Mitigating the impacts of climate change is an urgent issue for the city of New York. Hurricane Sandy revealed how vulnerable Lower Manhattan was to storm surges and that was only a preview of what the city will face in the future. 

In response to this threat, we proposed the Financial District Coastal Improvement Program (FDCIP), a waterfront improvement initiative that is facilitated by moving the southernmost section of the FDR drive (an elevated freeway that runs along the east coast of Manhattan) underground. The tunnel will serve multiple purposes including eliminating surface level traffic and pollution, acting as a multi-faceted flood mitigation structure, and creating new open space at the water’s edge. These improvements have the potential to create a vibrant, accessible, open waterfront and increased real estate value from Battery Park to Corlears Hook. Simultaneously, it will provide coastal resiliency solutions to protect against future storms and improve how the surrounding area deals with day-to-day storm and sewer overflow. 

This project is in schematic design phase and was recently a finalist in the 2019 World Architecture Festival, Future Infrastructure category.