Walking the waterfront - an exploration of flood infrastructures in New York City

“Walking the waterfront - an exploration of flood infrastructures in New York City” is a photographic exploration of New York City’s waterfront. In response to the transformations observed along the way, the project investigates the impact that different types of flood infrastructures have on the landscape. Thus, it questions the complementarities and frictions arising from the coexistence of varied strategies for flood-risk reduction.

Although representing only a fragment of the vast waterfront, the work aims to display the principal types of flood infrastructure deployed in New York City. The resulting photographic tapestry is based on intensive research and a typology of flood-mitigation systems, ranging from floodwalls and elevated parks to oyster reefs and restored wetlands.

The linear sequencing of the images conveys the experience of walking along the waterfront. It invites the viewer to explore the continuities and divides, uses and voids, materialities and ideas that shape this unique geography.