Hurricane Sandy

Post-Tropical Cyclone Sandy made landfall at 8pm ET on October 29, 2012 about 5 miles southwest of Atlantic City, NJ, as seen in this NOAA GOES-13 satellite colorized infrared image from the same time.

Jail the Planners for Not Preventing Sandy!

Ed Blakely indicts the planning profession for failing to protect our communities from the threat of a changing climate. How can we plan places that serve as bulwarks from the worst physical traumas, while providing economic and social resiliency?

November 5, 2012 - Edward J. Blakely

Sunset view of Williamsburg Bridge from East River Park walkway next to river with one jogger.

East River Floodgates Rising in NYC

A tour of new infrastructure designed to protect the city’s East Side from catastrophic flooding.

November 6, 2023 - Curbed

Rendering of tiered park with trees and benches at Battery Place

In Battery Park City, Public Infrastructure Meets Climate Resilience

A massive project underway in Lower Manhattan seeks to protect the shoreline from future flooding and mitigate the effects of climate change and rising sea levels.

August 1, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

Rendering of Arverne East development

Net Zero Development Coming to New York City

The project, which relies largely on geothermal energy to minimize its carbon footprint, will bring affordable housing and boost storm resilience to an area devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

March 11, 2022 - Bloomberg CityLab

East River

Saving Lower Manhattan

A debate over how to protect the East River waterfront from Sandy-level flooding and storm damage has delayed the project as community activists decry the city's last-minute change of plans.

January 5, 2022 - The New York Times

Rendering of Living Breakwaters project

Staten Island's Living Breakwaters Project Breaks Ground

The coastal resiliency and biodiversity project is taking shape in Raritan Bay, an area devastated by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

September 28, 2021 - The Architect's Newspaper

Climate Resilience Planning

'Zoning for Coastal Flood Resiliency' Wins Planning Commission Approval in NYC

Emergency responses to Hurricane Sandy have turned into long-term lessons in New York City, as the nation's largest city crafts a response to sea-level rise and extreme weather by making changes to the zoning code of coastal areas.

March 19, 2021 - Commercial Observer

Climate Resilience Planning

Proposed Citywide Rezoning Would Layer Resilience in New York City

With 520 miles of coastline, New York City is ready to implement the lessons of Hurricane Sandy in the zoning code for the entire city.

October 22, 2020 - NYC Planning

New York Subway

Why New York City's Flooding Its Own Subway Entrances

MTA reassured disoriented New Yorkers that it's flooding subway entrances on purpose, to test barriers that it hopes will guard the system against another Sandy.

November 27, 2019 - Quartz

New York Subway

Breaking: Gov. Cuomo Cancels L Train Closure

Surprise, shocking news from New York City, as Governor Andrew Cuomo steps in at the 11th hour to change course on the highly anticipated (and dreaded) L Train closure scheduled to begin later this year.

January 3, 2019 - The New York Times

Hunter's Point South Park New York

An Urban Park Protected Through Design

Storm resilience is a key design element of Hunter’s Point South Park in New York.

November 2, 2018 - CityLab

Rockaway Beach Bus

Memorial Day Buzzkill: Popular Stretch of Rockaway Beach Closed Indefinitely

New York City hasn't been able to keep the beach from eroding.

May 26, 2018 - The New York Times

Manhattan

New York's Post-Sandy Resilience Plans Have Lost Momentum

New York, like every other city in the United States, isn't more prepared for a major storm event than it was on October 29, 2012.

October 29, 2017 - WNYC

Rockaway Beach

Long Island Developers Taking Storm Risk Seriously

Tree-huggers many of them are not, but there's consensus among Long Island developers that storm resilience is an investment worth making.

September 13, 2017 - Newsday

Rotterdam Maeslantkering

The Dutch: Ready to Export Their Flood Control Expertise

For those who want it, the Netherlands is willing to share the fruits of its centuries-long relationship with the unruly seas. In Rotterdam, lots of local urban solutions are also on display.

June 28, 2017 - The New York Times

Lincoln Tunnel

Are Tiles Falling in Manhattan Tunnels?

In advance of unveiling his infrastructure plan on Tuesday night, President Trump pointed to the hazards posed by "missing tiles" in two New York City tunnels and wondered aloud how many had fallen on motorists. Answer: none.

March 3, 2017 - amNew York

Climate Change

Taking on Climate Change Without Wrecking Cities for the Poorest and Most Vulnerable

Rebuilding and repairing New York City after Hurricane Sandy shows how climate change can exacerbate existing equity problems and that such disasters must spur efforts to rebuild fairly, not entrench existing problems.

November 28, 2016 - The Nation

Aerial views during an Army search and rescue mission show damage from Hurricane Sandy to the New Jersey coast, Oct. 30, 2012.

How to Manage Retreat in the Face of Sea-Level Rise and Nuisance Floods

"Strategic retreat" as a response to rising sea levels isn't an easy sell, but a new report endeavors to make the idea more palatable.

September 24, 2016 - Regional Plan Association

Coney Island

Planning for Resilience on Coney Island Creek

A case study in New York's response to the Hurricane Sandy flooding in the neighborhoods of Coney Island and Gravesend.

August 28, 2016 - New York Economic Development Corporation

Boston Subway T

The Sad Saga of Three East Coast Subways

With so much attention placed on the woes facing D.C. Metro, it's important to recognize that it is hardly the only subway facing critical infrastructure investment needs.

May 27, 2016 - The New York Times

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HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.