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URBAN WATERFRONT ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES


Urban Waterfront Adaptive Strategies is an
information resource for planners, policymakers,
and communities within New York City, the region,
and elsewhere in the coastal United States. The
report provides a systematic assessment of the
coastal food hazards that face these areas,
a thorough survey of coastal protection and
adaptation strategies that may be suitable for
different shoreline and neighborhood types, and
a framework for evaluating coastal protection
alternatives.
Coastal Climate Resilience
STUDY GOALS
Identify a wide range of potential adaptive strategies
that can increase the resilience of urban coastal areas to storm
surge and sea level rise.
Understand the potential costs and benefts,
including the type and magnitude, associated with each strategy.
Establish a framework
for communities to evaluate the effectiveness and appropriateness
of potential adaptive strategies.
COASTAL HAZARDS GEOMORPHOLOGY ANALYSIS

HIGH TIDE
HIGH TIDE +SLR
HIGH TIDE FLOODING DUE TO SEA LEVEL RISE
HIGH TIDE FLOODING DUE TO SEA LEVEL RISE
LONG-TERM EROSION
HIGH TIDE
GRADUAL EROSION
MEAN SEA LEVEL
STORM TIDE
SURGE
SURGE FLOODING
STORM SURGE FLOODING
MEAN SEA LEVEL
WAVE FORCE
STORM TIDE
WAVE FORCE
RAPID EROSION
MEAN SEA LEVEL
STORM TIDE
SUDDEN EROSION
E
V
E
N
T
-
B
A
S
E
D

H
A
Z
A
R
D
S
G
R
A
D
U
A
L

H
A
Z
A
R
D
S
Oceanfront Beaches
Coastal Marshes
Hardened Sheltered Bay Plains
Hardened Oceanfront Plains
Hardened Sheltered Bay Slopes
Sheltered Bay Slopes
Oceanfront Slopes
Sheltered Bluffs
Hardened Sheltered Bluffs
New York Citys 520 miles of waterfront are incredibly diverse. Each of these areas
face specifc risks, and therefore require different strategies. Understanding an areas
geomorphology, or the coastal features and landforms shaped through coastal processes,
is an important step in identifying the nature and severity of hazards the area faces as
well as what types of strategies may be feasible. For instance, oceanfront beaches are
highly exposed to waves and storm surge; while hardened, sheltered bay plains are less
exposed to waves, but still vulnerable to surge due to their low elevation. Based on a
mapping and analysis of geologic landforms, shoreline condition, and wave exposure,
nine geomorphology types emerged as representative of the range of coastline types
present in New York City.
Coastal hazards range from sudden and severe
events to gradual changes in conditions. Due to
climate change, extreme events are likely to become
more frequent, and their impacts more severe. In
addition, sea level rise will gradually increase high
tides and lead to frequent fooding and erosion.
To download a copy of the report, visit www.nyc.gov/uwas
This study was funded through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant to the
New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium.
INVENTORY OF ADAPTIVE STRATEGIES
FRAMEWORK FOR DECISION MAKING
Creating a more resilient city is a long-
term, on-going process of assessing risks,
developing and evaluating alternatives,
and implementing fexible and adaptive
strategies. The following steps are
intended to provide a framework for
communities to identify and evaluate
potential strategies for different areas
and over various planning horizons.
SITE PROTECTION
DRY FLOODPROOFING
WET FLOODPROOFING ELEVATE ON PILES ELEVATE ON FILL OR
MOUND
FLOATING STRUCTURES AMPHIBIOUS STRUCTURES BUILDING SYSTEM PROTECTION
BEACHES AND DUNES SEAWALLS LIVING SHORELINES LEVEES (OR DIKES) REVETMENTS
STRATEGIC RETREAT WATERFRONT PARKS FLOODWALLS BULKHEADS ELEVATION OF LAND AND
STREETS
CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS BREAKWATERS GROINS ARTIFICIAL REEFS MULTI-PURPOSE LEVEES
COASTAL MORPHOLOGY
ALTERATION
SURGE BARRIERS CONSTRUCTED
BREAKWATER ISLANDS
POLDERS FLOATING ISLANDS
There are a variety of po-
tential strategies to adapt
waterfront areas to be
more resilient in the face of
increasing coastal hazards.
These strategies include
actions at the scale of the
individual site or building,
or actions that require a
reach of coastline. The
ability of a strategy to pro-
tect against certain haz-
ards and the applicability
of a strategy for a specifc
area, varies widely. A com-
plete description of each
strategy can be found at
www.nyc.gov/uwas
S I T E SCALE
REACH SCALE
www.nyc.gov/uwas
Identify Study Area and Planning Context
Assess Hazards, Vulnerabilities, and Risk
Identify Potential Strategies
Evaluate Alternatives
Develop Adaptation Pathways
Implement Strategies
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Monitor
and
Reassess

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