Resilient Shorelines: Hunter’s Point South

Resiliency is becoming increasingly important along coastal cities, rising temperatures aggravate sea level rise, the occurence and impact of extreme weather events. Landscape architects are responding with parks which adapt to the climactic and geographic changes.

Hunter’s Point South was phased in 2 pieces and was built between 1996 and 2002. The large scale waterfront plan is designed to be wet, to survive current, velocity and energy. There are multiple strategies the designers used to create a shoreline park which aims to respond to the shoreline. The park used multiple adaptation strategies, each having their own set of costs and benefits.

Revetment: The revetment dissipates wave energy, reducing coastal erosion. Revetments are often made with rock rip rap.
Breakwaters: breakwaters can be used to reduce wave force and shoreline erosion though they are best used in shallow waters as they can be expensive to install in deeper waters. In addition the breakwaters can create habitats for coastal life.
Living Shoreline: Living shorelines reduce shoreline erosions and storm surge along the coastline in addition to protecting coastal ecosystems.
Floodable Plain: The floodable plain can catch stormwater and control flooding during storm surge, protecting the built environment from water damage.
Seawall: Seawalls, often multipurpose, acts as a flood barrier. The wall at Hunters point south elevates the park forming a hard edge against the water.

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