Michael Bloom

Biography: Michael directs the Sustainability Practice for 5engineering, LLC, based in Houston, Texas. He plans and designs natural drainage systems that increase operating income, reduce detention requirements, increase developable land, and provide an anchor for natural amenities, such as trail systems, that improve health outcomes and social connectedness. He recently served on the National Advisory Services Panel to assist Toa Baja, Puerto Rico with enhancing future resilience and on a Houston District Council Technical Assistance Panel for the City of Wharton, Texas to help develop recommendations to enhance the West End Area, which was subject to recent repeated flooding. He is a ULI National Health Leader (first cohort) and served as an expert contributor to and reviewer of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) report Harvesting the Value of Water: Stormwater, Green Infrastructure, and Real Estate (May 2017). Michael provides resilience and sustainability consulting services. Michael plans and designs stormwater management and floodplain management systems, rainwater harvesting systems, water reuse systems, and water conservation programs. He develops and implements industrial and municipal stormwater pollution management programs. Michael is the current chair of the Houston Chapter of the Environment & Water Resources Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Michael currently serves on the Public Policy Committee of the ULI Houston District Council and is a member of ULI’s National Community Development Council (Black Flight). He serves as an appointed member of the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s Bacteria Implementation Group, a stakeholder group working to improve bayou health in the region. Michael is a member of the Steering Committee of the Houston Land and Water Sustainability Forum, which focuses on the use of natural drainage systems in land development. Michael is the author of riparianhouston.com, a b