If you’ve ever been to New York City and have gone down to where the edge of the city meets the water, you’ll notice that almost the entire downtown portion of the city barely sits above sea level; in many places, no higher than five feet. This doesn’t bode well for the city seeing as many climate scientists, as well as the recently convened New York Climate Action Council, predict sea level rise of 1-2.5 feet in the next 90 years; 5 feet or more if the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets melt entirely.
Needless to say that this would be a catastrophe for not only New York City, but pretty much any low-lying coastal region of any continent. As a way to ‘get the creative juices flowing’ on addressing this matter, at least in NYC and New Jersey’s case, a conceptual project called Rising Waters” was initiated by the Latrobe Team from Princeton University and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s design and architecture department. The teams chosen to take part in the project were given space at MoMA’s P.S. 1 location in Long Island City to set up shop and begin work on their concepts.
What came out of these brainstorming and work sessions are some fairly intriguing, and dare I say, practical ideas that somewhat address the potential problem New York and New Jersey will likely face on some scale in the future. From New York Magazine:
The five teams produced innovative ways of returning New York to a time before we paved over mudflats and salt marshes, poisoned the waterways, and clogged up the coastline with landfill. In the last decade, the city has recycled swaths of waterfront wasteland into a ribbon of park and piers. The future could involve dismantling the seawall, ringing the harbor with wetlands, and embracing the city’s maritime identity. This seems at first like surrender—throw open the floodgates, let in the tides—but it’s more like jujitsu engineering. A mushy, absorbent coastline is nature’s defense against storm surges, and it doesn’t need a tryout: We know it works.
The proposals seem quixotic and expensive, but consider the reality of the Henry Hudson Parkway today, which after a moderate rainstorm often floods, narrowing to a single amphibious lane. Now imagine sitting in your car when the post-ice-melt storm surge comes muscling over the embankment, turning your Suburban into a submarine. Suddenly, you could find yourself wishing for an oyster reef.
The exhibit, “Rising Currents: Projects for New York’s Waterfront,”opens on March 24th at the NYC MoMA and will be showcased on the 3rd floor. Go see it in person!
Under-street pipes that would channel water out of low-lying areas
Problem areas in NYC area
Oyster farm in Brooklyn used as a breakwater and food source
Municipal water plan
Jersey re-imagined after the water rises
Areas likely to be affected by flood waters...basically half of Manhattan
Sunset Park in Brooklyn imagined as a mini Amsterdam
Artificial reef constructed of tens of thousands of recycled glass bottles
The Good: Ideas on possible solutions to an impending problem being worked out further than the mere brainstorming process. Some solutions seem practical.
The Bad: Some of the solutions are a little to impractical and/or overly costly.
The Bottom-Line: Though no concrete solutions are presented in this show, it is an important real first step toward addressing what’s sure to become a more pressing matter for the inhabitants of the New York City area.
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