In response to damage from Hurricane Sandy, the Regional Planning Association enlisted SCAPE to design a multi-use connector trail in Spring Creek Park that improves public waterfront access and manages urban and ecological flows. This Open Space Feasibility Study, done in collaboration with RPA and the National Park Service, was a unique opportunity for SCAPE to link government resiliency planning and maritime ecosystems with NPS’s recreational and natural programming. The Connector Pathway integrates an immersive landscape trail into the design and construction of a large-scale berm that has been proposed to protect the Howard Beach community from future storm surges. Based on site analysis of the ecological and urban context, SCAPE created a toolkit approach of implementable projects that amplify existing assets and provide a template for future infrastructure planning and design. SCAPE identified six key moments – existing and proposed – and used them to shape the alignment of the Connector Pathway. Each moment reveals a new, joint eco-urban experience, and contributes to the integration of coastal infrastructure development, ecosystem restoration, waterfront recreation, and resilient transportation planning.
Client
- Regional Plan Association (RPA)
Collaborators
National Park Service
