Flooding, Public Parks, & Marshes
| Daniel Cazap | Paul Cho | Joe McLaughlin | Radu Stancut | Christopher Tull
Spatial AnalyticsFinal Project
5.13.2015
In response to the unforeseen damages from Hurricane Sandy, New York State announced a program pursuant to which the State would purchase highly vulnerable properties, tear down existing structures, and convert such properties into permanent open space.
Resiliency Initiative
Can we create a tool to help New York State find groupings of “at risk” properties that qualify for its Smart Home Buyout Program?
Problem Statement
● Program budget limited to $171 million
● Absence of data about individual housing units that sustained damage
● Real world constraints and externalities (Resident consent, property proximity)
Constraints
NYC Floodplainfrom ‘FEMA’
Building ‘Basemap’: Floodplain
Building Age
Lot Type
Land Usage
Number of Floors
Proximity Code
Owner
Before 1983
Waterfront, Island, or Submerged
Vacancy
Detached Housing
One and Two Story Homes
+
City, State, Federal
Observed Attributes
Wetlands in New York Statefrom ‘National Wetlands Inventory’
Clip ‘Wetlands’ for New York City
Building ‘Basemap’: Wetlands [Marshes]
Waterfront Parks
+ PAWS (Publicly Accessible Waterfront Spaces)
+ Parks
Building ‘Basemap’: Parks
Site Selection: Criteria
Identify high-risk properties:
● Far from existing parks○ Provide recreation space○ Improve park equity
● Near existing wetlands○ Minimize habitat fragmentation○ Promote species diversity
Lehtinen, R. M., Galatowitsch, S. M., & Tester, J. R. (1999). Consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for wetland amphibian assemblages.Wetlands, 19(1), 1-12.
Site Selection: Result
> 1700 ft. from a parkAND< 1000 ft. from a wetland
Region of Interest: Hamilton Beach, Queens
● High-risk, single-family homes
● Next to existing wetland
● Relatively inexpensive land ($26.6M based on Zillow zestimates)
Constructed wetlands
Industrial Synergy?
Identified by Both Tools
Parks and Marshland Proximity Tool Factory Proximity Tool
Income Considerations
Density Considerations
Conclusions & Next Steps
➢ Floods are real and costly risks faced by many NY’ers; Paid for by all.
➢ Limited Green Space
➢ Marshes Mitigate Industrial Runoff
➢ An opportunity for synergy
➢ The real world is messier than this analysis, especially when dealing with people’s homes.
Thank you / Q & A
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