New York Rising Community Planning

As part of The New York Rising Community Reconstruction (NYRCR) Program, a New York state initiative to respond to storm damage from Hurricane Sandy, SCAPE developed a series of strategies for rebuilding resilient communities in four different New York Rising Communities in New York City – Howard Beach, Broad Channel, Canarsie, and the South East Brooklyn Waterfront. The community reconstruction plans included cost and feasibility studies for a pair of tide gates and a berm at Howard Beach, a berm, salt marsh restoration, and oyster reefs at Broad Channel/Sunset Cove, and enhanced joint recreational and resiliency infrastructure in Canarsie and the South East Brooklyn Waterfront. The projects connect with protection features advanced in the region by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Through fieldwork and community meetings, the studies created plans for flood protection strategies that would increase resiliency to coastal flooding and improve shoreline ecology within this critical region.