HeLLS KITCHEN
Urban Design Dystopian Utopia
Project Plan for Hell's Kitchen
Project Description
A reimagination of how New York City uses its streets will be required when water levels rise. What makes New York so welcoming is the accessibility of transportation and the density of the area. Without the sidewalks and the subway system, the basic infrastructure will have to change in order to retain its population.
Motivation
60 % of NYC has a combined sewer and stormwater system. In the case of a flood, sewage comes up with the stormwater. As climate change continues, flooding from flash floods and rising sea levels alike will have a profound impact on the street culture and transportation infrastructure of the cityscape.
In Hell’s Kitchen, in particular, sewage in the streets due to this flooding will prove most harmful since it will occur more regularly and will create a breeding ground for diseases, hinder the accessibility of transit, and put people in general danger.
On a dry day, NYC has to pump out 14 million gallons of water from the subway systems. Since most of the infrastructure was built under the water table, this occurrence will only become harder
to handle.
Skills used
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Design Research​​​
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quantitative data
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literary research
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Research
Quantitative Data
Walkability is very high in this neighborhood.
EPA website showing coastal flood hazard levels for the area.
EPA website showing wastewater discharge based on national percentiles.
EPA website showing low socioeconomic status indicators within the area.
The Environmental Protection Agency has predicted sea levels will rise 3 to 6 feet over the next 30 to 60 years. With the addition of 3 to 6 feet of water, the city will not be able to keep the water out of the subway system, which is already struggling to keep the current amount of water out daily. This will put lower-income residents at a disadvantage in getting from one part of the island to another.
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With the sewage system still connected to the stormwater system, when more tropical storms or flooding of any kind happen, the sewage and stormwater will come back up to the streets together. This will make any transportation in the area on or below street level very dangerous and will most likely stop people from being able to live in this and many other NYC areas.
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Literary Research
In the 1920's, Le Corbusier designed a concept called "radiant city", a very in-depth city plan for central Paris involving a vertical city. His plan divides public space vertically, keeping cars at street level and raising social and walking levels above the cars. In the near future, we may have to make those ideas our reality.
Conclusion
Changing our understanding of how we use public space now will prevent future weather phenomena from becoming more destructive. A storm is only a natural disaster when we are unprepared.
