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
Codes and Standards | Aug 11, 2021
Decentralized approach to codes means emissions reduction responsibility falls on local officials
Efficiency advocates focusing more on local code amendments.
Codes and Standards | Aug 10, 2021
Dept. of Energy issues model energy code determinations for commercial, residential buildings
2021 IECC offers 9.4% site energy savings.
Digital Twin | Aug 9, 2021
Digital Twin Maturity white paper offers guidance on digital twin adoption
Provides lifecycle map and an approach for incorporating digital twins.
Codes and Standards | Aug 5, 2021
Contractors can be liable for building failures many years after project completion
Personal injury suits could be brought decades after substantial completion.
Codes and Standards | Aug 4, 2021
Mass timber is a natural choice for building recycling through deconstruction
Designing wood buildings to optimize recovery of materials for disassembly aids carbon sequestration.
Codes and Standards | Aug 3, 2021
Dept. of Energy releases initial version of the Spawn of EnergyPlus software
Targets new use cases in advanced controls, district systems, and grid integration.
Codes and Standards | Aug 2, 2021
Several U.S. cities among most expensive places to build in the world
San Francisco, New York, and Boston head the domestic list.
Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021
American Concrete Institute creates new director of innovative concrete technology post
Aim is to attract emerging technologies for development.
Codes and Standards | Jul 28, 2021
Higher ed faces infrastructure backlog of $112.3 billion
Study recommends integrated strategic planning for best results.
Codes and Standards | Jul 27, 2021
Add a wobbly moon to flooding risk factors
Earth satellite’s orbit variations will lead to sunny-day flooding in the mid-2030s.