Map
1. Compared to what you saw during your Zone Walk, what can you see and sense differently from the boat?
I can see the city from a third person perspective instead of first person perspective. And I was able to have a clearer sense of how “prepared” New York city is in face of the flooding and see level rising. Also, taking the boat, I basically saw the outer part of the city, which is zone 1.
2. Does New York seem prepared for sea-level rise?
Not really. In Manhattan area, the ground is slightly elevated from the water but not much. There wasn’t much protection, the buildings are pretty exposed to the water.
3. What areas appear to be vulnerable to coastal flooding? Are any effects of Hurricane Sandy visible?
The whole Manhattan, especially midtown is vulnerable to coastal flooding because there are lots of tall buildings that are right next to each other. The buildings are very close to the water, and there is barely any protection. Somewhere at lower Manhattan, close to the Dumbo, I saw a really long infrastructure that looks like a protection wall. (I’m not sure, it might be a factory.) And around the Long Island City, there are piles of rocks near the coastline.
4. Do you see any evidence of the Big U being constructed?
If the wall that I saw was the barrier wall, that could be the evidence of the Big U.
5. Are you able to determine which areas of the coast are built on landfill?
The creek that’s next to the Long Island City is built on landfill.
6. Do you see any sea walls, reinforcements or marsh areas?
The piles of rocks on the coastline might be reinforcements, but I didn’t see any marsh area.
7. What kind of systems do you see interacting (people, water, boats, etc.)?
I saw boats and piles of kayaks either in the water or near the water. I also saw tourists visiting the statue of liberty.
8. How do you think the New York City coastline will change over the next 50 years?
The coastline will be more elevated in order to get prepared for sea level rising. After the Big U is made, there will be a huge wall surrounding the Manhattan.
9. Reflect on the presentations. What did you learn? Did anything in particular surprise you? Did you enjoy the trip and the perspective offered from the water?
One of the guest speaker talks about how we can approach the flooding issue from another perspective. Instead of prevent the water coming into the city, we can use some types of material that absorbs the water or a space that stores the water. I think that it’s an interesting and more efficient solution than the Big U. I enjoyed the trip, especially with such a nice weather.
