Touring NYC Climate Risk Areas (and Hearing Solutions) with Urban Climate Resilience Living Lab

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The Peril and Promise team covered #100RCSummit, a gathering of 500 world leaders who came together for a week in NYC to discuss social, economic, and environmental resilience strategies as members of the 100 Resilient Cities network.

Along with leaders and experts from the summit and the NYC Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, we toured New York City, from the Lower East Side to the Two Bridges-Chinatown neighborhood in Manhattan to Red Hook, Brooklyn, learning about the city’s climate challenges, and possible solutions. It was all part of a day of interactive learning called the “Urban Climate Resilience Living Lab.” Here’s some of what we saw.

One Living Lab participant reads about NYCEDC's plan to build an East River Waterfront Esplanade.
Jeremy Siegel (right) and Matthijs Bouw (center) discuss plans for The BIG U along lower Manhattan. The BIG U is a proposal to protect lower Manhattan from floodwater, storms, and other climate change related devastation.
Alex Kaplan, Senior VP of Global Partnerships at Swiss Re, explained the importance of building flood insurance options into a city's resilience strategy, to safeguard citizens from financial ruin after a disaster strikes
In Red Hook, Brooklyn, between Beard Street and Richards Street, #OneNYC has proposed an 8 ft flood wall structure to guard the neighborhood from this waterfront neighborhood's tumultuous storms.
In Coffey Park, Red Hook, Brooklyn, leaders point out the tree canopy that helps reduce this area's extreme heat vulnerability.
Michael Shaikh, Deputy Director for External Affairs for the New York City Mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency explains plans along Lower Manhattan to safeguard residents from potential storm flooding.
Living Lab participants from around the globe getting off the Ferry!
At the Red Hook West Housing development, a temporary boiler has been installed. This was put into place after Hurricane Sandy, when the storm left residents without power or water for 11 days. The boiler is still in place.
The Living Lab participants pose for a group photo!
Living Lab participants gather in Corlears Hook Park to discuss plans for building a more resilient space - without isolating residents from a park they call home.
Living Lab participants walk under the FDR.