Climate Change Isn't
Coming, It's Here

The Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan aims to build Lower Manhattan’s resilience to climate risks, including daily tides and coastal storms. We are developing a comprehensive plan to secure the future of the region.
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Our Process

Our Process

The Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan (Climate Resilience Plan) will fill a critical gap in the City’s Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency (LMCR) strategy, securing the future for the millions of people who live in, work in, and travel through Lower Manhattan.

In partnership with the communities of Lower Manhattan, we will be planning for and designing infrastructure that responds to the unique constraints and climate hazards facing the Financial District and Seaport neighborhoods and creating implementation plans to ensure these designs come to life in the future. Our current planning exercise will conclude in late 2021, when we will release conceptual design options along with recommendations for implementation and identifying funding to build the project.

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Team

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The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) are leading the Climate Resilience Plan along with the NYC Departments of Transportation, City Planning, Environmental Protection, Parks & Recreation, and more. Extensive community engagement and coordination with State and Federal regulatory agencies is also required to ensure an implementable project.

An interdisciplinary team of experts will support this work, led by the Dutch engineering firm Arcadis, will carry out the complex engineering and technical analyses to make this plan a success. The team includes local and global experts in coastal engineering, hydrodynamic modeling, civil and structural engineering, transportation, urban design, implementation planning, and community engagement. A third-party panel of independent technical advisors with expertise in climate science, resilience, infrastructure, and engineering are also providing input to the team’s work and vetting our technical analysis.

Image Image Image

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) are leading the Climate Resilience Plan along with the NYC Departments of Transportation, City Planning, Environmental Protection, Parks & Recreation, and more. Extensive community engagement and coordination with State and Federal regulatory agencies is also required to ensure an implementable project.

An interdisciplinary team of experts will support this work, led by the Dutch engineering firm Arcadis, will carry out the complex engineering and technical analyses to make this plan a success. The team includes local and global experts in coastal engineering, hydrodynamic modeling, civil and structural engineering, transportation, urban design, implementation planning, and community engagement. A third-party panel of independent technical advisors with expertise in climate science, resilience, infrastructure, and engineering are also providing input to the team’s work and vetting our technical analysis.

Image Image

The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency (MOR) are leading the Climate Resilience Plan along with the Departments of Transportation, City Planning, Environmental Protection, Parks & Recreation, and more. In addition to extensive community coordination, State and Federal regulatory agency engagement is required to ensure an implementable project.

Image

An interdisciplinary team of experts will support this work, led by the Dutch engineering firm Arcadis, will carry out the complex engineering and technical analyses to make this plan a success. The team includes local and global experts in coastal engineering, hydrodynamic modeling, civil and structural engineering, transportation, urban design, implementation planning, and community engagement. A third-party panel of independent technical advisors with expertise in climate science, resilience, infrastructure, and engineering are also providing input to the team’s work and vetting our technical analysis.

 

To carry out the complex engineering and technical analyses that will make this plan a success, an interdisciplinary team of experts will support this work, led by the Dutch engineering firm Arcadis. The team includes local and global experts in coastal engineering, hydrodynamic modeling, civil and structural engineering, transportation, urban design, implementation planning, and community engagement. A panel of independent third-party technical advisors with expertise in climate science, resilience, infrastructure, and engineering are also providing input to the team’s work and acting as a sounding board for our technical analysis.

Guiding Principles

Our Guiding Principles convey our goals and desired outcomes and will help us evaluate different options for the resilience project. We developed the following principles through discussions with key City agencies and through feedback from key stakeholders and the public.
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BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Ensure a secure future for those who live in, work in, or depend upon Lower Manhattan by addressing near- and long-term climate risks, including impacts of flooding from daily tides, rain, and coastal storms.
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STRENGTHEN LOWER MANHATTAN AS A CENTRAL HUB

Strengthen Lower Manhattan as a central hub of the region’s workforce, transportation network, and economy.
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DEVELOP AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Plan a project that is feasible, financeable, and implementable, with a broad coalition of support and clear regulatory and permitting pathways.
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CREATE AN INCLUSIVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

Create an equitable and inclusive public- engagement process that advances widespread understanding of climate risks and fosters the development of a shared vision for Lower Manhattan.
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BE A GLOBAL LEADER

Plan for resiliency infrastructure that protects key historic assets, maximizes ecologically sensitive design and sustainability, and is adaptable over time, adopting best practices from around the world.
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ENHANCE AN ACTIVE, ACCESSIBLE WATERFRONT

Maintain and look to improve infrastructure that creates an accessible public realm for all, including strong connections to an active waterfront, as well as a range of water-dependent transportation and recreational uses.

Guiding Principles

Our Guiding Principles convey our goals and desired outcomes and will help us evaluate different options for the resilience project. We developed the following principles through discussions with key City agencies and through feedback from key stakeholders and the public.
Image

BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Ensure a secure future for those who live in, work in, or depend upon Lower Manhattan by addressing near- and long-term climate risks, including impacts of flooding from daily tides, rain, and coastal storms.
Image

STRENGTHEN LOWER MANHATTAN AS A CENTRAL HUB

Strengthen Lower Manhattan as a central hub of the region’s workforce, transportation network, and economy.
Image

DEVELOP AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Plan a project that is feasible, financeable, and implementable, with a broad coalition of support and clear regulatory and permitting pathways.
Image

CREATE AN INCLUSIVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

Create an equitable and inclusive public- engagement process that advances widespread understanding of climate risks and fosters the development of a shared vision for Lower Manhattan.
Image

BE A GLOBAL LEADER

Plan for resiliency infrastructure that protects key historic assets, maximizes ecologically sensitive design and sustainability, and is adaptable over time, adopting best practices from around the world.
Image

ENHANCE AN ACTIVE, ACCESSIBLE WATERFRONT

Maintain and look to improve infrastructure that creates an accessible public realm for all, including strong connections to an active waterfront, as well as a range of water-dependent transportation and recreational uses.

Guiding Principles

Our Guiding Principles convey our goals and desired outcomes and will help us evaluate different options for the resilience project. We developed the following principles through discussions with key City agencies and through feedback from key stakeholders and the public.
Image

BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Ensure a secure future for those who live in, work in, or depend upon Lower Manhattan by addressing near- and long-term climate risks, including impacts of flooding from daily tides, rain, and coastal storms.
Image

STRENGTHEN LOWER MANHATTAN AS A CENTRAL HUB

Strengthen Lower Manhattan as a central hub of the region’s workforce, transportation network, and economy.
Image

DEVELOP AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

Plan a project that is feasible, financeable, and implementable, with a broad coalition of support and clear regulatory and permitting pathways.
Image

CREATE AN INCLUSIVE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS

Create an equitable and inclusive public- engagement process that advances widespread understanding of climate risks and fosters the development of a shared vision for Lower Manhattan.
Image

BE A GLOBAL LEADER

Plan for resiliency infrastructure that protects key historic assets, maximizes ecologically sensitive design and sustainability, and is adaptable over time, adopting best practices from around the world.
Image

ENHANCE AN ACTIVE, ACCESSIBLE WATERFRONT

Maintain and look to improve infrastructure that creates an accessible public realm for all, including strong connections to an active waterfront, as well as a range of water-dependent transportation and recreational uses.

Project Timeline

We split the Climate Resilience Plan process into four phases to identify, evaluate, and refine alternatives, all in coordination and collaboration with a wide range of community stakeholders and public agencies. By the end of this planning process, we will identify a first phase climate resilience project that can move into implementation after Fall 2021.

Slide PHASE I
FALL - WINTER 2020
PHASE 1
FOCUS OF
ENGAGEMENT
Develop Guiding Principles Assess Existing Conditions   Confirm project goals
  Assess flood risk and existing condition Begin Key Analyses -
Transportation , Maritime
and Drainage
WE ARE HERE PHASE II
SPRING 2020 - WINTER 2021
Confirm Solution Space
(Opportunities &
Constraints) Develop Options for Coastal
Resilience Infrastructure
PHASE 2
FOCUS OF
ENGAGEMENT
PHASE 3
FOCUS OF
ENGAGEMENT
PHASE III
WINTER 2021 - SPRING 2021
PHASE IV
SPRING - FALL 2021
PHASE 4
FOCUS OF
ENGAGEMENT
Further Develop and Refine
Coastal Resilience
Infrastructure Options   Identify best design options and phasing strategy.
  Develop plan for ongoing engagement and build coalition for implementation
Advance Project Design
Options and Implementation
planning   Build understanding of flood risk and lived experience of climate change.
  Refine understanding of site constraints
  Develop visions for long-term future
  Identify approaches to implementation
 Test and refine potential options for flood protection and other infrastructure.
 Develop concepts for improvements to the public realm and other amenities.
 Refine approaches to implementation.
*The City paused the project in Spring 2020 during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, then restarted in late Summer 2020.

Tools

Our process for developing and evaluating potential resiliency strategies for the Financial District and Seaport combines the following:

  1. Climate Science: Assessing how sea-level rise and coastal storms will impact communities, buildings, and infrastructure.

  2. Robust Community Engagement: Working with stakeholders and the public to shape the project, ensure the project meets its goals, and develop a broad coalition of support.

  3. Engineering and Technical Analysis: Evaluating and developing options for coastal protection and drainage infrastructure. Conducting extensive technical analyses of transportation and maritime infrastructure, water management, and more.

  4. Urban Planning and Design: Developing designs that integrate coastal defense and drainage infrastructure with the existing urban context and planning for continued waterfront access and programming.

  5. Implementation Planning: Developing approaches for funding and financing, governance, and permitting. Conducting sampling in the East River to understand potential impacts on habitats and ecology.

Intended Outcomes

By the end of the process, we will:

  • Develop a conceptual design of coastal defense infrastructure and identify first phase project options.

  • Create a roadmap with details on implementation, financing, construction, and governance framework.

  • Work with regulatory agencies to identify a pathway for permitting and approvals.

  • Create a drainage strategy to manage stormwater and wastewater.

  • Build the foundation for an intergenerational coalition to carry this project forward.

Intended Outcomes

By the end of the process, we will:

  • Develop a conceptual design of coastal defense infrastructure and identify first phase project options.

  • Create a roadmap with details on implementation, financing, construction, and governance framework.

  • Work with regulatory agencies to identify a pathway for permitting and approvals.

  • Create a drainage strategy to manage stormwater and wastewater.

  • Build the foundation for an intergenerational coalition to carry this project forward.