5 Case Studies
The lessons that can be learned about the role of infrastructure in promoting (or inhibiting) sustainability is basically endless. The following is a list of some case studies that students might consider for a group project. The case studies are drawn from all civil engineering disciplines including construction and introduce students to these disciplines as first-year students. All case studies should have an element of cultural engagement; this may be with a foreign, indigenous, or regional culture.
You are welcome to select another case study than the ones on this list, but maybe this will give you a head start.
5.1 Panama Canal (Transportation / Geotechnical)
In 1914 the United States government completed construction on the Panama Canal, which enabled large ships to sail from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea without traveling around South America. More than 14,000 ships pass through the canal each year, and it is a vital part of world trade networks. However, building the Panama Canal was an expensive and dangerous process that cost tens of thousands of lives and millions of dollars (then). The United States used questionable political tactics to gain access to the canal and maintain it for the next 100 years. It also has continuing impacts on the local environment through the creation of a large man-made lake and the ability of invasive marine life to travel across ecosystems.
Have the economic benefits of the Panama Canal justified the social and environmental costs?
5.2 Vajont Dam (Water Resources / Geotechnical)
On October 9th, 1963, a tsunami 250 meters high crashed over the top of the newly constructed Vajont Dam in northeastern Italy. As the reservoir behind the dam filled, water inundated the soils of the slope of Mount Toc. A large piece of the mountain slid into the reservoir, causing the tsunami. Several towns and villages in the valley below were completely destroyed, and almost 2,000 people were killed in the catastrophe. Subsequent investigations revealed that the company in charge of the project and the Italian government both knew that the mountain was geologically unstable, but chose to ignore and hide the reports from the public. Due to impressive engineering, the dam itself remained mostly intact, but the lake was drained and it remains unused to this day.
5.3 Western Water Rights (Water Resources)
The American West has been in a sustained drought for years: Lake Mead in Arizona and Nevada has not been full since 1983 and reservoirs across the region are only at about 50% of their capacity. At the same time, metropolitan areas in Nevada, Utah, and Arizona are among the fastest growing in the United States, buoyed by relatively low land prices, high birthrates, and business-friendly tax policies. Water rights are currently allocated on a “first in time, first in right” basis; original settlers have the right to a certain amount of water no matter what conditions or demand from others looks like. Further, if rights holders conserve water and use less, they could actually lose their rights in the future.
Can the current water rights system work for the Western United States without reform?
5.4 Emergency Relief Housing (Structures / Construction)
When a large natural disaster or human conflict renders building uninhabitable, relief agencies need large numbers of housing units for an indefinite, but ideally temporary period. Recent efforts have focused on designing structures that are strong, reusable, and easy to build. This would provide a higher standard of living for refugees than traditional tents.
5.5 Development Housing (Structures / Housing)
A number of charities are aimed at constructing homes and other structures in developing nations that lack the manpower, wealth, or knowledge to build on their own. Some development specialists criticize these charities as patronizing, ineffective, or generally unsustainable.
5.6 Glen Canyon Dam (Water Resources)
In 1966, the Glen Canyon Dam was completed in northern Arizona. Its main purpose was to act as a reservoir in the event of a major drought, but it also controls flooding along the Colorado River, and produces renewable hydroelectric power for the American southwest. The dam also created Lake Powell, a vacation spot visited by about 2 million people every year and an important economic engine for the region. However, the dam exerted a large environmental cost that continues to this day. Lake Powell inundated Glen Canyon, a natural landscape of beauty and inherent value that is now destroyed. As water travels through the lake, it drops sediment and loses temperature, with serious consequences for downstream and upstream ecosystems. The lake also loses a large amount of its water to evaporation, reducing its usefulness as a reservoir.
Should the US government dismantle Glen Canyon Dam and drain Lake Powell?
5.7 I-85/I-75 Downtown Connector (Transportation)
When the interstate highway system was built through downtown Atlanta in the late 1950’s, engineers routed the highway through one of the most culturally rich and influential Black neighborhoods in the country1. The highway separated the residents of this from downtown Atlanta, with negative economic and social consequences for the residents of this ever since. In contrast, richer neighborhoods with mainly white residents had the political influence to oppose the expansion of highways through their neighborhoods.
5.8 Boston Big Dig (Transportation / Geotechnical)
In 1982, city officials in Boston began planning a major renovation I-93, in a project nicknamed the Big Dig. The goal of this massive project was to bury I-93 in the central part of Boston to improve traffic flow and also to restore connectivity between neighborhood that had been severed when the interstate was first constructed. It was a massive project, moving a six-lane elevated highway underground into a long tunnel dug beneath the city. The project took eight years longer than expected as a result of unforeseen obstacles and a motorist being crushed to death as a consequence of engineering malpractice. The project also went far over budget, with an estimated final cost of about $22 billion. The project did significantly decrease travel time along the Central Artery, but some critics argue that traffic is now worse just outside of the Big Dig project area.
Do the social and economic benefits of the Big Dig justify its large social and economic costs?
5.9 Flint Municipal Water System (Water Resources)
In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan, started treating water from the Flint River instead of buying water from Detroit. The city was struggling financially, and treating their own water would save them about$5 million in just 2 years. It seemed like a harmless solution to the financial situation, but problems started almost immediately. Residents began complaining of the color, taste, and smell of the drinking water. General Motors requested a switch back to Detroit water because the Flint water was corroding their engine parts. And no one did anything about it for more than a year. City officials insisted that the water was safe to drink, exposing tens of thousands of young children to high levels of lead in the drinking water and potentially causing serious developmental problems in many of them. The problem was finally acknowledged after several scientific studies found unsafe levels of lead, and in 2016 the city began replacing lead water lines.
What is the balance that needs to be struck between financial solvency and public safety?
5.10 Kariba Dam (Water Resources)
The Kariba Dam — on the Zambezi river in southeast Africa —- was built by colonial Europeans in the 1950’s and is in desperate need of repair. Regular flooding has eroded the bedrock under the dam, and engineers warn that a collapse would destroy another downstream dam and place 3.5 million people at risk. Conversely, periodic droughts exacerbated by climate change have brought the reservoir to such a low point that the hydroelectric turbines in the dam may lose functionality. On top of this, the people who historically lived in the area inundated by the dam were violently displaced to considerably less abundant regions.
Should the Kariba dam be dismantled and the Tonga people returned to their historical lands?
5.11 Keystone XL Pipeline (Transportation)
The growth of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) as a technique for extracting petroleum products from the Earth has transformed the upper Great Plains into a global energy producing region. Moving these products to global markets, however, is difficult with existing infrastructure. A proposal to build a large oil pipeline across the Dakotas has become deeply controversial, with successive presidential administrations approving and then rejecting the proposal. Critics cite the climate impacts of fossil fuels as well as the project’s path through Native American lands.
The neighborhood includes Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King, Jr. preached.↩︎