Rob Pirani Highlights the Need to “Lose Control to Sustain Nature” in New The Nature of Cities Roundtable
New York City’s shorelines support productive habitats, but they also face limited space, competing needs, and a long legacy of hardened infrastructure built to support transportation, industry, and development.
In a new The Nature of Cities roundtable, NY – NJ Harbor & Estuary Program Director Rob Pirani reflects on the trade-offs shaping the future of urban waterfronts. He explores how living shorelines and other nature-based approaches can restore ecological function through better materials, forms, and design—from textured concrete and tidal terraces to offshore reefs and living breakwaters.
Rob argues that these approaches are only part of the solution. Creating more space for dynamic shoreline ecosystems may also require cities to rethink the desire for permanent control and make room for change over time, helping create more space for both people and habitat as climate risks grow.
