Reimagining the Water City
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Highway Runoff | City Park | Outfall Canal | Neutral Ground | Washington Canal | Agriculture Street Dump | Lafitte Corridor
Outfall Canal
Jameson Skaife
University of Toronto, 2010
Problem
The London Avenue Canal failed during Hurricane Katrina because water rushing in from Lake Pontchartrain undermined its levee walls. This type of failure could occur again, even if the canal walls are reinforced.
Proposal
The project transforms the canal into a series of bays that store rainwater safely. The canal’s end is closed to the lake, and a pump is added at that boundary to allow the evacuation of rainwater. Its bottom is excavated to increase capacity, and its walls are replaced by broad earthen levees. Where the canal abuts public land, it is allowed to overflow into a constructed floodplain that serves as park and recreation space when dry.
