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Inspire With a Model Block

The design and implementation of a model block could encapsulate shared goals for living in a sustainable, equitable, and resilient community and serve as a template for development in Red Hook and beyond.
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What a Design and Implementation of a Model Block Could Do

The power of detailed, specific examples to inspire and educate should never be underestimated.

Incorporate new building technologies

Accommodate existing building stock

Provide an appealing and practical framework for living and working in the area

Demonstrate to residents and commercial interests how smart design can create urban spaces that preserve the livable, attractive, affordable character of a neighborhood and make the neighborhood more sustainable and resilient in the face of threats like floods.

Starting from the bottom, the ground floor of the model block would need to be flood-proof, yet still open to street life. To accomplish that goal, the model block will need to be mixed use and provide microretail on the ground floor to activate the street level.

Eco-friendly Plans

New construction in Red Hook will provide flood-resistant buildings for living and working while contributing to street life at the same time.

Waste heat ›

Waste heat from small manufacturing facilities could be captured to warm neighboring residences, while roofline photovoltaic arrays generate shared power for a local micro-grid.

Repurposed rooftops ›

Repurposed rooftops could be made green with urban farms and gardens, promoting a measure of food self-sufficiency but also, more importantly, greater social involvement and natural beauty.

Sidewalks ›

Sidewalks could be reshaped into more inviting spaces with wider setbacks that offered room for walking, green space, and drainage.

Model Block Next Steps

Once plans for the model block were in hand, further publicity and outreach to landowners and developers could emphasize that these plans and supporting documentation would be made available for them to adapt to their own projects. The implementation of the plans as a realized model block of sustainable development could be pursued if stakeholders wished to do so.

If the template for the model block catalyzed sustainable development throughout Red Hook, it could be counted as a success.

Explore the Solution

Habitat | Model Block

Source: Terreform ONE

Decentralized Energy

Self-sufficient and sustainable resources employed to increase energy efficiency and greater resiliency.

Public Green Spaces

Repurpose rooftops with urban farms and gardens for food security and community engagement.

Social Community Programs

Creation of a Center for Job Training and Human Services program for a more stable local economy.

Multi-use Development

A consortium of civic minded organizations with shared goals for living in a sustainable, equitable and resilient community.

Ideas for Reshaping Red Hook

These ideas represent an approach to solving problems of resiliency and sustainability that coastal cities around the world can adapt to their own needs.

Rekindled Hopes for Red Hook ›

The Red Hook Innovation District is a $400 million project that would renovate 12 acres in the heart of Red Hook into multi-use structures that would preserve the neighborhood's traditional red-brick industrial look while adding public plazas and park space.
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Establish a Network of Green Corridors ›

Green corridors are an opportunity to transform and reinvigorate neighborhoods like Red Hook by enhancing circulation, absorbing or channeling runoff from rainstorms, and enabling the growth of vegetation.
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Create a Coastal Park ›

The goal of the Red Hook Coastal Park would be to provide a softer edge that offers views and recreation as well as protection.
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SPREAD THE WORD

Share this project to make others aware of the proposed solutions for coastal cities like Red Hook.

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