Why would taxpayers spend $52.6 billion on coastal protection against flooding for the NY-NJ Harbor if it only protects against storm surge and doesn’t address the multiple threats of rising sea levels, groundwater emergence and increasingly severe rainfall? Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, will be moderating a dynamic discussion on "The Future of Flooding: How to Revise the Army Corps of Engineers' Study" on December 6, 2023 from 5:30-8:00pm at the Center for Architecture (536 LaGuardia Place between West 3rd and Bleeker Streets).
The event covers new developments such as the August 2023 letter to NY's governor raising concerns by 38 NY legislators, the bi-partisan letter to the Corps signed by 12 members of Congress from New York and New Jersey in September 2023, and recent action by NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation. NYS DEC has officially begun a process requiring the Corps to undertake a multi-hazard assessment, engage with waterfront communities through a more substantive public participation process, and supplement their earlier Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The program is sponsored by the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) Chapter’s Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, and includes speakers representing a consortium of 25 organizations who came together during the study under the title of 'Get the NY/NJ Flood Plan Right.'
For a more detailed description and information about registering, please click here.
Pictured above: South Battery Park City Resiliency Project under construction. Photo by Nautilus International, August 2023
The United Nations 2023 Water Conference brought people from around the world together in New York City to explore global challenges facing water-related sustainability goals in March 2023. As part of this historic event, the Waterfront Committee of the American Planning Association’s NYMetro Chapter (APA-NYM) and Cornell University’s AAP (Architecture Art Planning) Program co-sponsored a program of three interconnected events on Lower Manhattan resiliency.
As Co-Chair of the APA-NYM Waterfront Committee, Bonnie A. Harken AIA, Nautilus’ President, hosted the overall program, Lower Manhattan Resiliency: Predictions, Progress and Plans. In addition, Ms. Harken led a walking tour of resiliency projects in Lower Manhattan, where Nautilus has been working as part of the AECOM team on the South Battery Park City Resilience Project. For more information, please click here.
As part of the UN 2023 Water Conference official side events, Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA was honored to speak as a respondent at "Water & Socio-Ecological Justice", a high-level meeting to share insights from the conference and gain support for its Water Action Agenda with action-based initiatives. This event was part of The United Nations of Rivers, Deltas and Estuaries programs on March 23, 2023 at the Center for Architecture, New York. For more information, please click here.
The United Nations of Rivers, Deltas and Estuaries held additional events throughout NY Water Week. Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, was also honored to speak at their "Methodological Workshop" on March 19, 2023 at the Bernard & Anne Spitzer School at the City College of New York, CUNY. This event brought together international experts from many different fields to explore the multi-layered challenges of the world’s water bodies. For more information, please click here.
UNESCO and the iWSSM have begun publishing a series on global water security, including a chapter by Nautilus on "Water Security and Green Growth: Supporting Development While Safeguarding Water Resources" summarizing Nautilus' research and policy analysis of international best practices. Visit UNESCO Digital Library for more information…
International collaboration around sharing water resources is becoming increasingly valuable as the world addresses the challenges of global climate change. In recognition of this, focused on "Sharing Water." Nautilus presented their work for the World Water Council in partnership with the government of South Korea at the world's largest water-related conference - World Water Forum 8 in 2018.
For "Water & Green Growth: Accelerating the Green Transition for All,"
Nautilus' President Bonnie A. Harken AIA described financial mechanisms to protect watersheds and summarized their case study on Quito, Ecuador pioneering use of water funds.
For "Green Transition for Enhancing Water Security for All," Ms. Harken spoke about the importance of a multi-pronged approach encompassing both centralized and decentralized infrastructure investments, modifications to public policies and institutions, and innovations in technologies to provide reliable and secure water resources. She illustrated those with Nautilus' case study in Gujarat, India. Both events were co-sponsored by K-water Institute, UNESCO-iWSSM and the World Water Council.
"Building Better, Building Smarter: Opportunities for Design and Development" is a collaborative initiative by the AIA New York Chapter's Post-Sandy Initiative addressing the impacts of the storm and effects of future climate change on New York City.
The Post-Sandy Initiative of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects was awarded the national 2014 AIA Institute Honors for Collaborative and Professional Achievement. As part of this effort, Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken AIA & APA, co-chaired a multi-disciplinary working group on waterfront issues.
The Village of Haverstaw Comprehensive Plan & LWRP Updates, which Nautilus worked extensively on, was honored with the 2022 Heissenbuttel Award for Planning Excellence from the New York Planning Federation. Watch a video of the Award Ceremony…
In addition, shortly after the Comprehensive Plan was adopted, the Village won $10 million in funding from New York State through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) as one of only ten communities in the state to receive that honor. Read more…
Professional Activities: Ms. Harken served on the New York City Mayor's Waterfront Management Advisory Board, where she represented the NY Metro Chapter of the American Planning Association since it was convened in 2010 through 2014.
Successful waterfront revitalization often requires the ability to navigate complex permitting procedures. Our President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA spoke on Nautilus' recent scientific research at "New Trends in Coastal Mitigation: A Detailed Look at In-Water Impacts & Mitigation in NYC" in 2017. This professional education session was sponsored by the American Planning Association Waterfront Committee and included speakers on wetland mitigation, and New York City's first wetland bank and available mitigation credits from the NYC Department of Parks and Economic Development Corporation. Ms. Harken presented key findings of Nautilus' Floating Structures Pilot Project: Fish Utilization & Response and Hydrodynamics & Sediment Transport, a study sponsored by The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey in response to increasing demands for floating structures in NY Harbor to serve important regional needs, such as expanded ferry networks and climate adaption. Click here for more information…
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