Video
The path to creating smart cities starts with managing your assets. In these days of wireless communication there is really no excuse for not better monitoring and managing public works and infrastructure assets. In Australia, parks, grounds, and public spaces are managed within the frameworks of monitoring, control, and access. Monitoring allows measurement of factors such as how much water or electricity that a park or facility uses. Control allows agencies to save money and can be based on sensor inputs such as programmed actions based on time of day (such as irrigation or street lights). Access could relate to a user pay system for community hall access or tracking usage of parks or facilities. This presentation will explain how these asset management concepts and practices are part of smart city development.
Read MorePlanned and hosted by APWA’s Water Resources Committee Flooding and Resiliency The presentations on Day One of the Public Works Stormwater Summit provide an important overview of how public works agencies can prepare for potential flood risk and build resiliency into infrastructure planning. 2:00 – 3:20 p.m. Smokey HIll River Renewal: A Holistic Renewal of a Water Resource and the Community The community of Salina, Kansas, has embarked on an exciting and ambitious plan to revitalize 6.8 miles of the Smokey Hill River corridor. In the 1960s the main channel was diverted away from downtown as a flood control measure. Today, however, a grassroots effort to reinvigorate the community and restore river flow is being planned using engineering methods to lower long-term maintenance costs and improve water quality. Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 1. Be inspired to reinvigorate forgotten and neglected areas near local water resources. 2. Use various public engagement tools to align projects with goals for flood control, passive recreation, and ecosystem restoration. 3. Explore engineering methods to lower long-term maintenance costs and build resiliency. Is That 100-Year Storm Really a 1% Chance? Discovering the Limitations of Depth Duration Frequency (DDF) Tables DDF curves for rainfall are used to determine designs for stormwater and flood control projects. The curves are derived from statistical analysis of historical rainfall data that typically covers several decades. But these analyses have limitations that stormwater professionals need to understand to better assess flood risk. Based on extreme events observed in some regions and changes in climate patterns, the application of historical statistics is coming into question. This presentation features examples from recent storms in the Houston Metro Area. Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 1. Discuss the limitations of DDF curves derived before modern radar technology was used to monitor storm events. 2. Identify how aerial distribution of storms affects single gauge statistics. 3. Use probability distributions to calculate frequency of extreme events beyond the 100- and 500-year models. Using Asset Management to Drive Stormwater Improvements The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, is using an asset management approach to reimagine their stormwater management program. The master planning process began with an in-depth visioning and prioritization summit. Stormwater assets were inventoried using GIS and a condition assessment program was developed for both engineered assets and the natural system. The risk-based prioritization system weighed both consequence and likelihood of failure before a comprehensive capital improvement program (CIP) was developed. Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, you will be better able to: 1. Identify best practices for building resiliency into your stormwater management practice. 2. Develop communication strategies to promote the value of stormwater planning and management to various stakeholders including the public, business interests, and elected officials. 3. Incorporate asset management principles into stormwater management practice. 3:30 – 4:50 p.m. Panel Discussion: Resiliency in the Wake of Water-Driven Disasters Recent history demonstrates the challenges public works professionals face when nature throws a curve ball. This panel discussion will focus on the opportunities created for development of sustainable and resilient water system infrastructure, through recovery measures and ultimate rehabilitation/repair of water systems. The panel will include representatives from Emergency Management and Water Resources Technical Committees along with FEMA staff. Climate impacts require sustainable strategies to protect our communities and to recover from potential impacts of water-driven emergencies.
Read MoreA robust and responsive public works sector is crucial to the strengthening of our communities. Public works makes a difference to the livability of our cities and current public works leaders must do more to facilitate the personal and professional growth of the next generation of public works professionals. Learn how public works leaders in Australia have adopted a contemporary approach to ensure that young professionals have the skills and knowledge to step into and embrace leadership roles.
Read More
The National Weather Service has simplified some of its products and services to meet the needs of local governments and the public in building towards a Weather-Ready Nation (WRN). This presentation will explain the WRN concept, the WRN Ambassador Initiative, the Impact-based Decision Support Service, and Hazard Simplification Project.
Read More
Fishers, Indiana, is a growing community just north of Indianapolis with high public expectations for public works services. They’ve created a snow removal strategy that is fluid and adaptable to different situations. Don’t miss this exploration of how they determine resource allocation and manage labor and equipment costs during snow events. No two snowflakes are the same; your snow removal strategies don’t have to be either.
Read More
Discover how the winter road technologies being implemented by public works departments tie in with the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Every Day Counts and Weather Savvy Roads initiatives. It is essential that local governments and FHWA work together to plan for the impacts of new transportation and vehicle technologies on winter road safety.
Read MoreKansas City’s Armour Boulevard is primarily lined with historic residences and apartment towers between Broadway Boulevard and the Paseo. Traffic studies of this 20-block corridor concluded that a road diet to reduce the existing 4-lanes with sharrows to a 3-lane width would accommodate separated bike lanes while maintaining the existing parallel parking configuration. The design includes designated bike boxes, two-stage left turn queue boxes, conflict/mixing zones, and accommodates the numerous bus stops along the corridor.
Read MoreDiscover how to engage local elected officials and involve them in adopting innovations for improving safety for local road projects.
Read MoreIn the course of our routine daily operations, public works employees are in a unique position to be a set of eyes and ears regarding public safety. We have thousands of employees that provide a broad spectrum of services that touch the lives of every individual. Our work provides opportunities to observe and report suspicious activities. This session will review The National Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative and the “See Something, Say Something” Program and highlight why it is important that public works professionals receive SAR training.
Read MoreThis session will examine Data-Driven Safety Analysis tools used to make transportation decisions that will maximize return-on-investment. We’ll focus on FHWA’s Every Day Counts 4 (EDC-4) Innovation Initiative and tools to reliably predict the safety impacts of project decisions.
Read More