Tackling Urban Flood Through Green Infrastructure
Queens, New York City, USA
By Socheata Chey
flood, rain gardens, green infrastructure, stewardship, civic engagement
This project promotes green infrastructure stewardship in Queens via incentive-based programs and local collaboration.
My project will address urban flooding issues impacting vulnerable neighborhoods in New York City through Green Infrastructure Stewardship. It aims to propose an incentive-based program in collaboration with city agencies like the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the local intermediate organizations to engage more residents to steward their local rain gardens. Queens will be my selected borough since it has the most vulnerable populations and green infrastructure assets.
In order to understand the current and future conditions of flooding, I downloaded the NYC Stormwater Flood Maps from Open Data, which allows me to access a Stormwater flood map with current, 2050, and 2080 sea levels. That allows me to see where the flooding issues are in the city.
Then I downloaded the Green Infrastructure data sets from NYC Open data to create a GI assets map overlay with all the flood maps above to see whether this stormwater resiliency planning initiatives has been proportionately implemented in Queens. It seems like there are some areas got more prioritization than others for instance Jackson Heights, Flushing Northeast, and Forest Park.
I had an interview with the DEP Green infrastructure planner, she told me that there are certain vulnerability criteria that the capital funding would prioritize. For instance, the neighborhood with low income level, historical flood impact, race, and other urgent needs in the community. I downloaded household income data from Nhgis and NYC shapefile to create household income map to see the differences between each neighborhood. It seems like the area that got prioritized are in a relatively low household income range from $50000-$10000 a year.
Queens has the highest concentration of immigrant communities among New York City’s boroughs, as evidenced by its low percentage of U.S.-born residents. This demographic diversity highlights the presence of numerous immigrant populations who contribute significantly to the borough’s cultural and social fabric.
I created the race map using U.S. census data from NHGIS to see which race predominantly resides in Queens. Understanding these demographics allows me to understand the diversity and cultural nuances before developing inclusive strategies that resonate with different cultural groups, fostering broader participation and a stronger sense of community ownership.
By identifying areas with high concentrations of renter-occupied versus landlord-occupied buildings, these map helps target outreach efforts, tailor communication strategies, and design programs that address the unique needs and challenges of both groups. This ensures a more inclusive and effective approach to fostering community participation and sustainable stewardship practices.
I went to DEP website to see the data of existing stewardship across the city. It seems like very few rain garden has been taken care of by the local community. The remaining are relying on the DEP to afford to maintain them which is the issue that I hope to address.
This map shows the existing intermediary organizations and high schools that identified as potential partners for the incentive-based stewardship programs. They serve as community anchors, providing established networks and trusted relationships that can enhance program outreach, engagement, and implementation. Collaborating with them will ensures the program is rooted in local contexts, fostering greater participation and long-term impact.