Connecting Communities to the Waterfront

Join the NYC Department of City Planning, NYC H2O, NDP, the Harlem River Working Group, the NYC Department of Transportation, and community activists Chauncy Young and Duane Bailey-Castro for a a walking tour of sections of the current and future Harlem River Greenway.

This walk will offer stunning views of the High Bridge and Harlem River and connect the High Bridge with River Park Towers and Roberto Clemente State Park. It will also illustrate both the challenges in developing a continuous greenway and opportunities for quick-build projects that the City and the Harlem River Working Group will work on together.

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Exploring Our Relationship to a Changing Coastline

Celebrate the opening day of Mary Mattingly: Ebb of a Spring Tide with music and seasonal and local culinary offerings at the Park. Mattingly’s new sculptural work explores our relationship to coastal ecosystems and the shifting nature of rivers and water lines. The exhibition is on view Saturday, May 20 – September 10, 2023.

Ebb of a Spring Tide features a 65-foot living sculpture titled Water Clock that is fabricated on-site in response to the Park’s unique waterfront location along East River; the place where the edges of land and water meet: the riparian zone. This monumental, scaffold structure will include edible vegetation and mirror the cityscape featured across the East River, reflecting on our human impact to New York City’s riparian edge. The clock’s pulse will be kept by East River water moving through the tubes, a reminder of a life support system and the delicate balance of coastal ecosystems.

Update: Unfortunately, DCP’s tabling event at the Ebb of a Spring Tide opening day celebration is cancelled due to rain expected the afternoon of 5/20. Socrates will be holding the celebration rain or shine. Please feel free to reach out to us at @nycwaterfront on Instagram or waterfrontplan@planning.nyc.gov anytime to share your thoughts on the future of NYC’s waterfront.

As you reflect on NYC’s changing coastline throughout the afternoon, we invite you to stop by the Department of City Planning’s table at 12PM - 2PM. Learn more about the City's 520 miles of waterfront, talk to waterfront experts about your experiences at the water's edge, and pick up a free NYC Waterfront dry bag! There will also be a fun visioning activity available for waterfront enthusiasts of all ages to imagine the future of NYC’s waterfront.

No RSVP needed.

Nurturing Ecological Communities, Public Access, & Future Environmentalists

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative built and maintains the Naval Cemetery Landscape (NCL) on the site of the former Naval Hospital Cemetery at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. NCL is a place for retreat and remembrance with a unique native plant meadow and pollinator habitat that provides visitors with a rare urban immersion in its critical ecology. Pick up a self-guided tour brochure at the entrance to learn more about the native meadow, the history of the NCL, and the site’s features. Gardeners will be on site if you would like to dive deeper into the horticultural practices and to share nature observations. While visitors can enjoy a self-guided tour anytime, May is a great time to spot migratory birds, newly emerging perennial plants, and various pollinators buzzing with activity.

While you’re there, be sure to visit Furnishing Utopia's “Public Access" exhibition, on view from May 18-25. This exhibition will include outdoor functional pieces exploring ways in which design can inspire communal acts of sharing and engagement, while highlighting Furnishing Utopia's shared interest with NCL and Brooklyn Greenway Initiative in engaging visitors with green and accessible design for public spaces.

And environmentalists of all ages will love the nature-themed Story Time with the Brooklyn Public Library on May 20th at 10:30 AM!

The Naval Cemetery Landscape is located at 63 Williamsburg St W, Brooklyn, NY 11249. No RSVP needed for the self-guided tour or Public Access exhibition. RSVP for the Story Time here.

Fostering Waterfront Access, Resiliency, and Stewardship

Join the Randall's Island Park Alliance (RIPA) and NYC Department of City Planning for an informative and interactive tour along part of the island's 4.5 miles of coastline. The tour will explore RIPA’s plans for a brand-new shoreline project that will improve coastal resiliency, public access, and recreation along the Harlem River and finish in the beautifully restored Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh. We will delve into the history, ecology, and future of Randall's Island Park shorelines and community stewardship's role in supporting a healthy, resilient, and accessible waterfront. Participants will have an opportunity to gather water quality samples, which are an important tool for informing the public about when and where it is safe to enjoy New York City’s waterways.

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Come join the Department of City Planning (DCP) and NYC Parks to learn about the Gowanus Neighborhood Plan! Approved in the fall of 2021, the Plan helps realize a decades-long vision for a more equitable, resilient and sustainable Gowanus that will complement the clean-up of the Gowanus Canal, create permanently affordable housing and diverse job opportunities, and support new schools, parks and other infrastructure. The walking tour will cover key places and sites along the Gowanus Canal with a focus on the Plan’s resiliency, sustainability and open space elements.

Located in Bronx Park, the Bronx River Forest is one of the last remaining stands of old growth forest left in New York City. Home to hundreds of native species, the Bronx River Forest serves as an oasis for wildlife and a refuge and healing space for the community. The Bronx River Alliance cares for this unique space, and this portion of the floodplain is the site of active habitat restoration. The Bronx River Eco Team is leading a walking tour of the Bronx River Forest with Adam Thornbrough from NYC Parks’ Natural Resources Group and Josh Otero from NYC Parks’ Natural Areas Conservancy.

Part of a 3-part walking tour along the Bronx River. Attend any of the 3 parts — or join them all!

The fish ladder was constructed in 2015 and contributes to regional conservation and restoration of threatened river herring by providing a passageway for migratory fish up over the 182nd Street Dam on the Bronx River. The fishway on 182nd Street Dam is the furthest downstream on the river. Future fishway designs and alternative implementations to open up aquatic habitat are currently being considered for two other dams upstream on the Bronx River: the Double Dams within the Bronx Zoo and the Stone Mill Dam within the New York Botanic Gardens. Dam removal is also being considered, helping to restore river connectivity and to reestablish a native, migratory river herring run in New York City.

Part of a 3-part walking tour along the Bronx River. Attend any of the 3 parts — or join them all!

NYC Parks, Billion Oyster Project and other partners have expanded oyster reef habitat at the mouth of the Bronx River in Soundview Park. In 2019, one million pounds of loose shell and 250 gabion structures were installed in Soundview salt marsh to promote oyster settlement and growth. After installation, NYC Parks tracked changes in movement, growth, and subsistence of oyster habitat by mapping reef structures and shoreline elevation from 2020-2022. Monitoring the reef helps to follow the stability and success of installed structures, as well as inform future restoration design.

Part of a 3-part walking tour along the Bronx River. Attend any of the 3 parts — or join them all!

This public meeting is free and open to all New Yorkers—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This meeting will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. Participants can also join via phone.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the draft goals and strategies for the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. We will then open up for comments from the public. This is a key opportunity for New Yorkers to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

View the recording of the public hearing or read the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This public meeting is free and open to all New Yorkers—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This meeting will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. Participants can also join via phone.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the draft goals and strategies for the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. We will then open up for comments from the public. This is a key opportunity for New Yorkers to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

View the recording of the public hearing or read the slides from the presentation [PDF].

Over the fall, DCP hosted 12 virtual public workshops across all five boroughs to discuss the Framework for NYC’s Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. To learn more about what we heard, read our December newsletter [PDF], see the presentation [PDF] or read through summary notes of each workshop.

This workshop is free and open to all Manhattan stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Manhattan? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Queens stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 1, 2, 5.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Queens? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Brooklyn stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, landlubbers, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18.

We’ll have an introductory presentation about the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan’s process, then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Brooklyn? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Manhattan stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Manhattan? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Brooklyn stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 1, 2, 3, 4.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Brooklyn? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Queens stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 9, 10, 12, 13, 14.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Queens? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Staten Island stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, landlubbers, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 2 and 3.

We’ll have an introductory presentation about the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan’s process, then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Staten Island? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Bronx stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in the Bronx? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Brooklyn stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 6, 7, 8, and 9.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Brooklyn? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Staten Island stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 1 and 2.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Staten Island? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Queens stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, land waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is part of a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in Queens? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

This workshop is free and open to all Bronx stakeholders—residents, community leaders, local organizations, and waterfront enthusiasts of all kinds. This workshop will be hosted via Zoom, an online platform. This workshop focuses on Community Districts 9, 10, 11, 12.

We’ll have a presentation to introduce the preliminary goals and issues for the plan to address. We will then break into small group discussions for all to share your ideas for the future of the waterfront. This is the first in a series of borough-specific workshops, which are a key opportunity for the public to learn about and engage in key waterfront issues, and to actively inform the next NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

Don’t live or work in the Bronx? Stay tuned for other borough-based workshops.

Read the notes from the session [PDF] or the slides from the presentation [PDF].

Over the last year, AIANY’s Waterfront Initiative has organized three public dialogues as part of the Future of the NYC Waterfront series, developed in collaboration with the NYC Department of City Planning. Since then, New York City has changed in many ways, as it faces the realities of a global pandemic that disproportionately affects communities of color and a movement for racial equality. In response, we revisited the first three events in a virtual format to discuss what an equitable waterfront could look like, if we focused more holistically on racial justice and social inclusion. A panel of designers, public officials, developers, and environmental justice advocates presented their experiences working to transform the waterfront in New York City.

Read the notes from the session [PDF].

As part of our listening session series for the next Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, several stakeholder organizations came together to discuss their priorities for the northern Queens waterfront (East River to the north and west to Little Neck Bay to the east). The group discussed ways of fostering a ‘waterfront identity’, including year-round programming that would encourage people to visit their nearest waterfront (Flushing Bay and Creek, for example). These could be cleanups or fishing clinics, for example, and should be free to attend. In order to host these events, various coalitions would need to be developed between nonprofits and other community organizations. Additional signage that leads to the waterfront from Flushing Meadows Corona Park and the Queens Museum was also mentioned as a way to increase visibility and community engagement between the major cultural and recreational resources in the area.

As part of the Public Forums series on the NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, NYC Planning and the Waterfront Alliance hosted a meeting on Waterfront Development, Public Access and In-Water Access. There were more than 90 attendees from nonprofit and community groups in NY and NJ, including a number of boathouses and recreational groups; advocacy organizations in the environment and open space sectors; government representatives; urban planners, architects and engineers; and citizens with a general interest in the waterfront. Attendees discussed a range of topics, including barriers to directly accessing the water, water quality and the desire for softer shorelines and wetland restoration, and the importance of community engagement, programming and stewardship. Attendees noted the range and improvement of environmental conditions, and the active community of professionals and volunteers supporting this diverse work. Participants also noted limitations of current physical access, equity and engagement concerns, and the threat of increased development and changing shoreline due to climate change.

View the presentation on Waterfront Access for All [PDF].

Read the notes from the session [PDF].

Let us know what you think about the topic on the Share Your Thoughts page.

The Hudson River: Collaboration + Connections was the third program in a series of forums on The Future of the NYC Waterfront planned through a partnership by NYC Planning and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to conduct outreach, intending to inform the NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan through the Waterfront Management Advisory Board. This diverse panel of “Hudson River experts” included planners, community advocates, and developers from across the region who presented their experiences in collaborating and establishing connections across the Hudson River. After the short panel, attendees held round table discussions, where they had the opportunity to voice their own experiences and views about the future of the Hudson River to contribute to NYC’s Comprehensive Waterfront Plan for 2020-2030. The Hudson River is one of the defining waterways of the region, flowing 315 miles through New York State, separating New York City from its western neighbor: New Jersey. The river is unique from other New York City waterways because of the division it creates between the city and surrounding municipalities, which requires collaboration and connections across jurisdictional bounds. Positioned at the center of the Greater New York City region, the Hudson River is home to a developing transportation network supported by bridges and tunnels, light and commuter rail, open space networks, ecologies, as well as growing NYC and regional ferry systems which serve to unite the region by way of its shores. Attendees discussed how the Hudson River represents a great opportunity to further cooperation between the governments of New York City, New York State, the State of New Jersey, and the municipalities in New Jersey and the Hudson River Valley flanking the river. Panelists also spoke about the tradeoffs and decisions that must be made due to limited space along the Hudson River in NYC.

As part of the Public Forums series on the NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan, NYC Planning and the Waterfront Alliance hosted a meeting on Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation. There were close to 80 attendees from nonprofit and community groups in NY and NJ, government representatives, and residents with a general interest in the waterfront and concern about climate change. Throughout the event, there was a focus on competing interests at the water’s edge, for example, development along the waterfront and the need for infrastructure and/or living shorelines to better adapt the city to sea level rise and coastal storms. The notion of having robust public access coupled with resilience measures came up as both a challenge and opportunity. Increasing public education and awareness and the different pathways to do so was also highlighted by many participants. Empowering individuals in the planning process has been a recurring theme through all five public forums.

View the presentations on NYC Waterfront Resiliency [PDF] and Rising to the Challenge [PDF].

Read the notes from the session [PDF].

Let us know what you think about the topic on the Share Your Thoughts page.