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

In an article for Curbed, Christopher Bonanos tours the waterfront on Manhattan’s East Side with Rohit Aggarwala, commissioner of the city’s Department of Environmental Protection and chief climate officer to better understand the flood defense mechanisms the city is installing.
The area was hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy, when water reached three blocks inland, destroying cars and basements. Now, the city is elevating East River Park and building a series of dikes and gates along the coastline north of the park. Bonanos points out that while the barriers are built to withstand storm surges, “They won’t be able to do anything about the immensely heavy rainstorms we’re now getting, including Ophelia, the storm we just had in late September.”
Aggarwala acknowledges that “The gates may be good for a century, but that figure depends somewhat on how many storms we get.” And while the designs may get backlash, “we’re going to lose something — whether it’s views, or a shorter walk to the water, or simply the ability to pretend we’re not up against the sea — because the world of the 22nd century is not going to look like ours.”
FULL STORY: Walling Up the East Side to Save It

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
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.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie