Shurui Zhang
About


YearProject
Tags
 OngoingChinatown is Chinatown, Flushing is China OngoingHarlem Schist OngoingChubby Cat Happy Chat 2024 Before the After: Representing Climate Actions in the Age of AI 2024East Harlem Polder2023BQE Vision Plan 2022Toledo River Walk2022Mapping Landscape Architects’ Expertise 2021Seeding Coral 2020Adaptation Handbook 2020Shroom Drone2019Elemental Houses 2019Shared Surfaces 2019We are Martinsville 2019Dutch Windmill Study 2018Other Natures 2018Disaster Coordination Center 2018Amphibious Life of Future Meadowland2017Reprogramming Domesticity 2017Mind and Body

East Harlem Polder: 
Re-Imagine FDR Drive as Climate Infrastructure

    Poster Session at 2024 Anuual TRB Meeting
    Collaborator: Zihao Zhang
    Acknowledgement: Mary Daly and Courtney Behrens
    assisted with earlier research and innitial mappings.
    2023-2024 



    East Harlem in New York City is confronting an increasing risk of two distinct types of flooding. The first type is inland flooding, which occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the outdated drainage system and is exacerbated by the absence of permeable pavement. The second type is river flooding stemming from the Harlem River, a threat that is expected to intensify due to rising sea levels and the growing frequency of extreme weather events.

    Drawing upon the Netherlands’ expertise in water management, this proposal envisions the transformation of East Harlem into a network of polders—low-lying areas enclosed by dikes, effectively isolating them from surrounding water bodies. The Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive (FDR Drive) could be elevated to serve as a protective dike, creating a robust barrier against rising sea levels and storm surges. This proposal ensures resident safety, preserves critical infrastructure and property values, and offers opportunities for the implementation of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems along the new FDR Drive. Street ditches could collect excess rainwater, and the integration of water pumps and floodgates in the elevated FDR Drive can facilitates drainage.