Urban Design and Climate Change: New in New York

The new meme: Climate change and its consequences (notably sea-level rise) is a done deal; the carbon is locked in, and the changes will unfold for centuries.

No sense crying; it’s time to adapt.  And urban designers have a lot to offer, either leading the way or working with  the engineers who will be charged with (and given the resources for) saving as much of the already-built environment as we reasonably can.  Better yet, how can we build new urban spaces to accommodate long-term change more sustainably?

I gave an example in Hamburg, Germany, of how it’s being done in HafenCity: A Case Study on Future-Adaptive Urban Development.

Here’s another, just opened, in New York City, as reported in Sustainable Cities Collective.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg just unveiled the first phase of Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, a 5-acre park in a part of New York City without much green space. While the park is clearly a stunner, it is also highly resilient and designed to adapt to climate change. The park will eventually total 11 acres in a 30-acre development that includes affordable housing, a new school, and retail space.

Designed by landscape architects Thomas Balsley Associates and architects Weiss/Manfredi, the park is financed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation, which paid $100 million for the entire 30-acre site. …

The centerpiece of the new space is a 1.25-acre “recreation oval” with artificial turf designed for sports. Around this shape, there’s natural grass for those who want to lay out and catch some sun. The oval centers a playground, dog run, and urban beach with actual sand. …

The pavilion, which hosts a cafe, restrooms, and park offices, has achieved net-zero power consumption through the use of  64 solar panels, which meet about 50 percent of the park’s energy needs. The roof is designed so that enough extra panels could be added to meet 100 percent. It also steers runoff to nearby bioswales. Pretty clever.