Challenge

How can you inform New Yorkers about the water surrounding their neighborhoods? What do they need to know to be safe and healthy while living and recreating on and near the water?

Solution

Create data visualizations for each neighborhood in the city. Show how this data compares to their borough and to the city as a whole. Clearly show risk levels for flooding and water toxicity.

Result

User data and feedback will be analyzed over the next 12 months in a continuous feedback loop.

There is nothing like a spreadsheet to make your eyes glaze over. The biggest issue with data is making it accessible—showing people what is important and giving it context. The Harbor Scorecard was created to make complex data about New York‘s water easy to understand and access.

New York City has over 520 miles of coastline, yet until Superstorm Sandy, its residents did not think of themselves as living in a waterfront community. The Waterfront Alliance wanted to provide important data to people—data such as public access, ecology, and resiliency for a neighborhood-by-neighborhood evaluation of our region’s waterfronts.

More than 400,000 New Yorkers face a 50 percent risk of a major flood by 2060.

The Scorecard highlights some surprising facts. More than 400,000 New Yorkers (more than the entire population of New Orleans) face a 50 percent risk of a major flood by 2060. Compounding the problem, more than 40 percent of those at risk face substantial social or economic barriers to recovery. And despite being a city of islands, there is only one boating access site for every four miles of New York City waterfront. When measuring water quality, nearly one quarter of all water samples failed EPA safe swimming standards in 2015, with more than 17 billion gallons of raw sewage discharged into the waterways in a relatively dry year.

We can—and we must—do better. The Scorecard will allow you to articulate what you need to improve your waterfront. Share it with your neighbors, your local Community Board, and with your elected officials. If you use the Scorecard—and we hope you do—let us know what you think.

The Scorecard will allow you to articulate what you need to improve your waterfront. Share it with your neighbors, your local Community Board and elected officials.

Visit the Waterfront Alliance Harbor Scorecard

400K

New Yorkers are at risk for a major flood

25%

Of all NYC harbor water samples fail safety tests

One

access point for every 4 miles of waterfront

Waterfront Alliance Scorecard web development by MANYFOLD