Living with the bay, rebuild by design competition

Motive

In 2013, Hurricane Sandy left a devastating trail of destruction throughout New York and New Jersey. On Long Island (NY) alone, more than 95 000 buildings were destroyed or damaged. In response, the ‘Rebuild by Design’ Competition was initiated by President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Rebuild by Design was a three-stage design competition for innovative and feasible proposals, to promote flood resistance and resilience in the areas affected by Sandy.

Approach

Multiple solutions

Living with the Bay does not simply offer a single solution. Rather, the strategy covers a range of small and large, natural and civil engineering design proposals. In addition to increasing water safety in the area, the design proposals add to the improvement of the economic, ecological and social value of the region.

Result

The proposals include measures to disperse tidal run-up, reduce water discharge and sea level rise through a sediment system, to defend at strategic places through marsh restoration, construct dikes, and create storm surge barriers. Adaptions and alterations to the municipal water system are explored, in order to limit the impact of excessive rainfall and improve water quality in the creeks and the bay.

Natural resiliency

Two further strategies are suggested particularly for the area of Freeport. The first is the use of the existing marsh and reef beds, to subdue wave action. In close collaboration with Deltares, Apex and Rebel an effective, attractive and feasible form of marsh ridges was designed.

Dike strategy

Given the large amount of private property on the coast, a smart strategy was necessary that increased the security of the region, while also utilising the least possible amount of space. Raising the elevation of the roads and the adjacent ‘outer’ dikes or housing areas, can improve rainwater collection and drainage. This layered system can gradually develop in time and doesn't require to be implemented as a whole at once.

Continuation

Over the next few years, part of the design will be development and implemented: – the ‘Mill River, a slow stream.’ Together with Bosch Slabbers and Palmbout, the Waterland Design New York Inc. has been established, for the purpose of executing the ‘Living with the Bay’ project.

Credits

The design for ‘Living with the Bay’ in Nassau County is the result of collaboration with Interboro Partners, Bosch and Slabbers, Palmbout Urban Landscapes, APEX, Deltares, Delft University, NJIT, Rebel Group and Project Projects.