Leaving the Sea: Staten Islanders Experiment with Managed Retreat

Elizabeth Rush traces the implementation of New York State-led property buyouts in three Staten Island neighborhoods and weighs the benefits and costs of this potentially important model for addressing the vulnerability of coastal communities.

Studio Reports

Experimental Research Studio: Jamaica Bay

Catherine Seavitt presents the process of an experimental landscape architecture studio and a framework of adaptive design strategies that merge ecosystem restoration with infrastructures to protect communities in Jamaica Bay.

Mitigate, Design, Restore: A Conversation on Hydrology and Habitat

Eric Rothstein lets us in on the particular challenges of restoration, mitigation, and water resources management in New York and offers a measured but optimistic assessment of the role of green infrastructure in fostering sustainable urban development.

The Storm That Will Be: Protecting Public Housing in the New 100-Year Floodplain

Elizabeth Rush looks at the particular challenges facing public housing authorities in high-risk flood zones and follows a design competition for a stormwater management plan in Jersey City to consider how responsive, site-specific architectural innovation can inform broader strategies for strengthening vulnerable communities.

Cooling Down Steam Heat: A Retrofit for Your Radiator

Marshall Cox, the inventor of a simple way to regulate the temperature of a steam-heated apartment, explains how reducing the energy wasted in aging infrastructure can offer new and important approaches to green technology.