University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
East
St. Louis Action Research Project
ALTERNATIVE
LAND USES FOR URBAN FLOODPLAIN AREAS
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
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The following is a comparative analysis of different evaluative
components for the three land uses alternatives proposed for the study
site in the Edgemont neighborhood of the East St. Louis. All of the information
contained within this section and the previous reports was compiled to
provide a informative basis from which potential community planning could
be implemented.
ECONOMIC EVALUATION
HOUSING PROJECT
Housing project would have some positive and negative economic implications
on the community. It could help to save energy, improve maintenance, increase
interest paybacks, and have an increase in sales for commercial establishments.
On the other hand, it could also increase the cost of flooding damages
and repairs, and costs in crime prevention and security.
ATHLETIC PARK/FACILITY
Financiallly, an athletic park/facility would create more income from
memberships and vending machines. There would also be some savings in travelling
expenses to the nearest facility (approximately at a 5 mile distance).
There are some negative costs also associated with the facility, namely
maintenance - which is very important in its functioning effectively.
A comparison of the cost/benefit ratios for the two alternatives shows
that the athletic park facility is more economically viable.
OPEN SPACE/FLOOD CONTROL AREA
Economically, this alternative would require lesser maintenance as
compared to the other two facilities. Perhaps, it would have fewer means
of income as well. Thus it is necessary to analyse this facility in a slightly
different light than the others. The change in the environmental quality
of the area - namely that it would be greatly enhanced - is far from any
financial gain achieved from the other two options.
VISUAL EVALUATION
The various facilities would enhance the visual quality of the
study site. An overall balance of the multiple components considered in
the visual assessment could be achieved with a housing complex, but not
by an atheletic park, or a flood zone area. If converted into a flood control
area, the study site would also serve as a recreation faciltiy, which might
make it more visuallly appealing as compared to the athletic park. On the
other hand, if the area is converted into an athletic park, it can be more
functionally attractive than visually attractive.
CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
The urban housing project would possibly affect the cultural
and the environmental components in the greatest manner. If the project
is carefully planned and completed, it would possibly have very little
impact on the environment around it. Culturally, it can only add to the
setting. The athletic park on the other hand causes fewer changes and hence
would be more or less neutral in its effect onto the neighborhood. Finally,
if the flooding control area is considered, it would not add significantly
to the cultural quality of the area, but would have a major impact on the
ecology of the area. It would enhance the environmental quality of the
neighborhood and in turn start an awareness within the surrounding areas
to support similiar activities.
ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT
A natural setting would enhance the ecological resources of
any region. Hence, it is clear that a flood control open area would be
most successful in conserving the ecology of the area. A housing project
or an athletic park would have its own contribuiton wiihtin the system
but none would be greater than the open area of a flood control area/open
park.
LAND SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT
Each of the proposed land uses have separate implications towards
the study site. As a flooding control area, it would have more positive
impacts on the community as it would have many inherent environmental benefits.
They would, in turn, increase the favorability of the surroundings and
thus work for the community and its system altogther. The athletic park
would have somewhat fewer positive implications for the community and the
environment. The housing project would be further away from achieving any
positive influence on the environmment. Of all the factors that affect
the land suitability of the site, it is observed that the athletic facility
and the flood control area score well above the housing project in all
the issues.
It is quite clear from this assessment that the athletic park or the flood
contol area would be more beneficial and would enhance the land quality,
thereby greatly enriching the land suitability of the selected site.
ALTERNATIVE
LAND USES FOR URBAN FLOODPLAIN AREAS
Document
author(s) : Nandita Godbole, Avinash Srivastava, Mark Schmidt.
HTML by : Nandita Godbole (edits
by Mark Schmidt and Avinash Srivastava)
Last modified: December 22 1996.
East
St. Louis Action Research Project
