Addressing Cloudbursts in NYC

Sometimes it just rains and rains. For many millennia the generally aquatic climate and low coastal position of New York City has been to our advantage, but with increasing intensity and duration of storms, living with water is becoming a fundamental part of what it means to be a New Yorker. In this cross-disciplinary, cross-sectoral presentation, the ecologist Eric Sanderson, artist Mary Miss, and city planner Amy Motzny will discuss their collaborations through the New York City Department of Environmental Protection’s Cloudburst Management program to reduce the worst effects of urban flooding in New York. Sanderson, will discuss how our landscape is pre-adapted to water and what lessons pertain; Miss will discuss how the artistic community can help us imagine new ways of living with water in the 21st century; and Motzny will discuss the DEP's efforts to reduce risk to life and property from sudden, drenching storms.

Host or Publisher NYC H2O