Public housing communities sit at the intersection of climate vulnerability, aging infrastructure, and historic underinvestment in safe, functional open space. This session presents a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) cloudburst mitigation project that addresses environmental inequity through a co-optimized approach to infrastructure as landscape. Rather than separating flood control from community life, the project integrates stormwater resilience, pedestrian safety, playground reconstruction, landscape restoration, and legacy tree canopy protection into a unified capital strategy.
Designed to eliminate chronic surface flooding during projected extreme rainfall events, the project increases on-site stormwater storage, restructures surface conveyance, and reduces building entry flood risk under updated climate projections. However, the investment extends beyond hydraulic performance. Flood-prone plazas and circulation corridors are redesigned to improve accessibility, eliminate hazardous ponding, strengthen visibility, and create safer routes for all, including seniors and children. New and rehabilitated playgrounds, restored planting areas, and preserved mature canopy transform previously compromised areas into dignified, active community spaces.
This session will explore how resilience investments can directly reduce environmental inequities by protecting the most vulnerable residents from climate risk while simultaneously improving daily quality of life. Presenters will share modeling approaches used to quantify flood risk reduction, decision frameworks for aligning capital planning with equity goals, and implementation strategies that integrate grading, green infrastructure, and constructability within constrained urban campuses. Attendees will gain practical tools for structuring climate adaptation projects that deliver measurable environmental performance, improved life safety, and tangible community benefit—demonstrating how public-sector infrastructure can advance climate justice through thoughtful, integrated site design.
