Students, executives, academics, and practitioners came together for panels, networking, and interactive workshops throughout the day. Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, WEDG spoke on Panel 1 – Informality, Infrastructure, and Integrating Climate Response, where panelists from both the public and private sectors discussed growing challenges, valuable case studies, effective policies, and first-hand experiences.

Erik Fang, FAIA, AICP, moderated this timely panel discussion, co-organized by AIA New York’s Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee and Planning and Urban Design Committee, bringing together Hillary Brown, FAIA, and Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, WEDG, Nautilus' President, to explore how the built environment can support equitable, place-based responses to climate-driven relocation.Read more about the event…

This exciting program on Financing Resilient and Equitable Waterfronts: From Standards to Strategy explored how resilient design, equity-driven planning, and innovative financing are redefining sustainable waterfronts. The program began with a guided site tour from 5-6 pm of Hunters Point South highlighting WEDG’s core criteria – resilience, ecology and access – followed by a high-level panel discussion and networking from 6-7:30 pm.

This event examined how design standards can reduce risks, unlock investment, and deliver long-term results. Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, WEDG, helped narrate the site tour and spoke on the panel about our work in Hunters Point, at South Battery Park City, and around the world. Click here for more information.

As climate change continues to present new and evolving challenges, communities are taking proactive steps to ensure their future resilience. Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, spoke on Grassroots Resiliency: How NYC Coastal Communities are Taking the Initiative to Build Equitable and Resilient Waterfronts at the American Planning Association NY Metro Chapter’s annual conference on October 16, 2024. For more information, please visit https://www.nyplanning.org/

Why would taxpayers spend $52.6 billion on coastal protection against flooding for the NY-NJ Harbor if it only protects against storm surge and doesn't address the multiple threats of rising sea levels, groundwater emergence and increasingly severe rainfall? Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, moderated a dynamic discussion on "The Future of Flooding: How to Revise the Army Corps of Engineers' Study" in December, 2023 at the Center for Architecture, New York. The video is now available at AIANY.org.

The event covered new developments such as the August 2023 letter to NY's governor raising concerns by 38 NY legislators, the bi-partisan letter to the Corps signed by 12 members of Congress from New York and New Jersey in September 2023, and recent action by NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation. NYS DEC has officially begun a process requiring the Corps to undertake a multi-hazard assessment, engage with waterfront communities through a more substantive public participation process, and supplement their earlier Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

The program was sponsored by the American Institute of Architects New York (AIANY) Chapter's Design for Risk and Reconstruction Committee, and included speakers representing a consortium of 25 organizations who came together during the study under the title of 'Get the NY/NJ Flood Plan Right.'

For a more detailed description, please click here.

Pictured above: South Battery Park City Resiliency Project under construction. Photo by Nautilus International, August 2023

Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken AIA, moderated the New York Climate Exchange Walking Tour on Governors Island sponsored by the American Planning Association NYMetro Chapter Waterfront Committee.

The United Nations 2023 Water Conference brought people from around the world together in New York City to explore global challenges facing water-related sustainability goals in March 2023. As part of this historic event, the Waterfront Committee of the American Planning Association’s NYMetro Chapter (APA-NYM) and Cornell University’s AAP (Architecture Art Planning) Program co-sponsored a program of three interconnected events on Lower Manhattan resiliency.

As Co-Chair of the APA-NYM Waterfront Committee, Bonnie A. Harken AIA, Nautilus’ President, hosted the overall program, Lower Manhattan Resiliency: Predictions, Progress and Plans. In addition, Ms. Harken led a walking tour of resiliency projects in Lower Manhattan, where Nautilus has been working as part of the AECOM team on the South Battery Park City Resilience Project. For more information, please click here.

As part of the UN 2023 Water Conference official side events, Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA was honored to speak as a respondent at "Water & Socio-Ecological Justice", a high-level meeting to share insights from the conference and gain support for its Water Action Agenda with action-based initiatives. This event was part of The United Nations of Rivers, Deltas and Estuaries programs on March 23, 2023 at the Center for Architecture, New York. For more information, please click here.

The United Nations of Rivers, Deltas and Estuaries held additional events throughout NY Water Week. Nautilus' President, Bonnie A. Harken, AIA, was also honored to speak at their "Methodological Workshop" on March 19, 2023 at the Bernard & Anne Spitzer School at the City College of New York, CUNY. This event brought together international experts from many different fields to explore the multi-layered challenges of the world’s water bodies. For more information, please click here.

NBC Nightly News highlights resiliency planning at Battery Park City in their special 2020: The Year of Climate Extremes. Nautilus is working on the first segment of this innovative project as part of a team with AECOM (shown at 1:30 minutes). Watch video clip…

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