Social Sustainability and Climate Adaptation on the NYC Coast

Bryce DuBois (Rhode Island School of Design)

As the New York City coastline is reimagined in response to calls for climate adaptation, the social relations and meanings of these public spaces are similarly adapted. What histories, values and relationships of contemporary NYC populations are reinforced or reworked is the focus of this talk. Specifically, this presentation will focus on the social relations and meanings that were prioritized in the resilience planning of Rockaway, following Hurricane Sandy. Drawing from longitudinal ethnographic research in Rockaway, this presentation will show and describe the material aspects of the beach that were preserved, how the cultural ecology of the beach shifted following the restoration, and describe themes related to the politics of meaning and cultural values represented in the beach restoration work. Specifically, while the City made innovative strides in their commitment to resilience and recovery efforts, their efforts were aimed at shoring up and revitalizing economic assets while ignoring historical racial inequities in urban development patterns. In closing, this presentation will advance an argument around NYC coastal resilience planning that emphasizes social sustainability and cultural diversity of coastal public spaces.