Stream Restoration as Placemaking: A Multidisciplinary, Collaborative Approach to Stream Restoration in Public Places
Kerry Bray, PE
Rebecca Stubbs, PE
McAdams
Raleigh, NC
Authors: Bray, K., PE; Stubbs, R., PE
In many cases, ecological restoration projects occur away from public access and visibility. However, over the last several years we are seeing an influx in opportunities to integrate stream restoration into public spaces as elements of public parks, commercial and residential developments, and higher education institutions with the specific desire to establish intentional engagement of the public with restoration.
In this presentation we will highlight several case studies where our stream design team collaborated with developers, property owners, landscape architects, urban designers, site civil engineers, transportation engineers, and regulatory agencies to develop stream restoration designs that achieved functional ecological uplift and targeted hydraulic performance while creating spaces for the public to interact with the project in varying capacities. Several of these case studies include viewsheds across the valley, auditory and visually interesting overlooks, and utilizing grade control structures as stable access points as examples. In many of these projects, stream restoration is often a component of a larger multidisciplinary site development. This presentation will also discuss considerations during the planning and design phase, such as addressing conflicting priorities, integrating the stream within the surrounding land uses, recommending phasing for construction, and accommodating future buildout.
As the stream restoration industry continues to expand into public spaces, this presentation is intended identify the importance of placemaking in ecological restoration, recognizing the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration, navigating the integration of environmental goals with placemaking, and gain insights into collaborative strategies for interdisciplinary communication.
About Kerry Bray, PE
Kerry is an accomplished environmental consultant with over 20 years of experience specializing in stream restoration and ecosystem design. With a strong background in ecological engineering, she has successfully led numerous projects focused on restoring natural water systems utilizing resilient bioengineering techniques. Kerry has collaborated with multi-disciplinary teams, government agencies and local stakeholders to design and implement sustainable stream restoration projects that not only meet regulatory requirements but also promote environmental sustainability. Kerry is a graduate of NC State University’s Civil Engineering department and is a Senior Project Manager at McAdams.
About Rebecca Stubbs, PE
Rebecca is a graduate from NC State University's Biological and Agricultural Engineering department and has been with McAdams since 2015. She has focused her career on nature-inspired solutions to address and improve the quality of the surface waters we all depend upon. Over the last 5 years, she has grown the stream restoration practice at McAdams by serving public and private clients in identifying opportunities to invest in the restoration of degraded surface waters as a means to provide flood mitigation, infrastructure protection, enhance user experiences within public open spaces, and generate mitigation credits.