This document discusses plans to increase coastal resiliency in New York City and the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. It notes that NYC has over 500 million square feet of structures in the 100-year flood plain and outlines Mayor Bloomberg's post-Sandy resiliency plan, including 250 recommendations. It also describes the federal Rebuild by Design competition that awarded over $1 billion for resiliency projects. Looking ahead, it warns that by 2050, sea level rise and more frequent extreme storms could cause $90 billion in damages from a Sandy-level event. It argues governance structures like the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority are key to implementing major infrastructure solutions.

1. CCRUN Green Infrastructure, Climate and Cities
Seminar Series
January 4, 2017
www.NICHIusa.org
The Bifurcation of Sea Level Rise and Storm Surge
Plans for Metropolitan Areas: New York and New
Jersey Metropolitan Area, A Case Study

2. Super Storm Sandy

3. NYC Coastal Demographics
• 520 mile coastline, longer than Miami, Boston,
Los Angelos and San Francisco combined
• 535 Million Square Feet of Built Structures in
the 100 year Flood Plain
• 400,000 residents living in the 100 year Flood
Plain

4. NYC Impact of Super Storm Sandy
Storm Surge
• $19 Billion in Damages

5. Impact of Sandy
on Transportation in the
Port of New York
• Brooklyn Battery Tunnel

17. New York City’s Response to Sandy
• Despite Katrina here is no Federal resiliency
plan
• Despite a 2009 proposal for a regional storm
surge barrier, there is no regional plan
• City Focuses on Local Plans

18. Mayor Bloomberg’s
Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency
(SIRR)

19. Mayor’s Criteria
• Plans must be Local
• Plans must be economically feasible
• Plans must be initiated within his term (18
months)
• Plans must be fully funded

20. The “SIRR” Report

21. The SIRR Report : Analyzes Climate
Risks and Makes Recommendations
• 250 Specific Recommendations
• Plan is fully formulated but will not be
completed in the Mayor’s term

22. Rebuild by Design
The Federal Government’s Resiliency Program
for New York and New Jersey
Goals: To: Dramatically Improve Coastal Resiliency
To: Foster Intergovernmental and Cross Discipline
Collaboration
To: Develop Locally Responsive Proposals
Method: Design Competition Between 10 Finalists
Funding: $1 Billion

23. RBD Projects Awarded in 2014
• NYC, Manhattan: “Big U” ($335 million)
• Hoboken, Jersey City and Weehawken NJ
“Little U” ($230 Million)
• NYC, Hunt’s Point (NYC, South Bronx)
($20 Million)
• NY, Long Island Living with the Bay
• ($125 Million)
• NJ, New Meadowlands ($150 Million)
• NYC, Staten Island: Oyster Reef ($60 Million)

24. NYC Future Coastal Resiliency Vulnerability
• According to the Mayor’s 2012 Reconvened NYC Panel on
Climate Change
• By 2050
• Projected NYC Sea Level Rise is 2.5-3 feet
• Over 60% Increase in Rainfall Days of 2” or more
• Increase in the strength and frequency of major storms
• Increase in the height and frequency of storm surge
• BY 2055
• $90 Billion in Damages from a Sandy Level Event

25. The Triple Threat of Rising Sea Levels,
Extreme Storms and Aging Infrastructure
The Challenge
• Threat to Our National Security
• Threat to our Home Land Security
• Threat to our National Economic Security

26. It is time to Re-Imagine our Coasts
• To Protect our Coastal Communities
• To Protect, Preserve and Nurture on Natural
Coastal Environment
• To Invest in the Globally Competitive Economic
Future of the 22nd Century

27. Boston Harbor Clean Up and
A Port of New York Surge Barrier
Lessons to Be learned
Political Will Is Critical to Defining the Problem and the Solution
Inform, educate, organize: media, stakeholders, general public
The Stick and the Carrot is Critical to Action
The Unacceptable, Unavoidable Alternative and the Multi Beneficial
Alternative
Governance is Critical to Success:
Create: Independent Agency with balanced public oversight, bonding
authority and exclusive, defined revenue sources

28. The Problem Wasn’t the Problem
The Solution Was the Problem
• The problem was not a polluted harbor…. we had the
technology to clean it up.
• The Problem was the failure to Identify and address the
missing critical components of the Solution
– Political Will: Building a Constituency for Action
– Strategic Path to Action: The Unacceptable Alternative
– Governance Structure : Institutional Capacity & Funding

29. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 1
Political Will is Critical:
There will be no solution to the issue of rising sea levels,
extreme storms and aging infrastructure without the critical
element of Political Will.
To establish the necessary Political Will to plan, design, fund and
construct a major infrastructure project we must first:
Educate, Inform and Organize Stakeholders; and
Create a Powerful Advocacy Alliance Focused On Both the
Problem and the Solution.

30. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 2
Use Both a Stick and a Carrot as
Drivers
• The Stick:
Focus on the Impacts of the Triple Threat:
The Unacceptable Alternative of Continuing Loss of Life,
Unsustainable Severe Economic Damages and Increasing Peril to Our
National Security - Drivers: The next storm, insurance/finance cost and
availability, building codes, litigation, GAAP
• The Carrot:
Focus on the Economic and Community Development Opportunities,
Not Only on the Avoidance of Loss, but also on the Multiple, Beneficial
Impacts on Economic and Community Development that will Occur as
a Result of this Major Regional Infrastructure Investment – Drivers:
Transportation, Real Estate, Development, New Utilities and Power
Generation, Recreation and Environmental Protection
_

32. New Infrastructure Investment
$3.8 Billion investment in new coastal infrastructure
relates to
$34.2 Billion in economic development.

33. Boston Harbor Lesson Learned 3
Governance Matters
Mission Success Depends on Governance Structure

34. Creation of the Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority
Confronted with the
Unacceptable
Alternative,
The Legislature did the
right thing

35. MWRA: A New Governance Structure
• Mission Focus
• Balanced State, City and Town Political
Oversight
• Independently Controlled Revenue Sources
• Independent Bonding Authority
• Professional Staff

36. MWRA: The Results of Mission Focus,
Financial Independence and Balanced
Political Control
• The MWRA Worked Cooperatively with the Federal Court On
Facilities Planning and Water Quality Goals
• The MWRA Built the Clean Up Facilities On Time and Under
Budget
• The MWRA Communicated Clearly and Directly with All
Stakeholders Including Rate Payers
• The MWRA used its Independent Bonding Authority to
Moderate Rate Increases and to Maintain Stakeholder
Support

37. Meeting the Challenge and Seizing the
Opportunity of Sea Level Rise, Extreme Storms
and Aging Infrastructure
The Alternatives
• Ignore the Reality of Scientific Data
• Retreat from the Sea
• Build Local Projects to Protect Only Selected Communities
• Invest in a Multi Beneficial Regional Surge Barrier
• Or…

38. Charter an ARK
(Nantucketlightship.com)

39. We are Equal to the Challenge
“Together, we can build our coastal infrastructure
to be as strong as our people.”