
Flooding Design Sprint
In Collaboration with: Houston Planning Committee, Your Houston, Mr. Zaf Tahir (Planning Commissioner)
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Challenge: Create a solution that uses advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Blockchain (BC), Internet of Things (IoT), and robotics to improve the quality of life in Houston, Texas, specifically by increasing the quality, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and equity of flood mitigation and prevention.
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15 Teams and 45+ participants created solutions. Winners honored at City Hall.
September 23-25, 2022. CONCLUDED.

Mihir Relan
DeBakey High School
Junior

Anderson Acord
DeBakey High School
Junior

Bianca Juarez
DeBakey High School
Junior
SOLUTION

Step 1
Deepening the reservoirs to allow for more water to be collected especially in high flood areas to reduce the damage of the initial rainpour.


Step 2
Connecting the reservoirs to distribute the water equally as to not overfill one or the other. Allowing them to balance each other out and reduce the risk of a flooded reservoir.
Step 3
Construct roads out of permeable concrete in order to have the water seep through and get absorbed by the ground underneath. This prevents the roads itself from flooding and preventing emergency transportation from crossing.
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Hadi Hafeez
Awty International School
Junior
Omar Reyes
Awty International School
Junior
Zohaib Khan
Awty International School
Junior
Rayaan Khan
Awty International School
Junior

sustainable
Winner of the Most Sustainable Solution Award

Yves Ayache
Awty International School
Sophomore

Nathaniel Black
Awty International School
Sophomore


Paul Yao
James Watkins
Awty International School
Sophomore
Awty International School
Sophomore

innovative
Winner of the Most Innovative Solution Award

Angelina Shen
Awty International School
Junior

Selena Gou
Awty International School
Junior

Zhichao Gong
Awty International School
Junior

entrepreneurial
Winner of the Most Entrepreneurial Solution Award

Eric Lu
Awty International School
Sophomore

Tanishka Padhye
Awty International School
Sophomore

Hannah Song
Awty International School
Sophomore

Sebastian Ballesteros
Awty International School
Sophomore

IMPACTFUL
Winner of the Most Impactful Solution Award

Ishan Arora
Carnegie Vanguard High School
Sophomore
make a difference
A Big Thank You to all the participants who came together to find creative ideas to address city flooding. Young people are under-utilized to solve real-world problems, and we believe that we can offer innovative solutions that might have been overlooked previously.
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We are grateful to Mayor Turner for encouraging our winners by inviting them to City Hall for the award ceremony. Thank you also for creating an Awty Day in our honor, to highlight the school we come from!
And to the Houston Planning Commission which has offered to pilot the winning projects in Houston.