4C: Foreseeing the Region of the Future

2017
︎︎︎ Project Website (archived version)

Project Team
Sarah Williams
Rafi Segal
Mary Lynch-Lloyd
Ching Ying Ngan
Susannah Drake
Greg Lindsay
Brent Ryan
Benjamin Albrecht
Chaewon Ahn
Jan Casimir
Mary Hohlt
Erin Wythoff
Charles Huang
Chang Liu
Dennis Harvey
Zach Postone
Ellen Shakespear
Xinhui Li

Support from
The Rockefeller Foundation

Overview


 In February 2017, the CDDL joined a group of architects and urbanists to consider the future of the New York City metro area.  After winning 4C: Foreseeing the Region of the Future, a design competition launched ahead of the Regional Plan Association’s Fourth Regional Plan, the team was commissioned by the RPA to conceive a vision 50 years in the future where the Tri-State Area has been partially submerged as a result of climate change.

The RPA assigned each of the four winning teams to one type of landscape prevalent in the Tri-State Area: coast, city, suburbs, and highlands. The CDDL's team worked on the coastal landscape plan and designed an approach that softens the hard edge that currently divides the city from the beach and the ocean. Their “landscape economic zone,” allows land, beach, and ocean to constantly flow between states thus opening more land for conservation and interaction within nature.
The RPA assigned each of the four winning teams to one type of landscape prevalent in the Tri-State Area: coast, city, suburbs, and highlands.

The CDDL's team worked on the coastal landscape plan and designed an approach that softens the hard edge that currently divides the city from the beach and the ocean. Their “landscape economic zone,” allows land, beach, and ocean to constantly flow between states thus opening more land for conservation and interaction within nature.



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Rather than fighting sea-level rise, the combined group studied ways in which they could promote a managed retreat strategy, strengthening the community by concentrating it farther from the coast.  The CDDL's role in the project was analyzing and mapping the potential outcomes of this strategy and their work can be seen in the images below.

Rather than fighting sea-level rise, the combined group studied ways in which they could promote a managed retreat strategy, strengthening the community by concentrating it farther from the coast.  The CDDL's role in the project was analyzing and mapping the potential outcomes of this strategy and their work can be seen in this image.
Rather than fighting sea-level rise, the combined group studied ways in which they could promote a managed retreat strategy, strengthening the community by concentrating it farther from the coast.  The CDDL's role in the project was analyzing and mapping the potential outcomes of this strategy and their work can be seen in this image.

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In addition, CDDL member Chaewon Ahn acted as a resident of the future imagined community.  Her interview can be seen in the video below.




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As a research and advocacy group focused on the Tri-State area, the RPA produces influential guidelines every 35 to 40 years on urban development in the region. The first plan was created in 1922, and some of its accomplishments include determining the location of George Washington Bridge and creating a park on Governor’s Island. The 2017 plan is the first to consider adaptation for climate change.

The plan was exhibited at Fort Tilden Park in New York City from August 5 to September 17. 

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Finally, you can learn more about the 4C: Foreseeing the Region of the Future program by watching the video below:

4C / Four Corridors: Foreseeing the Region of the Future from Regional Plan Association on Vimeo.

Press
︎︎︎ FastCompany
︎︎︎ Greg Lindsay’s Blog