Rebuilding with Resilience

CHAPTER 4
Living with the Bay
Nassau County
New York
BACKGROUND
Nassau County is on the western end of Long Island
and borders the New York City borough of Queens. The
county is characterized by suburban development and has
a population of approximately 1.4 million people. It spans
the width of Long Island, extending from the barrier islands
fronting the Atlantic Ocean to the south and to the Long
Island Sound to the north.
This county encompasses a diverse geography, including
oceanfront barrier islands, bay, marshy lowlands, and
uplands traversed by streams and rivers flowing into the
bay. As a result, the county faces flood risks from both
storm surge and inadequate drainage. Fronting the Atlantic
Ocean, two barrier islands (Long Beach and Jones Beach
Island) protect Long Island from storm surge; however, one
of the county’s biggest cities, Long Beach, is located on
Long Beach Island.
The county also includes a diversity of local governments.
Within Nassau County, there are two cities (Long
Beach and Glen Cove), three towns (Hempstead, North
Hempstead, and Oyster Bay), and 64 incorporated villages.
COMPETITION DESIGN TEAM
Interboro Partners, Apex, Bosch Slabbers,
Deltares, H+N+S, Palmbout Urban Landscapes,
IMG Rebel, Center for Urban Pedagogy, David
Rusk, NJIT Infrastructure Planning Program,
Project Projects, RFA Investments, TU Delft
Faculty of Architecture
PROJECT AREA
Mill River, Nassau County on Long Island,
New York
GRANTEE
New York State, Governor’s Offi ce of Storm
Recovery (GOSR)
AMOUNT AWARDED
$125 million
PROPOSAL LINK
http://www.rebuildbydesign.org/our-work/allproposals/winning-projects/ny-living-with-the-bay
PROJECT WEBSITE
http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/living-bay
The county was greatly affected by Hurricane Sandy
with 10 percent of the homes in the region experiencing
flood damages and 11 million people losing power. The
region also experiences flooding from rain-driven events.
Stormwater runoff and pollutants have caused the region’s
waterways and coastal ecosystems, such as tidal wetlands
and marshes, to be significantly degraded.
50 Chapter 4: Living with the Bay | Rebuilding with Resilience GEORGETOWN CLIMATE CENTER