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Urban Shoreline Design and Ecology on Brooklyn’s Waterfront

JUNE 23, 2016--Restoration of diverse habitat in urban environments has the potential to provide ecological, recreational, cultural and economic benefits from areas that have been for too long cut off from other parts of cities.


Enhancing natural habitat in urban environments reduces fragmentation, increases open space, creates heat refuges, and provides educational and outreach opportunities. On June 17, OR&R attended a cycling tour of hybrid shoreline designs that incorporate wetlands, tide pools, and other shallow-water habitats. The tour, An Urban Shoreline Design and Ecology Tour of Brooklyn’s Waterfront, organized by the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program (HEP), brought together about 20 participants representing NGOs, governmental agencies, landscape architects, scientists and sociologists to view the Brooklyn waterfront, past and present, and talk about opportunities for incorporating ecological design and public access into a working waterfront. Constructed small scale freshwater wetland, saltmarsh, tide pools, beach, and living dock were among the design alternatives observed.

For more information, contact Lisa.Rosman@noaa.gov.

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Group pf people standing on a dock.
Participants in the Urban Shoreline Design and Ecology Tour of Brooklyn’s Waterfront. (NOAA)
Man standing on a grassy area; cityscape and water in background.
Matthew Urbanski speaking at a Brooklyn Bridge park salt marsh. (NOAA)
Last updated Tuesday, November 8, 2022 1:49pm PST