POSTPONED – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: Harlem River

*This event has been postponed. A future date will be provided shortly.*

Equity + Ecology

The Harlem River is a tidal strait that flows 8 miles between the Hudson – and East River, separating Manhattan and the Bronx. The river passes through some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, but its waterfront has historically been fragmented by industry and transportation infrastructure, cutting off access to the surrounding communities. In recent years, a coalition of community groups and organizations have advocated for projects that improve the equity and equality of the river. It is now transforming into a community asset, with a system of projects popping up along the Manhattan and Bronx shorelines, improving public access to this vital piece of open space.

This diverse panel of “Harlem River experts” includes designers, community groups, ecologists, and environmental justice advocates who will present their experiences working for and on projects that have and are continuing to transform the Harlem River. After the short panel, attendees will break into round-table discussions, where they will have the opportunity to voice their own experiences and views about the future of the Harlem River to contribute to NYC’s Next Comprehensive Waterfront Plan for 2020-2030.

Introduction by:
Brendan Pillar, AICP, Deputy Director, Waterfront and Open Space Planning, NYC Department of City Planning

Moderator:
Jay Valgora, AIA, AICP, LEED AP, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture; Member, AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee

Panelists:
Dr. Marcha Johnson, ASLA, Ecological Staff Architect, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Karen Argenti, Board Member, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality
Jalisa Gilmore, Research Analyst, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance

Round Table Facilitators:
Planning and Urban Design:

• Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture
• Jeffrey Ulrich, AIA, Director of Planning + Urban Design, Hill West

Committee on the Environment:

• Susan Kaplan, AIA, Principal, BuildingWrx
• Justine Shapiro-Kline, Associate, One Architecture & Urbanism

Diversity and Inclusion:

• Casie Kowalski, Project Manager, Andrea Steele Architecture

Design for Risk and Reconstruction:

• Karim Ahmed, RA AIA, Principal, Reform Architecture

Transportation and Infrastructure:

• Jeffrey Dugan, AIA, Principal, Dattner Architects

The Future of the NYC Waterfront – Program Series
This is the third program in a series of forums on the future of the NYC waterfront planned through 2020 to conduct outreach to inform the NYC Comprehensive Waterfront Plan: Vision 2030 through the Waterfront Management Advisory Board. Through a partnership between the AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee, the Committee on the Environment, the Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, and Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, this Waterfront Taskforce Initiative is critical to providing a platform for architects and design experts in New York City to express their points of view and experience working on the city’s waterfront.

Other Events in the Series:
10/21/19 – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: The Lower East River
11/14/19 – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: Jamaica Bay
01/14/20 – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: Hudson River