GLIN==> Genius Plan for Asian Carp and Chicago River: New Jeanne Gang Book on Revitalizing Our Waterways

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Press contacts:

Josh Mogerman, NRDC, jmogerman at nrdc.org or 312-651-7909

Alissa Anderson, Studio Gang, publications at studiogang.net or
773-384-1212

 

 

Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago's Waterways

New book from renowned architect Jeanne Gang highlights creative
solutions to water issues in collaboration with NRDC

 

CHICAGO (October 26, 2011) - In her first major public project since
being minted a MacArthur Genius, architect Jeanne Gang is taking a swing
at Asian carp and Chicago's complex relationship with its river in a
visionary new book. Reverse Effect: Renewing Chicago's Waterways is the
result of a year-long collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense
Council (NRDC) that began by looking at the problem of invasive species,
but evolved into call for a revolutionary green re-envisioning of
Chicago's troubled waterways and a roadmap for the nation's river
renaissance. 

 

"Rather than seeking to control nature with technology, we will discover
instead that in the 21st century, nature becomes technology..." says
Gang in the book's final essay. "Can Chicago be the city that sets this
new paradigm by transforming its waterways once again?"

 

In 2010, NRDC released a report focused on the twin goals of blocking
invasive species and the need to clean up the Chicago River. Entitled
"Re-Envisioning the Chicago River," the report proposed physical
barriers to restore the natural separation of the Great Lakes and
Mississippi River watersheds to rebuff the movement of Asian carp while
also dealing with the region's crumbling water infrastructure and the
flooding problems created by its combined sewer overflows with a heavy
emphasis on green infrastructure (the use of natural systems to collect,
hold and filter rainwater). 

 

NRDC's report initiated Studio Gang's investigation into how dividing
these waters could connect and recharge the surrounding communities,
particularly along the Chicago River's South Branch near the Pilsen and
Bridgeport neighborhoods. These questions became the basis of a studio
course Gang taught at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design
in spring 2011. The exciting urban potential of her students' work
inspired the creation of Reverse Effect, with student projects augmented
by engaging essays and interviews from the people who work on, use and
think about the river every day to give a complete picture of the
waterways' current state and potential for spawning a green technology
revolution to redevelop America's rivers and cities.

 

By illuminating the river's long history of manipulations and
reinventions, Reverse Effect is meant to be a tool that can empower a
new generation of Chicagoans-from architects and designers, to
policymakers, advocates, and community members-to re-imagine and reshape
its future. Engagingly written and designed, the book is a primer for
anyone interested in understanding the nested issues that have plagued
the waterway and the sorts of big picture, innovative solutions that
could not only renew the river, but also the world-class City that has
grown around its banks. 

 

"It was a unique pleasure to have been involved in this project," says
Henry Henderson, NRDC Midwest Program Director and the first
Commissioner of the Environment for the City of Chicago. "Jeanne's
understanding of how to inject green infrastructure into the built
environment really breaks through some of the roadblocks that get in the
way of people understanding these issues. She makes truly ground
breaking design approaches and addressing engineering challenges easy
for everyone to understand. The book is quite an achievement in its
vision and the elegance of the solutions it proposes."

 

Reverse Effect Roll-out Events:

 

*         The book will be available for the first time at a November 3
celebration featuring a one-time only performance by the Second City of
Carpocalypse!, an original sketch about the invasive carp crisis. More
information available at www.nrdc.org/carpocalypse2011
<http://www.nrdc.org/carpocalypse2011>  

*         On November 17 Gang and Henderson will be featured at a free
event moderated by WBEZ's Steve Edwards to be held at the Chicago Public
Library's Harold Washington Library Center. More information available
at http://www.chipublib.org/events/details/id/76644/
<http://www.chipublib.org/events/details/id/76644/> 

 

About the Author

Jeanne Gang, FAIA, a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, leads Studio Gang
Architects, a collective of architects, designers, and thinkers whose
projects address pressing contemporary issues, focusing on cities,
ecologies, materials, and technologies. Known for pursuing a future
where the urban and natural worlds interweave, Jeanne's work has been
honored and exhibited widely, most notably at the International Venice
Biennale, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Art Institute of
Chicago.http://www.studiogang.net/

 

About NRDC

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international
environmental advocacy organization that uses law, science, and the
support of 1.3 million members and online activists to protect the
planet's natural resources and to ensure a safe and healthy environment
for all living things. Locally, nationally, and internationally, NRDC's
work is broad, successful, and solutions-oriented. In January 2007, NRDC
brought its hard-hitting environmental advocacy to the Midwest. Under
the leadership of Henry L. Henderson, NRDC's Midwest program is
advancing the region's vision of a clean and sustainable future with a
major commitment to restoring the Chicago River and protecting the Great
Lakes. http://www.NRDC.org

 

Additional Press Resources:

 

*	Jeanne Gang and Henry Henderson are available for joint
interviews via Studio Gang and NRDC contacts above. 
*	High-res images for media use are available at
http://wtrns.fr/g0otUOZWhIRx0 <http://wtrns.fr/g0otUOZWhIRx0> 
*	NRDC's barrier report can be found at
http://www.nrdc.org/water/chicagoriver/chicagoriver.asp
*	More information on the issue of invasive species is available
at http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/invasivespecies and
http://switchboard.nrdc.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?tag=asiancarp&limit
=20 
*	The book will be available via Studio Gang and NRDC's Web sites,
as well as Amazon.com, beginning November 7. Review copies are available
upon request.

 

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