January 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 36

CONSERVATION

Resource
NYC Parks' Design and Planning for Flood Resiliency:
Guidelines for NYC Parks (www.nycgovparks.org/
planning-and-building/planning/resiliency-plans/
flood-resiliency) is an interdisciplinary manual that
was released in November 2017 to provide guidance
for developing and renovating coastally resilient waterfront parks. These guidelines, specifically tailored
for NYC Parks with the hope that other planners,
designers, consultant firms, agencies, communities
and homeowners can use them as a reference for
coastally resilient park planning and design:
* Define technical terms and explain concepts
applicable to coastal resiliency and waterfront
park development
* Provide checklists that outline special
considerations for waterfront park planning and
design processes
* Examine different waterfront park types and
recommend best practices for each
* Suggest plants, materials and design details best
suited for coastal conditions
* Provide additional resources for those who wish to
learn more

facilities like basketball courts, a
dog run and a playground, had just
been constructed when Hurricane
Sandy tested it with a 4-foot-high
surge of water. It survived, and
Phase II was developed as a more
passive recreation space, anchored
by a modern, nautical-inspired
cantilevered overlook and terraced
seating with breathtaking views of
the Manhattan skyline. The park
includes salt-tolerant wetlands at
the river's edge, a kayak launch,
pathways sloping upward to elevated green space, waterproof seating
and a noticeable lack of ground
lighting near the waterfront - all
elements specifically designed to
withstand storm-surge flooding.
On the Manhattan side of the
river were several athletic fields,
recreation facilities and unique
park amenities that make up the
long, linear East River Park. Its
promenade was completely sub-

East River Park will be elevated and new
floodwalls constructed as part of the East
Side Coastal Resiliency project along the
Manhattan waterfront.

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merged during Hurricane Sandy,
as storm surge pushed water from
the waterfront to inland streets in
a 10-mile perimeter throughout
Lower Manhattan. It devastated the
Financial District and impacted
nearly 100,000 low-income, elderly
and disabled city residents.
The East Side Coastal Resiliency project aims to reduce similar
future flood risk in this dense and
vulnerable neighborhood. Inspired
by the " Big U " concept from a
post-Sandy design competition, the
project wrestles with how resiliency and flood protection can address
dynamic and sometimes divergent
community needs along 2.4 miles
of urban waterfront and parks.
The design has evolved as a better understanding of site conditions
and construction impacts; the project now explores elevating the entire length of park to incorporate a
natural sloped berm directly at the
January 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January 2019 - Parks & Recreation
