New York is thinking about storm-proofing against the next Sandy: Good Idea!

The Dryline - BIG Teams Vision for Rebuild by Design from BIG on Vimeo.

Along with floodwaters and blackouts, 2012's Superstorm Sandy brought with it the sudden realization that New York City was highly susceptible to going the way of Atlantis in this age of global warming. Fortunately, there could be a plausible solution thanks to the Rebuild By Design competition, sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Presidential Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. The proposal selected from the entrants was submitted by architectural firm  Bjarke Ingels Group’s (BIG), and is titled "Dry Line." The design calls for a series of flood prevention features that include earthen berms topped with greenways in Battery Park, and a series of public spaces created under the elevated FDR Drive in Lower Manhattan. This idea involves a series of water-tight partitions hinged to the FDR's underside that would swing down and snap shut in case the East River overflowed its banks. It sounds complicated but seems doable and BIG has been awarded a $335 million grant to proceed. If you want to know more about Dry Line, check out BIG's cool video animation of how the plan would work.