The Future of the NYC Waterfront: Upper East River

*This event will be occurring as a live webinar. Registrants will be emailed a link to access the program.*

Edges & Centers
The Upper East River is one of the most dynamic waterways in New York City. It connects Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Northern Brooklyn, and contains several islands, including Roosevelt Island, which is home to a diverse community of its own; Randall’s Island, a center of recreation for the entire city; and Rikers Island, which is set for redevelopment in the coming years. The character of this area varies across waterfronts but has transformed over time to become a center of economic activity, as well as the focus of forward-looking development. It is, however, infamously hard to navigate between boroughs and islands. How can future development of these waterfronts drive better connectivity and create a truly global center of economic life?

In the final event in this series on the future of the NYC waterfront, a panel of experts including community groups representatives, development experts, city officials and environmental justice advocates will present their experiences working for and on projects that have and are continuing to transform the Upper East River. After the brief panel discussion, attendees will break into roundtable discussions, where they will have an opportunity to voice their own experiences and views about the future of the Upper East River and contribute to New York City’s next Comprehensive Waterfront Plan for 2020-2030.

Introductions by:
Michael Marrella, AICP, Director of Waterfront and Open Space Planning, NYC Department of City Planning
Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture

Moderator:
Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture

Panelists:
Adriana Espinoza, Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate Policy and Programs
Paula Kirby, Managing Director, Plaxall Inc.
Mychal Johnson, Co-Founder & Board Member, South Bronx Unite
Diana Allegretti, Director of Design & Construction, Cornell Tech

Roundtable Facilitators – Committee Volunteers:
Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture (Planning and Urban Design)
Jeff Dugan, Principal, Dattner ARCHITECTS (Transportation and Infrastrcuture)
Yutaka Takiura, AIA, Associate Professor, Pratt Institute (Planning and Urban Design; Diversity and Inclusion)
Amanda Miller, Project Architect, Hoffmann Architects (Diversity and Inclusion)
Sheryl Owen, Senior Sustainability Manager, HSW (Committee on the Environment)
Justine Shapiro-Kline, Associate, One Architecture & Urbanism (Committee on the Environment)
Karim Ahmed, AIA, Principal, Reform Architecture (Design for Risk and Reconstruction)
Michael Woods, Senior Associate, Perkins + Will (Design for Risk and Reconstruction)

The Future of the NYC Waterfront – Program Series
This is the seventh and final 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 developed by the Waterfront Management Advisory Board. A partnership between the AIANY Planning and Urban Design Committee, the AIANY Committee on the Environment, the AIANY Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, and AIANY 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 experiences 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
8/25/20 – Th Future of the NYC Waterfront: An Equitable Waterfront
10/5/20 – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: Harlem River
11/9/20 – The Future of the NYC Waterfront: New York Harbor