width="295px;" height="95px";></a></div></li></ul></div></div></section><section class="widget-even widget-2 big-ad widget text-33 widget_text"><div class="textwidget"><div id='div-gpt-ad-1426882584463-0' style='height:600px; width:300px; margin:0 auto;'> <script type='text/javascript'>googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1426882584463-0'); });</script> </div></div></section><section class="widget-odd widget-3 widget text-31 widget_text"><h3>Media Kit Access</h3><div class="textwidget">Would your company like to join our conversation? 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