Futures
We must heal
🐟
Recovery
Within just this stream there are many different views and values in play when talking about the possible changes for the Ala Wai Canal. During this project I discovered many approaches and pitches for the future of the canal. Before we go into these I want to reiterate the problems the Ala Wai is against.
Flood Risk (weather, sea level rise, decay/age of the canal, residential/business impact)
Pollution (urban runoff, untreated sewage, harmful bacteria)
Troubling Past (idealistic tourism prioritized over citizen population, political corruption when built, damaged the islands ecosystem, built a few decades after annexation of Hawai'i, loss of farm land led to food insecurity)
Prospective Plan as of 4/23/23 (Merriam, 2023)
Currently there's a project named the "Ala Wai Flood Risk Management General Reevaluation Study" being led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. When looking at this study it's important to note their objectives and limitations. Looking at their most recent presentation their objectives are as follows:
Reduce risks to life and safety associated with direct inundation of structures and transportation infrastructure
Reduce economic damages associated with direct inundation of structures & public infrastructure
Reduce economic impacts associated with disruption of commerce & tourism
Alongside that it's clear that a limiting factor is money and the need for their solution to be efficient at reducing flood risk especially of a big event. This leads their job down a road of being tied to approval, objectives, and limiters. After looking at 224 options, their current solution consists of three floodwalls (at Woodlawn/Koali Road, Kaimuki HS, and around the Ala Wai Canal) and the Ala Wai golf course detention basin. It appears in most of their plans that the floodwall around the Ala Wai Canal will stay in as it's too much of a safety threat to just leave it as is.
This is a multifaceted project led by Sean Connelly. The name of the project foreshadowing the potential dangers of the canal. A big part of this project is Connelly's anti-essay which dives into Waikiki's history, the Ala Wai Canal and its modern problems, and a possible solution based on the notion of Ahupua'a recovery. The essay is packed with geographical map graphs and an almost architectural analysis of the area, whilst exploring cultural concepts and history. There are many steps in the solution of his essay:
Sparking ideas within education (Value and Inspire)
Primary Infrastructure (Retrofitted streams, stream flood parks, Kalia dam, Bioswales and permeable surfaces)
Advanced Infrastructure (Retrofitted coastal stormwater conduits, restore beachfronts, regenerate neighborhoods, catalyze 'aina economy, reform land use toward cultivation on the land and sea)
This is an extremely holistic approach that strongly values both the Hawaiian history and the cultural values of Hawai'i. The plan and details within the essay are extensive and very powerful to explore. This plan is quite restorative but it also has a much longer timeline and budget to consider. With that being said, it's important to have ideas like these that can spark inspiration and an appreciation of history.
There are several community led efforts to clean up the area and the canal itself. One that has been standing out due to their unique idea is the Genki Ala Wai Project. Their goal is to restore the Ala Wai Canal so it's fishable and swimmable within seven years. The solution they've come up with are "Genki balls." Mud balls that contain Effective Microorganisms (EM) to rid the Ala Wai of sludge/pollutants. The microorganisms used in the balls are mainly "lactic acid bacteria, yeast, and phototrophic bacteria" which will sink to the bottom of the canal then digest the sludge. There's already evidence of this working with Jefferson elementary being one of the first sites tested. Though these efforts probably won't affect flood risk it does use and value restorative methods. Hopefully this project and other cleanup efforts will further protect the creatures in the area and the ocean from pollution.
"What would change if the Ala Wai Canal were revered as a sacred place?"
Sean Connelly
I dare you,
Attempt with me a little exercise...
As I guide you into this, I want to begin with the idea of breaking the Western mindset. This may mean something different for everyone but settle into what that might mean for you...
Personally, I see this mindset as highly individualistic and extensive work. The idealization of working overtime and money over living is something many industries have knotted into its foundation, though there are many other social problems, for that I believe some come up because we aren’t given the time to reflect or process as a community. Then the idea of fending for yourself or a general lack of care for others also comes up in this mindset, please step into the idea that our 'aina is our home and our community is our personal relationships. Though the past of this place is filled with arrogance and racist values and there’s a constant battle for proper representation. There could be a way, rather, there must be a way forward. There’s no scientific solution to solve the trauma these waters have experienced or that we as a community has experienced.
How then do we reflect and heal as a community?
Become aware of a personal/community/societal situation that's bothering you, identify personally why you want this situation to change (has/does/could it affect you directly, a family member, a friend, a business you love, or a place you want to preserve? How would you feel if this situation reached its conclusion right now?)
Now, identify an external/environmental/'aina situation that's bothering you, personally why you want this situation to change (has/does/could it affect you directly, a family member, a friend, a business you love, or a place you want to preserve? How would you feel if this situation reached its conclusion right now?)
Why do this? It’s important to develop a stance, some background knowledge, feelings etc: this helps to sort out biases and questions if you bring it up in conversation or just to help sort out these ideas in your head to greater connect you with these issues.
What connects these issues? How does the lands problems relate to your problems? Have a conversation with the land, how would it go what would you discover about each other when talking about your individual problems?
Pick one of the next 2 options to try!
Have an exchange with a friend: one person acts as the land discussing their environmental problem and then the other person shares their problem. How do you comfort each other, do you offer any solutions, do you offer any distractions? How do you view the land when they’re a person in front of you?
Can you transform this mental conversation into something physical? It could be a collage, poem, photograph, drawing, paragraph, ppt presentation, performance, dance, song, video, audio, etc
Why do this? Sometimes we analyze our feelings and information without actually taking the time to let ourselves feel or process them. Letting yourself express those feelings in creative ways or simply just talking to a friend can be a healthy way to communicate or see these feelings in a different light.
Closing Thoughts
There's much to learn about Ala Wai's history and future. As someone who's been next to this waterway my whole life it's both frustrating and relieving to learn more about it. I'm frustrated at its saddening history and current problems, it feels like theres always so much more we could be doing. Yet I still feel ignorant on much of the topics and histories surrounding this water body. But I am hopeful that the Ala Wai will be led down the right direction in terms of restoration, just seeing the community efforts and new creatures in the stream is wonderful.
I'm grateful for this semester with Jaimey and my 484 class. I feel immersed in material and knowledge. Before this class I never truly thought about water, just as I know that the sunsets everyday I know that water is passively there within my day to day life. Well that's not entirely true. I’ve thought of water in a sustainable way, same as how I’ve thought about plastic, how to conserve or reuse it. Until now I haven’t looked at water in a restorative or humanitarian way. Especially when there's so many other attractive things to focus on its hard to turn attention to the things that are overwhelmingly damaged. Meaning to say… I have previously respected water: as a resource, as a powerful force, as a thing that nourishes me but I never really bothered to know its name or ask a question further than how are you. So I'm happy I got to know a piece of it a little more this semester.
