As New York City grapples with increasingly severe rainstorms and flooding, experts emphasize the urgent need for proactive measures to counteract these climate-induced challenges.
Recent weather events highlight the city’s vulnerability; in mid-July, New York recorded its second-wettest hour ever when over two inches of rain fell in Central Park within just an hour.
The days following this deluge revealed the alarming predictions of exacerbating rainfall due to climate change, recently confirmed by further torrential downpours that inundated parts of the city.
Among the numerous strategies proposed, one stands out as particularly promising: the concept of universal daylighting, which can significantly repurpose curb space into rain gardens.
With over 70 percent of New York City composed of impermeable surfaces, much of the rainfall cannot be absorbed by the ground—this includes city streets that amount to a staggering 32,000 acres, which is nearly equivalent to 40 Central Parks.
This substantial allocation of roadways is not just detrimental to the environment; it fails to serve the needs of the city’s residents, particularly since more than half of households in New York City do not own personal vehicles.
Moreover, nearly two-thirds of New Yorkers rely on means other than driving for their daily commutes, making the case for repurposing portions of this vast street space even more compelling.
Cities like Philadelphia and Hoboken have already showcased the potential of transforming impervious areas into green infrastructure.
Philadelphia’s initiative to “green” 837 acres over five years led to a remarkable reduction of over 1.5 billion gallons of stormwater and combined sewer overflow annually.
Likewise, Hoboken has successfully expanded rain garden usage citywide, proving that New York can replicate such success effectively.
Rain gardens, which can each hold up to 2,500 gallons of water, offer an excellent solution for stormwater management while using the existing spatial resources of the city’s roadways.
However, the primary challenge lies in securing space for these installations. Currently, New York City does not benefit from universal daylighting as cities in most U.S. states do due to a loophole that allows the city to exempt itself from state laws that prohibit parking within 20 feet of crosswalks.
This loophole not only hinders the establishment of safe pedestrian zones but also limits the accessibility of valuable curb space for rain garden development.
The impact of this issue is profound, as New York City boasts nearly 3 million on-street parking spaces—more than any other U.S. or comparable global city.
Despite the densely populated urban environment supporting a significant populace of transit riders and walkers, the existing curb space continues to be primarily reserved for parking.
To address this, substantial reform in the city’s approach to curb management is essential.
A proposed City Council bill, Intro. 1138, seeks to rectify this situation by removing New York City’s exemption from state daylighting laws, thereby unlocking curb space for rain gardens.
This bill has received broad bipartisan support, reflecting the growing acknowledgment of its need amidst an escalating climate crisis.
As extreme weather events show no signs of abating, the bill’s timely passage by Speaker Adrienne Adams could pave the way for the development of vital green infrastructure to assist in flood prevention.
In a metropolis where land cannot be created anew, it is imperative for New York City to rethink its use of existing streets by converting impermeable surfaces into green, permeable ones.
Without the adoption of universal daylighting, the vision of building scalable green infrastructure to address severe storms and flooding will remain unattainable.
As the climate crisis intensifies, city leaders must act decisively to protect New Yorkers and create a more resilient urban environment.
image source from：citylimits
