Human environment, environmental awareness and urban mobility through the lenses of Puerto Rico and the Bahamas

Abstract

There are significant challenges and risks associated when addressing sustainability efforts, and opportunities in the areas affected after hurricane impact. This study is researching sustainability indicators, environmental aspects for urban inland and waterfront areas, human dimension and urban mobility. Planning assessments in respect to the human dimension, and architecture heritage to understand the present and suggest future strategies, are researched equally emphasizing the needed approach for addressing the uniqueness of the land. Land is influenced by the culture in the area, and resolution of the challenges, is suggested to be built on the principles influenced by the culture and land of application. Destructive wind forces and excessive rain along the hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017 and hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019, left the Caribbean islands with massive destructions, affecting the community, basic services, housing and vegetation. Rebuilding and redeveloping the communities require new approach with sustainable synergetic strategies in mind, addressing the human environment, preserving and restoring the nature (rehabilitation, reclamation and remediation efforts) as well as developing means and methods for future economic growth. As all aspects are equally important, factors related to the cultural specifics, human dimension and architecture, mobility, accessibility, relationship between planning, design and energy, become important indicators for sustainable growth. Remediation is a result of the research and mitigation of the condition that contributed to a deteriorated landscape. One of the aspects for such condition is the contaminated drainage of runoff from a brown field site, that will need remediation, including environmental impact. Reconstruction and rebuilding of communities is not only simple restoration and reproduction of the basic services, but project specific by considering preservation of cultural heritage, historic buildings, landscapes, with implementation of further planning to incorporate energy independence and introduce new management strategies to mitigate all factors into successful opportunity. For Puerto Rico, two years post hurricane Maria, challenges for implementing sustainable strategies remain. Bahamas are experiencing the aftermath of the hurricane Dorian, which considering the destruction power of both weather events, brings sustainability effort strategies as a common starting point, with further consideration of the cultural uniqueness of the each, to be separately addressed.