In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, there was quite a lot of talk about redesigning New York City's coastlines with storm resiliency in mind, but now, two years later, few of the proposed changes have come to fruition (and even when they have, it's been on a relatively small scale). Due to a combination of bureaucracy, expense, people being resistant to change, the fact that there's no set date for the next major weather-related disaster, or what have you, it has been very difficult for the more ambitious project to get off the ground. Literally, off the ground, in the case of the proposed South Beach Neighborhood Resiliency District in Staten Island.
Spearheaded by the South Beach Civic Association and Zone A, a nonprofit, the SBNRD would seek to rebuild around 53 South Beach homes on common raised platforms, rather than rebuilding them one at a time and putting them at risk of that same type of destruction they experienced during Sandy. Retail businesses could operate underneath the platforms. "If the city is willing to work with us right away, we could see changes taking place immediately," Joseph Pupello, president of Zone A, told the Wall Street Journal. The plan has the support of former city councilman and current borough president James Oddo, as well as (according to the groups pushing the project) almost every resident of Sunnymeade Village, the neighborhood that would primarily be rebuilt.
· Staten Island Residents Propose Rebuilding On Common Elevated Platforms [WSJ]
· Hurricane Sandy coverage [Curbed]
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