2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land - 17

pollination and consistency,
NYCHA selected one team
to work on the set of inland
sites and one to work on
coastal zones. Design for these
projects is expected to begin
shortly.
" Through this cloudburst
program, New York City,
NYCHA, and DEP are once
again leading in developing
strategies that link climate
resilience with urban livability,
especially for the communities
most impacted by climate
risk, " says August WilliamsEynon,
a manager with ULI's
Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability
in Real Estate, who
collaborated with NYCHA.
" The ULI Urban Resilience
team has been thrilled to
work with our local partners
ULI New York and NYCHA to
provide technical assistance as
this initiative takes shape. "
Lessons learned and
the path forward
Although it is still in its early
stages, New York City's cloudburst
program has already
influenced NYCHA's and other
city partners' thinking about
the role of public green space
in climate resilience. " We now
know that we have to consider
climate goals as we improve
open space, " Watson says.
" When we have funding for
open space, we're going to be
asking how we can accomplish
multiple goals. "
The program has also
elevated the opportunity presented
by NYCHA's portfolio
to improve resilience and
quality of life for thousands of
residents in outdated developments.
Upgrading amenities
can transform residents' everyday
experiences while reducing
the disruptions caused by
rain events. NYCHA's green
spaces are a significant component
of the city's network,
and opportunities abound
to expand the program and
make an even greater impact.
NYCHA is working to tap
into federal funding to grow
the cloudburst program and
has learned the importance
of raising local allocations to
serve as matching dollars. For
example, an allocation by the
mayor's office was critical to
securing a FEMA grant.
Along with the green and
gray infrastructure work that
DEP is doing at the neighborhood
level, as well as new
rules for managing stormwater
and the building renovations
NYCHA is undertaking, the
cloudburst program is part
of a robust suite of initiatives
that are making a meaningful
difference in New York City's
resilience.
" We've learned some hard
lessons in recent years. Hurricane
Sandy showed us the
threat of coastal storms. Now,
because of Ida, we know what
heavy rains can do, " Watson
says. " Through the cloudburst
program and other efforts,
we're acting on what we've
learned, so that next time,
we're more prepared. "
ULI's technical assistance to
NYCHA was made possible
through the support of the
JPMorgan Chase Foundation,
in partnership with ULI and the
Resilient Land Use Cohort program,
which seeks to inspire
actionable climate adaptation
and resilience efforts and share
best practices across the U.S.
MEGAN MCCONVILLE is a consultant
and grant writer with Park Street Community
Solutions.
" The cloudburst
program was
different from the
green and gray
infrastructure
improvements
that were
happening
citywide .... It was
our opportunity
to really make a
difference in key
at-risk locations. "
- Siobhan
Watson, NYCHA
sustainability lead
at NYCHA.
UL Interview: Bruce
Etkin on Travel
Trailer Communities
as One Solution to
Homelessness
After developer Bruce Etkin, a
past ULI Trustee and a current
member of the Urban
Land Foundation board, sold
all of his company's properties
in 2021, he channeled
his energy and attention to
different challenges-one of
them homelessness.
A longtime supporter of
ULI initiatives such as the
Etkin Scholars Program,
Etkin asked ULI's Homeless
to Housed program to connect
him to ULI homelessness
experts and met Phil
Payne, ULI Charlotte chair
and co-founder of The Lotus
Campaign, a homelessness
solutions nonprofit. With
Etkin's support, The Lotus
Campaign is embarking on
a series of reports exploring
nontraditional, rapidly
deployable housing solutions
in response to the ongoing
humanitarian and economic
crisis of homelessness across
the United States that now
affects more than 600,000
people on any given night.
The first report focuses
on the possibility of using
single-axle travel trailers as
a homelessness solution. A
deeply affordable option,
the trailer communities
that Etkin envisions, replete
with supportive services
and property management,
have already been piloted
in Texas and North Carolina.
Yet obstacles remain: travel
trailers are not considered
permanent housing by
HUD. By law, travel trailers
need to be moved every 30
days, and local communities
cannot change the code on
SPRING 202 4
URBAN LAND
17
DEVELOPMENTS
2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2024 Spring Issue of Urban Land
