It’s been seven years since Hurricane Sandy caused extensive flooding in the New York metro region, and progress on resiliency since then has been slow.
One city planning study called “Resilient Neighborhoods” has focused on communities facing unique risks for coastal flooding. This program produced recommendations to harden these neighborhoods in the Bronx in the spring of 2017. It could be the basis of a more extensive initiative to boost resiliency in New York.
But the city has much more to do to defend itself from another storm of Sandy’s magnitude, with individual property owners facing difficult challenges and concepts for regional coastal defense needing more time to plan and implement due to their considerable complexity. Some code changes, such as one that permits a slight increase in building height to create storage lofts to replace basement space vulnerable to flooding, have been enacted. It will take time for owners to take advantage of this option, though.
Residents of a large co-op development, Edgewater Park, have been slow to make renovations after co-op bylaws and city zoning rules were amended to allow structures to be elevated.
Related Stories
| Aug 2, 2012
Court ruling may lead to more destructive testing on unfinished Harmon Tower in Las Vegas
A Clark County, Nevada district court judge ruled that the unfinished Harmon Hotel at CityCenter, operated and half-owned by MGM Resorts, could not use extrapolation when requesting damages at a possible trial.
| Aug 2, 2012
NIBS council recommends private and public measures to improve building sustainability
A new report by the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council highlights four several areas that need focus to improve sustainability in buildings and infrastructure.
| Aug 2, 2012
Greenbuild summit will focus on greening affordable housing
A two-day summit focused on green building in the affordable housing market will be held Nov. 13 - 14, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.
| Aug 2, 2012
More than 250 downtown El Paso, Texas buildings don’t meet safety codes, says city’s fire department
A total of 726 buildings were inspected for unsafe conditions, and 266 did not meet safety codes, while 112 buildings were found to be vacant and needed further inspection.
| Jul 26, 2012
Wisconsin may establish stormwater storage requirement for green roofs
Green roofs and other green infrastructure would be required to capture stormwater under a draft state wastewater discharge permit from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
| Jul 26, 2012
SouthPark Mall in Charlotte reopens after heavy rains collapse part of its roof
Code enforcement officials in Charlotte, NC gave the okay for the SouthPark Mall to reopen after two parts of its roof collapsed following heavy rains last week.
| Jul 26, 2012
New NRCA photovoltaic roof systems guidelines released
The National Roofing Contractors Association’s update of its Guidelines for Roof Systems With Rooftop Photovoltaic Components is now available.
| Jul 26, 2012
DOE/ASHRAE design guide aims to cut energy use at hospitals, schools, retail stores
The Advanced Energy Design Guidelines from the Department of Energy and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers aims to provide ways for hospitals, schools, and large retail buildings to trim their energy consumption by 50%.
| Jul 19, 2012
Bayview Property Managers agrees to record $800,000 building code fine
A San Francisco property-management company has agreed to pay a record $800,000 civil fine for hundreds of building code violations at rental properties.
| Jul 19, 2012
Glass ‘biodome’ helps Parkview Green FangCaoDi project in Beijing achieve LEED Platinum
A glass envelope acting as a kind of biodome encapsulates four mixed-use towers at Parkview Green FangCaoDi, an 800,000 sf mixed-use development in Beijing. The glass structure helped the development to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
