From Last Resorts

Strategies for a Sustainable Galveston

For the past four years, professors and students at Rice University’s Department of Earth Sciences and the School of Architecture have collaborated in exploring more sustainable approaches to coastal development and of Galveston Island in particular. Galveston Island and its recovery from the 2009 Hurricane Ike serves as our case study for globally relevant problems. This wiki is the collaborative research site for a design and research project and is currently in development. This work is supported in part by the Shell Center for Sustainability.

Our research is now being synthesized in the formulation of a sustainability plan for this century that relies on the most current scientific information as a framework for future development of the island. The goals of the project are to ensure that the next generation of residents and visitors inherit a better island by:

• promoting economic growth and financial independence
• providing safe, attractive housing, businesses, and recreational facilities for residents and visitors to the island,
• encouraging tourism and clean industry,
• minimizing storm hazards, and
• preserving natural habitats.

This research combines the best scientific data and analysis available as the basis for cutting-edge design.