The Harlem River is a tidal straight that flows 8-miles between the Hudson and East Rivers, separating Manhattan and the Bronx. The river passes throughout some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, but historically its waterfront has been largely 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 ecology of the river and its waterfront. 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 panel includes designers, community groups, developers and environmental justice advocates who will present their experiences working for and on projects that 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:
Michael Marrella, AICP, Director of Waterfront and Open Space Planning, NYC Department for City Planning
Moderator:
Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture
Panelists:
Dr. Marcha Johnson, ASLA, Ecological Staff Architect, NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
Majora Carter, Real Estate Developer, Urban Revitalization Strategy Consultant, Majora Carter Group
Karen Argenti, Board Member, Bronx Council for Environmental Quality
Annel Hernandez, Associate Director, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance
Round Table Facilitators:
Diversity & Inclusion / Planning & Urban Design
- Casie Kowalski, Project Manager, Andrea Steele Architecture
- Jay Valgora, AIA, Principal, STUDIO V Architecture
Committee on the Environment
- Susan Kaplan, AIA, Principal, BuildingWrx
- Justine Shapiro-Kline, Associate, One Architecture & Urbanism
Design for Risk and Reconstruction
- Karim Ahmed, RA AIA, Principal, Reform Architecture
Transportation and Infrastructure
- James Wright, AIA, Director of Advocacy, AIANY T+I Committee
The Future of the NYC Waterfront – Program Series
This is the fourth 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.