Macro

The Global Sustainability and Resilience Program (GSRP) seeks to support the development of inclusive, resilient networks in local communities facing global change. By providing a platform for sharing lessons, mapping knowledge, and linking people and ideas, GSRP and it’s affiliated programs empower policymakers, practitioners, and community members to participate in the global dialogue on sustainability and resilience. Given the scarcity of water in many parts of the world, we must use wastewater to meet the needs of millions of people. In Singapore, they import over half its water from neighboring Malaysia, water security is a top priority. Singapore has built rainwater collection plants and technology initiatives to treat sewage water  and purify it for reuse. As a country, we need to come together, in terms of legislation and lead by example to work with other nations to decrease our carbon footprint and increase initiative for water sustainability as well as new ways to increase the efficiency of the bigger picture.

US

New York ranked high in water quality tests, which had much to do with its source water derived from the Catskill/Delaware and Croton watersheds. The country’s water is disinfected at the world’s largest UV disinfection facility, which is also acknowledged as one of the best. The lagging resiliency rating is tied to vulnerability to weather events, evidenced by the destruction wrought by Superstorm Sandy. Scientists estimate that New York would incur at least $500 million in storm- and flood-related damage over the next half-century without any action, but thankfully that’s not the case. The East Side Coastal Resiliency project, a collaborative of government agencies, business leaders, and private investors, is among the initiatives created to fortify infrastructure and protect essential services in anticipation of more superstorms.

NYC

Sea levels rising globally is not pleasant news for the inhabitants of New York City, which is surrounded by water. It’s 520 miles of shoreline border the ocean, rivers, inlets, and bays making it prone to several types of flooding. Firstly, there’s a threat of coastal flooding which is caused by storm surges. Second, there’s a threat of tidal flooding which is caused by normal and regular variations in the lunar cycle. And thirdly there’s a threat of Inland flooding which can be caused by short heavy rainfall, or long-term moderate rainfall. Rainfall data from gauges at Central Park, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports, the stations with the longest data record in NYC show some of the heaviest rainfall events in the city’s history occurred in just the last three decades. NYC is dense, heavily paved, and built on landfill in what were once wetland areas. That limits the ground’s capacity to absorb or drain water and causes problems. There’s also a threat of riverine flooding but it mostly affects NY state, less so NYC.

New York flood maps are determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, better known as FEMA. It assessed the flood risk and projected that roughly 400,000 New Yorkers, 71,500 buildings, and 532 million square feet of floor area are located within the 1 percent annual chance floodplain (because there is a 1 percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year). According to the maps, the Lower Manhattan waterfront is at high risk of flooding, including neighborhoods like the South Street Seaport, Tribeca, Battery Park City, and the eastern and western waterfronts through Upper Manhattan. Significant portions of Staten Island, along with the western and eastern waterfront, are at risk. In Brooklyn, the South Brooklyn waterfront shows the most risk, including Red Hook, Brighton Beach, and Howard Beach. In Queens, the Rockaways rate as the highest risk for flooding.

Flooding can cause:

•      Disruption of critical infrastructure systems:

o   transportation,

o   energy,

o   telecommunications

o   wastewater treatment plants

•      Water pollution and release of other contaminants
•      Loss of income for individuals and of revenue for businesses
•      Disruption of communities and social networks
•      Degradation or loss of natural resources
•      Aggravation of existing health conditions
•      Loss of life, injury, and illness

SOLUTION

Case Studies

1. Netherlands:

http://rainaway.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Product-sheets-RainaWay.pdf\

Benefits of the Ebb tiles are:

• Transports rainwater
• Wheelchair-friendly and easy to drive on
• Perfect to combine with our Flood-tiles (all varieties)
• Promotes awareness of sustainability
• Easily applicable because of standard tile-size
• Low maintenance

Benefits of the Rain(a)way  tiles are:

• Stores and infiltrates rainwater
• A contributor to the solution to rainwater issues.
• Makes your project unique
• Easy to combine with our Ebb-tiles
• Creates awareness, high visibility
• Easy application because of standard tile

Contrast: The X1 Tile

With the X1 system, you choose for a smart, practical, sustainable and innovative solution for your outside terrace. Besides this you are helping the environment with collecting water.

The system needed 2 years to develop before it was ready to go on market. Multiple testing and redesigning makes the X1 tile sustainable on multiple aspects. E.g. on the subject of water management. Heavy rainfall is increasing in this time of climate change. Tests done by TCKT and Tile System X show that the X1 system in average can take up to 65Ltr of water per m2/minute by draining with the draining zone. The water is taken in the specially designed buffer zones. The buffer zone drains the water directly into the surface that’s below.

Cost: IN PROGRESS

Concrete tile: 17.50 euros.

Info on average draining system prices (French Drains):

“Installing drainage runs most homeowners between $1,856 and $5,183 with an average cost of $3,479. Small, simpler solutions could be as low as $800 and more complicated projects could get as expensive as $8,000. French drains, for example, average $20 to $30 per linear foot or between $1,000 and $1,500 in exterior applications and $45 to $60 per linear foot or $5,000 to $6,000 for internal ones.”

American Sidewalk Work Costs: In Progress

Policy Solution

There are four different Rain(a)Way tiles so the amount of money we would invest in depends on what areas of the floodplain we would be working on first. Since there is over 532 million square feet of flood plain, we would focus first on more flood prone areas like the Rockaways, East Shore, Staten Island (eastern and western waterfront), lower Manhattan (including South Street Seaport, Tribeca, Battery Park City, eastern and western waterfronts through upper Manhattan), and parts of Brooklyn (South Brooklyn waterfront shows the most risk, including Red Hook, Brighton Beach, and Howard Beach) which may benefit from the more intense ebb tiles or flood open tiles to divert rainwater. We would then focus on other less flood prone areas as funds become more available. The tiles can start being laid on the sidewalks of property owners’ home, so part of the cost could be covered by interested parties, who would then perhaps receive a tax deduction in exchange for installing the tiles. Based on just using the 30 cm x 30 cm ebb and flood tiles, we would need about 5.48 billion of them to cover the entire flood plain. If we knew the true cost of one of the tiles, we could accurately calculate total cost. Since we do not know, installing one square feet of concrete tile would cost about $1 on the minimal end, meaning 10 cents per tile. 5.48 billion tiles times $.10 is $548,000,000. Yet, this is solely based on the tiles alone. When factoring in construction costs, removing any existing pavement, one square foot of concrete tile would cost around $14,  meaning $1.40 per tile. 5.48 billion tiles times $1.40 is $7.67 billion. This is better still. Both figures are good estimates for cost of the project based on the limited information we have, however the final price would rationally fall somewhere in the middle of both extremes. Therefore, to account for error, as well as cost of labor,  we would estimate a final price of 5 billion dollars, approximately half of Mayor DeBlasio’s plan to extend the shoreline of Lower Manhattan just 500 feet.

Our plan would help those in the most neglected neighborhoods in NYC, such as the Rockaways, instead of focusing solely on Manhattan. It could truly be a solution for all five boroughs, and could work in conjunction with flood resiliency plans already in place, as well as raising awareness of the issue.

Primarily, we would work with the Department of City Planning to secure funds for this project.  Since they are already working with communities and property owners with new initiatives like making buildings watertight to protect 129.1 billion of investments in the growing floodplains as part of “Flood Resilience Zoning,” the DCP has incentive to search for more resilient infrastructure and coastal defense investments like Rain(a)Way tiles. Plus, we might have some federal oversight from FEMA and input from the DOT regarding tile installation on sidewalks. We believe the implementation of these tiles should take about five years to complete, not considering unearthing already laid non porous concrete in some areas. The tiles in the Netherlands are also not mass produced yet so any found costs if there are any, reflect small scale production. The DCP’s 2019 fiscal budget totals $45.5 million, but it does not include any funds property owners may provide if they want to use the tiles in their yards, driveways, or walkways, which may be possible if they receive tax abatements or subsidies from the government, or a discounted cost when ordering in bulk. While the cost of such tiles may be high, its long term benefits can last for 50 plus years. Some obstacles we may run into include hidden costs like removing concrete from some areas, complaints about construction, people refusing retrofit around their homes, and lack of funding.

(IMAGES/SOURCES ARE ON POWERPOINT WHICH IS IN PROGRESS, BASED OFF WORKING DOC)