Is NYC’s future already another city’s present?

In Bruce Stutz’s article “Battered New York City Looks For Ways to Hold Back the Sea,” he gives readers a peek at the protection NYC would have had against Hurricane Sandy, had the proper sea barriers been in place.  The storm would had hit regardless and crept inward, but Stutz imagines floodgates closing “across the Verrazano Narrows entry to New York Harbor, across the upper East River, [and] across the entrance to Jamaica Bay” (Stutz).  New York City scientists, economists, and risk management specialists are still finding and researching for the best possible way to protect NYC against any other future Sandys.  However, could it be that the answer is already in front of them?  Are you aware of any technology that cities in other countries are using to protect against the rising sea level that you believe could be implemented in New York City?