Registration Eligibility
Unlimited
Start Date
05/03/2021
End Date
05/03/2021
Description
New York City’s East Side Coastal Resiliency project serves as a groundbreaking example of how urban areas in the United States can adapt to the realities of climate change and sea level rise. Born out of the winning “BIG U” concept from the 2014 Rebuild By Design competition, ESCR is the largest coastal resiliency project ever undertaken in New York City. The project will deliver a 2.4-mile long coastal flood protection system interwoven with parks and cityscapes in Manhattan’s most vulnerable neighborhoods – improving the physical and emotional health of waterfront residents, the safety of buildings in flood-prone waterfront communities, and equitable welfare considering the proximity of a large affordable housing project along this stretch of coastline.
The technical challenges of designing such a system in an urban environment are myriad, including designing flood protection infrastructure that not only occupies but improves the limited waterfront open space in a highly-developed area, crossing century-old infrastructure and multiple jurisdictional boundaries, and threading the alignment alongside and across one of the most heavily-trafficked roads in America’s largest city. Further compounding these complexities are the many logistical considerations associated with being at the vanguard of coastal protection in New York City, including balancing the needs and objectives of public and private stakeholders, developing effective protocols and precedent-setting practices, and educating both community stakeholders and project partners about the critical elements of flood protection design, construction, operation, and maintenance.
To address these challenges and help similar cities move toward a climate-intelligent future, the ESCR team has developed best practices and learned valuable lessons that can apply to all urban resiliency challenges. This presentation will focus on three key takeaways from the project’s development: a highly collaborative approach to integrated urban design and community engagement; coalition building across City, State, and private utility project partners beginning at an early stage of the project cycle; and designing a system that is resilient, maintainable, and adaptable in the face of future climate uncertainties while enhancing the urban fabric 365 days per year.
This course will present landscape architects with insight into protecting an urban environment's most vulnerable neighborhoods and improving the physical and emotional health of waterfront residents, the safety of buildings in flood-prone waterfront communities, and a commitment to equitable welfare considering the proximity of a large affordable housing project along this stretch of New York City coastline.
Distance Learning
Yes
Course Equivalency
No
Subjects
Parks & Recreation
Site Planning
Sustainable Development & Design
Urban Planning & Design
Water / Stormwater Management
Health, Safety and Welfare
Yes
Hours
1.0
Learning Outcomes
1. Explore innovative ways in which coastal resiliency projects can provide physical safety to enhance public health and community welfare through integrated urban design.
2. Study best practices developed in a first-of-its-kind urban coastal resiliency project that may be applicable to other at-risk urban areas.
3. Identify opportunities for early stakeholder engagement and contribution to project development.
4. Understand the design considerations that lead to a resilient, maintainable, and adaptable system in the face of future climate uncertainties while enhancing the urban fabric 365 days per year.
Instructors
Margaret Hopkins, P.E.
Course Codes
AKRF01
Provider
AKRF, Inc.