New Jersey, and many other states, will always remember the damage done by Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. But Sandy is also the reason experts are coming up with new ways to reduce storm damage. One such business, SCAPE Landscape Architecture, is working on not only reducing, but reversing the damage from rising water levels.
On this episode of One-on-One with Steve Adubato, the show host speaks with Pippa Brashear; the planning principal of SCAPE Landscape Architecture as well as the project manager at Living Breakwaters. She is also a leading expert on resilience planning and climate adaptation. The two discuss how SCAPE creates positive change by combining regenerative living infrastructure and new forms of public space. For instance, their portfolio includes a range of projects from pocket parks in urban areas to large ecological landscapes.
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Scape Landscape Helps Reduce Storm Damage
Meanwhile, Living Breakwaters is a concept design from the SCAPE team, which includes Brashear. A breakwater is a coastal structure that protects the area from the effects of weather and longshore drift. They are useful for coastal management, but most often serve to protect anchorages.
“The (Living Breakwaters) project is located on the southern tip of Staten Island,” says Brashear. “It was really pummeled by waves during Sandy. Our Living Breakwaters project [is] a system of offshore breakwaters. Each of the individual breakwaters range from about 300 feet long to 450 feet long, and they are spaced along the shoreline to really protect it from the most damaging waves.”
Brashear further explains that the Staten Island shoreline is gradually eroding. In fact, the island – which holds numerous homes, businesses, and public spaces – is losing its beach. This is especially troubling, because beaches serve as the first line of protection from storms.
Want to learn more about the Living Breakwaters project and the work SCAPE is doing? Check out this edition of One-on-One with Steve Adubato.
After that, click here for more stories that impact New Jersey.
Top (Hero) Photo: © One-on-One with Steve Adubato / Caucus Educational Corporation
