Yesterday we took an early peek at the top ten designs from the Rebuild By Design competition, a contest to find ideas that protect the tri-state area from future superstorms. One of the most interesting proposals, entitled “New Meadowlands,” comes from a team led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The plan focuses on using existing marshlands to make vulnerable areas of New Jersey and metropolitan New York more resilient in the face of rising tides.
The New Meadowlands plan was developed by MIT, Zones Urbaines Sensibles and Urbanisten, and aims to build a new Meadowpark on top of existing marshlands as a natural barrier against rising sea levels and storms. This new strip of greenery will be built up with natural berms to hold back storm surge and hopefully prevent flooding. The barriers would also collect regular rainfall, reducing sewer overflows in adjacent towns.
Meadowpark would sit on the water’s edge in New York and New Jersey. Moving back towards the city and residential areas, the MIT design proposes a ring of public spaces and bus-rapid transit routes called the Meadowband. Along with creating recreation zones, the Meadowband could also provide access to the Meadowpark it will surround. This strip of transportation could also serve as a transition from the green coast to residential and commercial city areas.
[vimeo width=”537″ height=”302″]http://vimeo.com/90778863 [/vimeo]
via Arch Paper
Images © Rebuild by Design
