New York City: the city where dreams are made. But until most get to their dreams they can only afford to live in low-income housing communities that are isolated from the rest of the neighborhood. To make matters worse, those housing communities are located in undesirable areas that are prone to violence, industrial toxicity, and flooding. The Dyckman Houses are located in a low-lying area of Inwood NY, adjacent to the East River. The existing ground plane consists of a flat terrain that would allow water to flood the housing complex, displacing many residents. And the “tower in the park” concept that it adapts, isolates the community from the larger Inwood neighborhood. How can we help them? This new Dyckman Urbanism creates new topographical typologies that act as a hybrid between storm water mitigation, shoreline remediation, and urban revitalization. It is a space for the community to come together and be connected while being resilient for future generations to come.
