EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY PROJECT FEATURED IN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

National Geographic’s January 2026 issue spotlights the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project in an article that explores how cities are rebuilding in the aftermath of natural disasters. ESCR, which stretches along the East River in Lower Manhattan, is highlighted as a successful example of a coastal protection project that also functions as social infrastructure, with new areas for relaxation and recreation such as dog runs, sports fields, picnic areas, grassy lawns, and other public amenities. Reporter Jeff Wise toured East River Park – a quarter mile stretch of ESCR – with BIG NYC Associate Jeremy Alain Siegel, who serves as ESCR’s project director. Emerging from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rebuild by Design competition in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, ESCR is designed to protect and improve the resiliency of 110,000 New Yorkers and critical infrastructure. The 2.25-mile project area includes elevated parks, flood barrier walls and gates, and a system of “bridging berms” to help protect the adjacent neighborhood from future storm surge and rising sea levels.