Rebuilding with Resilience

Maximizing co-benefits—Large-scale flood control projects can and should be designed to cost-effectively
maximize social, environmental, and recreational co-benefits. The final BIG U proposal, and the funded
compartment, demonstrate that flood-protection structures (such as berms and deployable barriers) can enhance
more holistic community well-being by providing flood protection during episodic extreme weather events and
also everyday recreational and social benefits during normal conditions. For example, by integrating natural
systems, bikeways, walking paths, access points and other amenities into the design of flood protection systems,
project designers can increase the overall community benefits provided by a flood-protection project. However,
when grantees are developing and choosing among project alternatives, funding constraints require them to
maintain a clear vision of the multiple benefits they seek to provide with the project. Projects can also be designed
to allow for additional amenities to be phased in over time as additional funds become available.
Building on existing plans—The BIG U proposal demonstrated how planning (pre- and post-disaster) can
strengthen disaster recovery efforts. The BIG team benefited and drew from robust planning documents prepared
by the city both before and in the immediate aftermath of Sandy, including strategies identified by the New York
City Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency (SIRR) in its 2013 A Stronger, More Resilient New York plan
and other planning documents developed for certain segments of the waterfront and specific neighborhoods (e.g.,
America’s Chinatown (2004)). The clarity of the BIG U proposal and the city’s post-Sandy climate resilience efforts
demonstrates how plans can improve and provide a comprehensive vision for a city’s disaster recovery process.
Public engagement—The BIG U proposal also demonstrates the benefit of robust civic participation. Different
designs were vetted with community groups and the ultimate proposal incorporated a vision that was supported by
and informed by the communities and neighborhoods that will benefit from these investments. The design teams
also plugged into existing community groups to facilitate public engagement. As the city moves to implement the
project, it is benefitting from the networks that were developed by the design team during the RBD competition.
This sustained engagement both during the competition and in finalizing the project design has created significant
public support for and public input in the project design, even as it evolves.
CONCLUSION
The BIG U project is demonstrating how cities can incorporate flood defenses into city lands and parks
while enhancing the recreational and ecological benefits provided by these spaces. Berms and flood walls
will be integrated into parks and right-of-ways demonstrating ways to build flood protections in dense urban
environments where site constraints require creative design approaches. Once constructed, the East Side Coastal
Resiliency project will demonstrate how communities can develop resilience approaches that both reduce risks
during extreme storm events and provide everyday benefits to residents seeking recreation, access to the water,
natural amenities, and places to socialize.
38 Chapter 2: The Big U | Rebuilding with Resilience GEORGETOWN CLIMATE CENTER