1.
DESIGNING
DIFFERENTLY
Sandy One Year Later:
Looking to the Future
October 29, 2013
Brie Hensold, Sasaki Associates

2.
CEDAR
RAPIDS, IA
REBUILD
BY DESIGN
2008 - ongoing
2013 - ongoing

3.
SASAKI
CAMPUS
SPORTS
INTERNATIONAL URBAN

4.
cedar rapids, ia
Bridgeport, CT
chicago, Il
cincinnati, oh
During the June 2008 flood of record, the Cedar River crested 11.5
feet higher than any previously recorded flood, submerging 10
square miles of the City, forcing thousands of evacuations and
causing billions of dollars in damage.
Between 1964 and 2006, monthly tide gauges in Bridgeport show
a mean sea level rise trend of 0.1 inch a year, according to the
state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Before recent cleanup efforts, 1.2 billion gallons of combined
sewer effluent was dumped into The Chicago River each day.
Various City agencies and organizations like ‘Friends of the River’
have made significant strides to prioritize water quality and
reclaim the River for the public benefit.
The Ohio River experiences a dramatic yearly change in elevation
- it fluctuates approximately 30’ annually, and can crest up to 50’
during a 100-year flood event.
The Riverfront Master Plan for Cedar Rapids balances a diverse set of community needs, providing amenities to draw people downtown, continuous public access, increased water-side recreational opportunities, and acres of restored riparian zones to help absorb the Cedar River’s floodwaters.
Sasaki’s Parks Master Plan reclaimed hundreds of acres of floodplain along Bridgeport’s three rivers as a
connected open space system.
The Chicago Riverwalk Concept Plan increases connectivity, recreational opportunities, and access to the
River while also introducing strategies like floating wetlands to increase aquatic habitat potential, improve
water quality, and provide educational opportunities.
Sasaki’s design for the Phyllis W. Smale Riverfront Park converts 32 acres of parking lots within the
100-year flood plain into the largest of a series of public parks along the Ohio River, improving connectivity and
recreational opportunities while reducing stormwater runoff and absorbing flood waters.
wilkes-barre, pa
columbus, oh
council bluffs, ia
indianapolis, in
In September of 2011, the Susquehanna River reached a record
elevation of 42.6 feet in Wilkes-Barre, topping the 40.9-foot record
flood caused by Hurricane Agnes in 1972. The newly designed
levee park system withstood the storm.
At Ohio State University, an existing overflow dam proliferates
the Olentangy River’s poor ecological health. Additionally, over 33
Acres of the university’s parking lots are located within the 100year floodplain, draining directly into the river.
The Missouri River crested above the 100-year flood elevation
and remained above flood stage for the entire summer of 2011,
greatly exceeding previous flooding events in duration.
In Indianapolis, less than a half-inch of precipitation can overwhelm
the City’s Combined Sewer system, forcing untreated effluent into
the White River. Initiatives to remedy the situation range from a
multi-billion dollar, decades-long tunnel project to site-scaled
stormwater management practices.
Sasaki designed a new series of floodwalls and floodgates - to both protect the community but also welcome it to a new riverfront park - in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania just prior to this record storm.
Restoring the river’s natural ecology and redesigning adjacent streets as flood protection reclaims 144 acres
of core campus, supporting the plan’s ecological, academic, and social engagement goals.
Council Bluffs Riverfront Park is a 90-acre public park situated within the broad floodplain of the great
Missouri River. The design focuses intensity of public use and development at the core of the site,
balancing Riverfront program with the preservation of key habitat and riparian floodplain.
A twenty-five year effort, the White River State Park includes restoration of the White River and the Downtown Canal, reconnecting the City to its waterfronts and providing improved flood protection, stormwater retention and water quality benefit.

5.
CEDAR
RAPIDS, IA
• River Corridor Redevelopment Plan
• Neighborhood Planning Process
• Urban Design Guidelines
• Parks Master Plan
• Medical District Planning/Streetscape
• Riverfront Amphitheater

6.
F loo di ng thro u gh C e da r R a p id s H is t or y

7.
P l an ni ng w i t h t h e C o m m u nit y:
The Walled City
Fl ood Managem ent Scenar i os
The Greenway System
The Breathing Room

8.
F loo d Manage m e n t an d R e inv e s t m e nt Fr a m e work
Preferred Flood Management Strategy
Transportation Strategy
Neighborhood Reinvestment Strategy
Trail System Plan
Green Infrastructure Strategy
Parks System Plan

9.
U rba n D esi gn G u i de l i n es :
Downtown
Neighborhood
Outskirts
Rebu ildin g Su stain ably

10.
10th Street M e di c al D i s t r ic t :
D esign in g fo r Su stain ability

11.
R iverfro nt Amph i th e at e r :
M u lti-fu n ctio n al In fr astr u ctu r e

12.
REBUILD
BY DESIGN
• Sasaski Associates
• Rutgers University
• Arup

13.
THREE COASTAL TYPOLOGIES
BARRIER ISLAND
HEADLANDS
INLAND BAY

14.
REGIONALLY RELEVANT
ATLANTIC SEABOARD
BARRIER ISLAND
SANDY AFFECTED AREAS
HEADLANDS
INLAND BAY
NEW JERSEY SHORE
Monmouth
County
Rockaway Beach
Virginia Beach
Nags Head
Ocean
County
Myrtle Beach
Linear Miles
20%
51%
29%
Population
21%
# of 2nd Homes
17%
255,184 368,327
62%
217,980
Linear Miles
21%
11%
Population
4%
17%
# of 2nd Homes
Linear Miles
38%
152,712
68%
79%
# of 2nd Homes
9% 16%
49,173
176,921
Population
75%
39%
23%
545
11,589
39,982

15.
UNCERTAIN WATERS
VARIED DYNAMICS OF SEA LEVEL RISE AND LAND VALUE
SEA LEVEL RISE
6’
5’
INLAND BAY
MOST
VALUABLE LAND
LOSS BETWEEN 3-4’
4’
HEADLANDS
3’
MOST
VALUABLE LAND
LOSS BETWEEN 2-3’
2’
BARRIER ISLAND
MOST
VALUABLE LAND
LOSS BETWEEN 1-2’
1’

16.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES

17.
REINVENT THE COAST’S CULTURAL ICONS
BARRIER ISLAND
HEADLANDS
PIER
BOARDWALK
INLAND BAY
MARINA

18.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES = CULTURE + ECOLOGY
BARRIER ISLAND
HEADLANDS
PIER
BOARDWALK
PINE
BARRENS
SAND DUNE
INLAND BAY
MARINA
MARSH

19.
BARRIER
ISLAND
PIER
PINE
BARRENS
THESE STRATEGIES ALSO APPLY TO...
SANDY
AFFECTED AREAS
ATLANTIC
SEABOARD
FIRE ISLAND, NEW YORK
GILGO BEACH, NEW YORK
ROCKAWAY BEACH, NEW YORK
OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND
ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, MARYLAND
NAGS HEAD, NC
PENSACOLA, FL
MIAMI BEACH, FL
KEY WEST, FL
TOMS RIVER
+
SEASIDE HEIGHTS
+
PINE BEACH
+
TOM’S RIVER
OCEAN GATE
+
SEASIDE PARK
+
BAYVILLE
+
ISLAND BEACH
STATE PARK
BARNEGAT
BAY
+

20.
IMPLEMENTATION
PIER AS TRANSECT: OCEAN TO PINELANDS
INTRODUCE RESILIENT TRANSPORTATION
PINE
BARRENS
PIER
ENCOURAGE INLAND DEVELOPMENT
DEVELOP ECO-TOURISM
TOMS RIVER
MILL CREEK
PINELANDS
DOUBLE
TROUBLE
STATE PARK
GOOD LUCK
POINT
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
BARNEGAT
BAY

21.
HEAD
LANDS
TOMS RIVER
+
SEASIDE HEIGHTS
BEACH
SUNSET
LAKE
+
+
TOM’S RIVER
OCEAN GATE
+
SEASIDE PARK
+
BAYVILLE
+
+
BOARDWALK
SAND DUNE
ASBURY PARK
ISLAND BEACH
STATE PARK
+
THESE STRATEGIES ALSO APPLY TO...
SANDY
AFFECTED AREAS
BARNEGAT
BAY
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA
REHOBOTH, DELAWARE
BETHANY BEACH, DELAWARE
ATLANTIC
SEABOARD
MYRTLE BEACH, SC
NORFOLK, VA
SAVANNAH, GA
WESLEY
LAKE

22.
IMPLEMENTATION
ESTABLISH PROTECTIVE BOARDWALK
CREATE DUNES + NOURISH BEACH
BOARDWALK
INTRODUCE TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT
SAND DUNE
IMPROVE HYPER ABSORBENT LAKES & STREETS
ASBURY
PARK

23.
INLAND
BAY
SUNSET
LAKE
RARITAN
BAY
+
ASBURY PARK
MARINA
MARSH
THESE STRATEGIES ALSO APPLY TO...
WESLEY
LAKE
SANDY
AFFECTED AREAS
ATLANTIC
SEABOARD
BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT
HOUSATONIC RIVER, CT
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
NORTH INDIAN RIVER INLET, DELAWARE
BOSTON, MA
CHESAPEAKE BAY
CHARLESTON, SC
PENSACOLA HARBOR, FL
UNION BEACH
KEANSBURG
+
+
NATCO
LAKE
-

24.
IMPLEMENTATION
MARSH
MARINA
EXPLORE PROTECTIVE MARINAS
MAKE ROOM FOR WATER
CREATE LANDSCAPES AS CLEANING MACHINES
STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY CORE
UNION
BEACH
KEANSBURG
NATCO
LAKE

25.
THANK YOU