Engmeenng Management Intemahonal, 2 (1984) 133-136

Elsevler Science Publishers B V , Amsterdam - Pnnted m The Netherlands 133

THE CHALLENGE OF ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT FOR URBAN GOVERNMENTS IN THE 1990’s

John Lang Admlmstrator, Bureau of Envlronmentai Serwces, City of Portland, Portland. OR 97204 1972 iU S A J

ABSTRACT

Today’s urban engmeenng managers face the challenge of wbuddmg Amerrca’s crtles m the 1980s In this penod of tat revolt, reduced revenue and con trnumg emphasis on environmental Issues, the restoration and preservatron of urban rnfrastructure 1s a challenge that can be met by the engmeer- mg manager who develops and implements a vwon of a viable and envu-onmental1.y attrac-

THE CHALLENGE

Engmeenng managers for urban govem- ments are facing a new challenge m the 1980s managmg a city’s mfrastructure m such a way that mth hmlted budgets renewal of urban development actlvlty occurs wh:le yet restonng and preservmg natural resources of the city.

Dunng the first 75 years of this century, most Amencan cltles expenenced a penod of growth that was often characterized by greed and indifference to proper management of their natural environment We fiuled to manage our envvonment succesfully because we had not learned how to mamtam a balance between the technology of man and the WS- dom of nature The mevltable result of this faJure has been a staggenng array of fiscal and environmental problems m our cltles

Xnstotle sad, “Men come together m cities in order to hve, and they remam to-

twe urban area Implemen tatlon reqwres the urban man-

ager to make effectrve use of three rmportant resources employees, mvenue and reslden ts With the intelligent applrcatlon of these re- sources the engmeenng manager can rebuild the crty and brmg the “‘good life” back to urban areas

gether m order to hve the good hfe ” Certam- ly the city IS where you find the best stores, theaters, hbranes, restaurants, art gallenes, and cultural centers, but when the problems of ar and water pollution, traffic congestion and noise outwelgh these benefits, city hfe no longer represents the “good life,” and It IS time for a change.

Fortunately, this need for change has be- come recogmzed urlthm the last few years, and we see an embryo of that “good hfe” retummg to many of our large urban centers Before that “good hfe” can return, however, the urban engmeenng manager has two tasks to accomphsh First, he must develop and communicate a vision of an environmentally safe yet growmg city, and second, he must manage his resources m a way that ~111 bnng reahty to that -ion and recreate the beauty, the action, and the vlablhty of our Amencan cities I would like to share mth you my thoughts of this v=lon and &scuss some of

0167 5419184’$03 00 I 198-1 ElseLler Science Puhllshers B \’

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the ways engmeenng managers can utlhze resources to Implement that vElon

A VISION FOR THE CITY

X transportation system forms the hfehne of any city In modem America, 40-60% of the urban land surface IS commonly re- served for transportation related aclxltles iis cnt1ca.l as the transportahon system is, however, it 1s also one of the biggest sources of noise, ar polluhon, congestion, wasted energy, and dlsruptlon that we have The creahon of the freeway system has often been accomplished at the expense of teanng down and destroying the ethmc fabnc of man] established neighborhoods High speed dnvmg has wasted countless gallons of gasolme and been a major factor In creating the ;ilr pollu- tion which blankets our urban areas The discharge of traffic from the freeway system into the city centers has created so much congestion and noise that people and bu\mess often find it more desirable to remam out of the city than in it

The transportation system we need m urban areas 1s one not completely dependent on freeways, but one supplemented \wth a clean, street level, electnc ral system The ral system should be used to move commuters and shoppers into the central city dunng the day, and return them downtown for recrea- tion m the evenmg Addlhonally, certam streets need to be developed as malls and reserved for pedestnans and bicycles. while automobile and transit. movements are pro- vided on adjacent streets

Improper management of waste disposal systems has destroyed much of the good hfe in our clhes For many years, sohd waste disposal has meant garbage dumps and land- fills Severe public relahons and polluhon problems have been common results of this process Fortunately, we are beguinmg to develop a technology and attitude which ~11 lead toward recovery and beneficial use of these valuable resources, rather than burymg them III landfills

The sohd waste system which must be developed III the remamder of this centun must mclude city-wde recycling programs for paper, glass. tm, and alummum These pro- ducts can be easily separated by the residents and collected for reuse by industry The putresclble garbage that remams must also be put to beneficial uses as compost or as fuel in an electnc generating plant

Urban sewerage systems now m operation could be so archac that our grandchildren w111 look on them with as much dlsdam as we view sewerage systems of the middle ages when urban residents threw household sewage out of wmdows into the streets below .\d- Jacent to our urban areas, mnumerable waterways have become flowmg streams of sewage

In our future we have to provide enforce- able programs to ensure pretreatment of ab- normal extra strength and toslc waste generated by some mdustnes We must not only contmue to mamtam good effluent from our sewage treatment plants but we must also fmd beneficial uses for it This may take the form of crop lmgakon water or a resource to recharge ground water The sludge from our sewerage systems also needs to be utilized rather than wasted This matenal can be composted and used as a so11 supplement, manufactured mto a fertlllzer for crops, or uhhzed as fuel for power generation Xl1 of this waste can. and needs to be, beneficially used

IMPLEMENTING THE VISION

Once a vls~on of the good hfe m a city has been articulated, the urban engmeenng manager needs to Implement it LI WSIOII

which creates a transportation system that is non-polluhng but energy efficient and responsive to the needs of business, Industry, and pnvate clhzens IS dlffxult and expensive to achieve How does the engmeenng manager turn this vision mto reality? If we are to succeed, the urban engmeenng manager must mtelhgently utlhze three cntlcal resources

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employees, revenue, and residents of the urban area

Employees are an organization’s greatest resource, yet, women and mmontles are stdl not well represented m the munlclpal en- gneenng and labor work force Restncted by CIVII service exammatlon procedures and ngd salary structures, government has found it dlfflcult to recnut women or mmontles from engmeenng colleges Urban engmeenng man- agers must act as change agents and find ways of equahzmg this dlspanty

Perhaps we need a closer relatlonshlp be- tween the cltles and engmeenng educators a relatlonshlp which encourages student work study or co-op programs, the development of course work unique to urban engmeenng managers, and promotIon of the fact that government employment can be excltmg and rewarding work

Once we recnut and hire employees we must retam them In ad&tlon to the par- ticlpative management and Job ennchment acbvltles now encouraged, efforts must be made to accommodate the work needs of smgle-parent and two-workmg-parent fanuhes N’e need to take advantage of flex hrne work scheduhng, 3-10 hour workmg days and em- ployer pad child care services as incentives for attracting and retammg these employees

Revenue for public agency services 1s a serious concern m thus bme of tax revolt and fast changmg economics Management of fmanaal resources by the engmeenng man- ager must be done ~th care and accuracy Funds for construction project payments need to be carefully scheduled so that short term Investments can be made for added revenue Speedy completion of projects 1s also cntlcal to prevent delays and cost m- creases from Inflation

Government agencies must also consider chargmg fees for the actual cost of services provided to individuals or fu-ms Those ac- tlvlties performed by government which directly benefit a specific firm or mdlvldual, such as checkmg sub&vlslon plans and sub- sequent construction Inspections, should be charged to the recipient of the services This

pohcy accomphshes two beneficial results First, pubhc funds are not used to subsidize pnvate beneflclanes, and second, the en- gmeenng manager 1s forced to manage his organlzatlon more efflclently so that fees for specific services are not “out of Ime” wth fees charged m pnvate mdustry for slmllar work

We must also look for ways to reduce costs and generate revenues through energy conser- vahon and waste utihzatlon The conversion of street hghts to high pressure sodium vapor units, the generation of electnclty from excess sewage digester gas, and the sale of sewage sludge for fertilizer are all becoming viable ways of reducing costs and producmg revenue while effectively servmg the public

This bnngs us to the thud factor m im- plemenhng our vlslon the public Dunng the next ten years, residents, busmess and Industry ~11 become Involved more and more m urban engmeenng actlvltles They recognize that partlclpatmg m local government decision makmg can help achieve the future they desire I thmk that’s excellent, because en- gmeenng managers need input from these groups m order to better design and Im- plement the mlon of a city for all of us

We can do a great deal to obtam this partlclpatlon Design review meetings with adjacent residents and busmesses should be- come a matter of routme before completion of the construction plans for all pubhc facll- ltles A procedure for resldentlal feedback about public improvements needs to be estab- lished Urban governments need to take the mltlatlve by askmg residents to evaluate the way m which the government agency accom- phshed the service or construction m their nelghborhood An annual questlonnare to statlstlcally-selected addresses, or placement of a door hanger at all homes and busmesses adjacent to a construction or mamtenance project, ill sollclt feedback and opmlons from residents and, thereby, allow their partlclpation m the agency’s declslon-makmg process, as well as provldmg an assessment of the work done

Fmally, I believe It 1s necessary to assess

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contmually the posslblllty of havmg residents or busmesses performmg some of the ser- vices tradltlonally provided by government A successful example of this occurred m the City of Portland when the Mt St Helens volcano exploded and covered the city ~th a layer of volcanic ash Although the ash was only l/32-1/8 inch m depth, severe dust condltlons were created from wind and vehicle movement m the city There was a need to clean the ash off all streets, slde- walks, and other impervious surfaces Be- cause of the high cost associated with hmng additional labor and equipment to remove the ash qmckly, property owners were re- quested to remove the ash from the reslden- tml streets m front of then- homes rather than wat for the city to provide the service It was a success’ Residents cleaned 60-75$ of their 800 miles of residential streets mth garden hoses, vacuum cleaners, brooms, and

shovels The result was a savmgs of $500 000 to the city, and a reduction m total cleanmg time from two months to one month

CONCLUSION

The function of an urban government en- gmeer 1s to improve the quality of urban life for all mhabltants through the mtelhgent management of the city’s physical envn-on- ment We ~11 want to find sunple solutions to the complex problems and threats facing our urban environment, but the solutions needed to provide an environmentally attrac- tive and viable urban area are only to be found through recogmzmg the value of our employees, the accurate and mnovatlve management of fmances, and the commitment of all residents who really beheve that the city 1s the best place to hve