on Nov 04, 2013

Looking Beyond Hurricane Sandy

One year after Hurricane Sandy’s arrival, we reflect on the devastating toll the storm took on individuals and communities across the region.

 

While the impact was tragic and the need for recovery takes top priority, Sandy’s arrival also triggered a clearer understanding of how climate change will impact our coastal areas over time, and particularly of the challenges of adapting our nation’s dense, built-out urban areas.

 

HR&A is proud to continue to support efforts to grapple with this problem through innovative and community-driven planning and economically-driven strategy.

 

On Monday, October 28th, we presented our initial contributions to Rebuild by Design, the federal government’s competition to identify innovative projects to protect and enhance coastal communities in the Northeast region. HR&A teamed with Cooper, Robertson & Partners to develop ground-up design and financing strategies to promote resiliency in neighborhood commercial corridors. We also provided analytical support to design teams led by PennDesign/OLIN and the Office of Metropolitan Architecture. Read more about Rebuild by Design here and about HR&A’s work here.

 

We also reached an important milestone in the community-driven plans initiated by New York State through the New York Rising Community Reconstruction Program, submitting conceptual plans for recovery and rebuilding in seven Sandy-impacted neighborhoods in New York City, including Lower Manhattan, Red Hook, Broad Channel, Howard Beach, and the entire Rockaway Peninsula. Read more about New York Rising here.

 

In the months and years ahead, HR&A is committed to working with public, private, and non-profit partners to learn from our common experiences and to design and implement strategies that promote resiliency in urban places over the long term.

 

Read more in Curbed and Washington Square News.