When I’m biking home from work on the Lafitte Greenway bike path, I’m grateful for the lighted path that separates me from automobiles and allows me to roll safely. On days when I’m enjoying a ride in the rain, I’m also grateful that the stormwater – rather than causing floods that obstruct my ride – is intentionally stored and filtered in the adjacent green stormwater infrastructure before being slowly released into the traditional drainage system.
At other points, the ride isn’t so smooth.
A faulty spot in the underground water system has created a pothole in the road. A recently repaved street is under construction again because the water (or any other) utility needs to fix something below the surface – but didn’t manage to do it while the street was torn up. A green infrastructure project to reduce neighborhood flooding is stalled because the contractor only had enough workers to focus on prepping the ground for a nearby building… maybe it’s even a transit hub. A street reconstruction project is so narrowly funded the project can’t also improve the drainage or add trees… the list could go on, but I’m having too much fun on the ride.
Dan Favre helped organize a bike tour focused on sustainability and equity, including a ride along the Lafitte Greenway, as part of TFN’s 2023 Annual Conference in New Orleans. Photo credit: Martha Roskowski
Back on the Greenway, I’m also grateful for the new pedestrian/bike bridges that allow me to safely cross over the canal – part of that important drainage system – that runs adjacent to the trail. On hot days, I’m grateful for the trees that keep me cooler on the ride (and help soak up that rain!)
From the asphalt and pipes to the nature-based solutions and trees, transportation and water infrastructure deeply intertwine to create an experience of place. As we collectively build infrastructure and other systems that enable greater freedom, justice and equity, let’s create a framework that allows the deep focus needed to make specific changes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Favre is the director of environmental programs at the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He serves on the steering committees for both TFN’s Urban Water Funders working group and Mobility and Access Collaborative. Dan was one of the co-chairs of TFN’s 2023 Annual Conference: Ignite Action, which took place in New Orleans. He also sat on the planning committee for the March 2024 Spring Convening of several TFN working groups in Austin.
⇒ GO DEEPER:
Are you curious to learn more about the intersecting issues of water and transit? Register for Common Ground: A Two-part Learning Series with TFN’s Urban Water Funders and Mobility and Access Collaborative, at 1 p.m. ET Oct. 8 and Oct. 22. Following our Spring Convening in Austin (which you can read about here), funders from the Urban Water Funders working group and Mobility and Access Collaborative walked away noting similar challenges and opportunities across these areas. Join us for a two-part conversation in which we first unpack all the places where water and transportation intersect.
We’ll also explore how our TFN working groups might better learn and align our work for sustainable and equitable infrastructure that better serves communities.