City seeks public input to plan the future of its waterfront

New Yorkers now have a chance to help plan the future of the city’s 520 miles of waterfront.

Every 10 years the Department of City Planning (DCP) compiles a Comprehensive Waterfront Plan that crafts a vision for the shoreline for the next decade and beyond. In preparation of the report for the coming decade, DCP is hosting what it calls a Waterfront Planning Camp—an afternoon of free waterfront-oriented workshops, boat tours, and family-friendly festivities.

“New Yorkers love their waterfront and we’re using it more than ever,” says Marisa Lago, the director of DCP. “To make this precious resource even more enjoyable, accessible and resilient, we’re going to the experts—New Yorkers themselves.”

On Saturday, August 17, New Yorkers can hop on a ferry to Governors Island and partake in the afternoon of activities from noon to 4 p.m., rain or shine. Participants will have the chance to discuss waterfront restoration, and working, living, and playing on the shoreline. Workshops with broach everything from emergency preparedness, to flood insurance, to recreation.

While the camp will focus on citywide themes and issues, the comprehensive plan set to be released by the end of 2020 will also create neighborhood-specific recommendations. Come fall, city planners will conduct “Listening Sessions” with community groups along the waterfront for additional input and is even introducing a “Planning-in-a-Box kit” to encourage communities and smaller groups to host their own meetings and share the results with the city.

For updates on the plan or to provide suggestions, visit DCP’s web page or email waterfrontplan@planning.nyc.gov.