Project Overview
Three water bodies in the southeast Bronx surround community Board 9: The Bronx River, the upper East River and Westchester Creek. The New York Panel on Climate Change (NPCC) predicts that by the 2050’s, sea level will rise 31 inches from current median water levels. As a result, coastal flooding from hurricanes and northeasters is expected to increase. Such projections include over 1,500 buildings (10% of current stock) of Bronx Community Board 9 within the 100-year flood zone. Southeast Bronx residents, homeowners and local businesses will also face increasing financial burdens caused by rebuilding and flood insurance. Moreover, community members have expressed their desire to have better access to the waterfront and open space. Over 60% of the district parkland is concentrated in waterfront parks, but lack the connectivity towards the northern inland neighborhoods and with the existing park system. Because of this, it is imperative that studies and planning efforts are developed in order to materialize both coastal protection infrastructure and parkland access improvements. The existing conditions of Community Board 9 waterfront serve as a guide to envision a protected and sustainable shoreline. The existing parks and open space at Soundview, Clason Point and Pugsley creek can be improved by implementing a series of living shorelines and pedestrian pathways. Living shorelines, pedestrian and bike pathways along the coastline will enhance connectivity of waterfront parkland and mitigate coastal flooding.
For this project I documented conditions and identified infrastructure pertinent to coastal edge protection and parkland access specific to Bronx Community Board no. 9. I also developed a report documenting current resiliency efforts and conceptual physical solutions to mitigate flooding and enhancing parkland access in the southeast Bronx.
The first session of the community vision workshops was held on September 30th 2015 at PS 93 in Soundview, Bronx. Over 200 hundred-community members attended the event. A brief introduction to community based planning tools were presented, followed by an information fair and individual discussion groups focusing on multiple issues: waterfront, housing and economic development, among others. A report summarizing the results from the vision sessions will be finalized after the 3 remaining workshops are conducted in fall 2015. Results from the vision sessions are expected to manifest in a 197-A plan of other forms NYCDCP assisted community based planning.
Bronx Community Board 9 - Local Government
Timeline: June - December 2015
Contributors and Reviewers: William Rivera (District Manager), Rogier van Vlissingen (Planning Committee Chair) and Hannah Fleisher (Planning Consultant)
My role: Physical survey, research, GIS analysis, report writing and conceptual drawings (Planning Consultant)
