>The Pacific Northwest state of Oregon is already home to America’s second largest land-based wind farm — the 845 megawatt (MW) Shepherds Flat Wind Farm. Now the state has taken a big step closer to hosting the west coast’s first offshore wind farm. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) just approved plans for Seattle-based Principle Power develop five floating turbines off Coos Bay. The 30 MW pilot project will be located in about 1,400 feet of water roughly 15 miles off the Oregon coast. The reason for using floating turbine technology in deep water as opposed to wind turbines anchored to the seabed in shallow water has to do with the west coast’s narrow continental shelf. Read more.
>When Hurricane Sandy roared across the eastern seaboard last October, Long Island was hit with devastating storm surges that wrecked thousands of homes. To help rebuild a stronger and more resilient LI community, NYIT's School of Architecture and Design teamed up with state officials to form a new organization called Operation Resilient Long Island (ORLI). In its latest call for action, ORLI organized the 3C Comprehensive Coastal Communities Competition to help spur new ideas about resiliency against future storms by creating new housing typologies. The competition drew in 60 design entries from 20 countries, and now NYIT is hosting an exhibit of the top 32 finalists. See all 32 entries here.
>On a sustainable street, there are no jaywalkers: At the start of the 20th century, streets belonged as much to pedestrians and children at play as to automobiles. By the end of it, stepping into the street in the wrong place was a crime. How did jaywalking become a crime? And how do we decriminalize it?