This talk is about: (1) efforts to engage students and faculty at a university in Chengdu in international activities like study-abroad programs, faculty exchanges, joint research and degree programs, and to create multidisciplinary linkages both on and off campus; and (2) research on green infrastructure (GI) technologies.

In China, research on GI technologies benefits from the government-sponsored Sponge City Initiative. Similar initiatives are ongoing in the U.S., where they are called Low-Impact-Developments (LID). In Europe, they are called Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) and in Australia and New Zealand, Water-Sensitive Urban Designs (WSUD). Implementation is typically managed with sophisticated decision support systems (DSS).

In the standard research approach, we use traditional (engineering) variables or metrics for water and air quality. At Chengdu, we include (architectural) metrics for aesthetics and heritage. The talk will include a discussion of the latest effort to develop a scenic beauty index (SBI). The talk will conclude by summarizing additional metrics that need to be included in our DSSs such as uncertainties and sensitivities to climate change. Climate-change considerations are especially critical for management of China’s Belt-and-Road (‘Silk-Road’) infrastructure (high-speed train) projects.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in to participate in this program, please contact Minnetta Gardinier in advance at 319-331-6235 or m-gardinier@uiowa.edu.
 

~ Sponsored by the Emeritus Faculty Council ~