Location
New York, NY
Client
New York City Economic Development Corporation
Services
Transportation Planning
Traffic Engineering
Resilience Planning
Financial District and Seaport Climate Resilience Master Plan
Mostly at or near sea level, and home to dense concentrations of people, real estate, and critical infrastructure, Lower Manhattan presents one of the most complex climate adaptation challenges of any place on the planet. Sam Schwartz led the transportation elements of this comprehensive plan to protect the eastern half of the neighborhood from sea level rise, coastal flooding, and stormwater flooding.
The project, which was done in close coordination with City and State agencies, included detailed analysis of transportation and maritime infrastructure conditions and vulnerability. Sam Schwartz developed future traffic and ferry ridership projections that consider the impacts of increased work-from home, implementation of congestion pricing, and mode shift resulting from the City’s climate action commitments. A range of future travel demand scenarios were then used to assess design and operations alternatives for the FDR Drive highway, consolidating and scaling up ferry services, increasing access to mass transit, and improving walking, biking, and public waterfront access.