The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the six winning proposals of its Rebuild by Design competition. Approximately $920 million is being awarded to the winners, in a bid to improve flood and stormwater protection at six vulnerable areas around New York and New Jersey.
Though flood and storm protection is the main focus the competition, the proposals generally feature some degree of urban regeneration too, such as the construction of parks and other mixed-use public spaces. Here's a quick look at each of them.
BIG U – BIG
Perhaps the most eye-catching proposal comes via Denmark's Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). The firm has been awarded $335 million to bring about its "BIG U" proposal, which comprises a 10 mile (16 km)-long coastal protection system that skirts lower Manhattan's coastline.
BIG's coastal protection system feature large berms – or embankments – which are made up of a sea-facing concrete wall covered by compacted earth and a turf top. The firm will also construct bridges which can be flipped down to create a water barrier in the event of a catastrophic storm.
New Meadowlands – MIT CAU, ZUS and Urbanisten
The "New Meadowlands" project is the product of a collaboration between MIT CAU (MIT's Center for Advanced Urbanism), ZUS and Urbanisten. It concerns the protection of the Little Ferry, Moonachie, Carlstadt, and Teterboro areas from flooding with new robust defenses.
The project has been awarded $150 million and will feature the creation of a large natural reserve that is surrounded by wetlands, in addition to a large reinforced berm that will provide flood protection to residents.
Living Breakwaters – SCAPE
NYC-based Scape Landscape Architecture has been awarded $60 million to bring about its "Living Breakwaters" proposal, which features a particularly environmentally-focused approach.
The proposal shuns the use of large berms or sea walls in favor of a series of breakwaters and artificial reefs. There will also be a drive to increase awareness of the risks of living close to the water, and the construction of artificial micro-habitats which can house fish, shellfish and lobster.
Living With The Bay – Interboro Partners
Long Island, New York's Nassau County shall receive newly-strengthened bay defenses, courtesy of NYC-based firm Interboro Partners, which has been awarded $125 million.
"The goal of the plan is to make the communities around the South Shore’s bays more resilient in the face of future extreme weather events and sea level rise, but also strengthen what makes living near the bays great in the first place," states the "Living With The Bay" project brief.
To bring this about, Interboro calls for artificial marshes and dikes, sea walls and berms, in addition to large channels with which to manage storm water runoff. The project also envisions that water from the local Mill River shall be stored and filtered, before being reused.
Lifelines – PennDesign and OLIN
PennDesign and OLIN have been granted $20 million to continue to develop their joint "Lifelines" proposal, slated for Hunts Point, South Bronx, New York. The proposal tackles the modernizing of the local industrial waterfronts, and the reinforcement of existing flood protection in a bid to secure the lives of the local people, the $5 billion annual economy, and over 20,000 jobs.
Resist, Delay, Store, and Discharge – OMA
Amsterdam-based OMA aims to make Hoboken, Weehawken, and Jersey City less prone to flash floods and storm surges with a four-step approach, dubbed "Resist, Delay, Store, and Discharge." HUD has granted the project $230 million.
Resist involves the building of both sea walls and careful landscaping, in order to produce a more hardy coastline. Delay refers to new urban infrastructure such as storm drains to slow heavy rainfall runoff and thus prevent flash-flooding.
Store shall feature the collection and re-use of rainwater, and, finally, Discharge will see the construction of new alternative routes for floodwater to escape, combined with the addition of powerful pumps to remove water when needed.
Source: Rebuild by Design
