The Life of New Yorker Goes to Holland Finale

The 6th and final day of our Rotterdam tour was an emotional one. We came together as community leaders, staff, and students to recap, discuss, and engage one last time on the RDM Campus. Even though we were heading to Amsterdam the following morning it felt as if an important part of our journey was coming to an end. We learned so much and built some solid relationships with the professors, students, and guides in Rotterdam through international exchange.

Closing Session on RDM Campus

Connecting Delta Cities Chart during final presentation

Our final presentation took place in the auditorium of RDM Campus where our large group combined with various professionals and students of Rotterdam. It was a perfect summary of everything we had learned and even expanded further on that knowledge by explaining the existing connection between the Delta Cities, which included Rotterdam, Hong Kong, and New York.

The Panel

Community Leaders participating in panel discussion at closing ceremony

During the discussion panel the leaders were able to express their gratitude, speak about what happened during Hurricane Sandy, the roles their organizations play in the community on a daily basis, and recap what they learned on the tours.I think this was an integral part of the program which at times was very technical and lacked the community aspect of it all. Having ground knowledge was crucial in providing necessities and keeping communication with the residents in the community during a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy. This panel I felt opened up a different perspective coming from the voice of the people in each represented community organization in NYC.

Red Hook Initiative (RHI) was represented by Alisa P. and Toni S. on the panel. They introduced themselves and spoke about youth programs such as the Digital Stewards and the Social Justice Fellows which are granting more opportunities and empowering the young people in the Red Hook community every day. The representatives from Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) and Rockaway Water Front Alliance, who were also gravely affected by Sandy, sat alongside Toni and Alisa representing their own communities and speaking of their individual daily challenges. It felt like there was a bond or sort of kinship that developed from this willingness to come together for a common goal and share stories and pertinent knowledge with each other.

My personal favorite part of the closing ceremony was the comparison segment between the two cities. Apparently, while Rotterdam has been on top of Urban Re-development and major projects to improve climate resilient infrastructure in their city, NY has been improving upon community affairs and crisis management which is something even the people of Rotterdam agree they could improve upon. To further drive this point we all participated in an exercise where all the community representatives from NY raised their hands to show the drive and dedication as well as community presence. On the other hand when it was time for the community leaders and representatives from Rotterdam to raise their hands an uncomfortable silence spread across the room as no one raised their hands. This was an excellent point made to show that both Rotterdam and NY were making moves to make more resilient communities and adapt to climate change. Connecting the Delta cities and exchanging information was a major step in the mission and I was very proud to be part of it. 

Check out the Students of Pratt Institutes's blog to relive the adventure from the prospective of urban planning students: http://ramprotterdamx.tumblr.com/ 

I am honored to have been the chosen young adult representing Red Hook Initiative in The Netherlands. Information was exchanged, relationships were built, and I grew as a person as well as a community organizer after this experience. It was my first time ever in Europe and I never imagined I would be there to make a difference in this world by giving back to my community. It was all thanks to a place I consider to be a safe haven, a support system,  and the beacon of hope in my neighborhood.

Thank you, Red Hook Initiative!!! 

 rhicenter.org/‎

The Life of a New Yorker goes to Holland Day 2:

Sunday, March 16th marked the 2nd day of our informational tour of Rotterdam. The representatives of Red Hook Initiative (including myself) along with Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES), Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, and the students from Pratt Institute studying urban planning, met the bus promptly at 8:00am that would take us to our first stop on the tour.

THE FLOOD OF 1953

Harbor in Rotterdam, Netherlands 2014

After introductions took place on the bus we all settled into our seats and enjoyed the facts occasionally given to us by our tour guide, a Dutch native. We learned that the purpose of the many hills and inclines that we drove past were to serve as a traditional means of flood protection. The people of Rotterdam built many flood barriers, levees, and Katrina like structures to protect themselves from the overwhelming threat of death by water. In the devastating flood that hit The Netherlands in 1953 every last protection measure previously taken proved fatally ineffective and more than 1,800 people lost their lives. Man made dikes (hills) have never been enough. With the economical and cultural shift now happening in Rotterdam and more and more people choosing to live on the waterfront, now is the time to embrace innovative and new ways to protect the city from this constant threat.

I believe the community of Red Hook is experiencing a similar shift in culture and economy with gentrification and all the new businesses being developed. I also strongly believe that achieving sustainability is integral to our survival if and when another natural disaster occurs.

Photograph of house consumed by water during flood of 1953

Volunteer board featuring volunteers from
flood of 1953 - 2013

Much like Red Hook (and essentially any other community in New York City) The Netherlands needed a lot of organizing, fundraising for relief efforts, and volunteers to all come together and get their city back up and running normally. I cannot stress enough the importance of community work. It is essential to improving and maintaining the quality of life for all residents living in that area. Hurricane sandy did not have anywhere near the same capacity of death or damage as the flood of 53 however, it was similar in that it was quite devastating, unexpected, and the people were hopelessly ill prepared.

Watersnood Museum

We arrived at the famed Watersnood Museum where we learned even more interesting things about Rotterdam. For instance, after the flood of 1953 they placed 4 large caissons (structures used in underwater work) in the breach where the barriers broke and began recovering and rebuilding the city. The museum was created in 2001 and originally only occupied one of the caissons. It was very important that people pay homage to all those who died in the flood. The museum was very successful and eventually expanded to all four caissons. Equipped with pictures, names, and tons of information about all the villages in The Netherlands that were affected by the storm, their mission is to remember, to learn, and to look ahead.

Artwork Inspired by the flood

What stood out the most when it came to the museum was that it was not only this impressive display of historical items but also a very personal memorial that was extensive and must mean a great deal to the people of Rotterdam. The first Caisson contained all the factual information about the flood while the second Caisson was all about the emotions of the people. There were stories of  families with new born babies fighting to escape their homes in time and noble soldiers risking their lives to save a single horse. There was a very interesting installation in Caisson Two where the names of over 100 people who were either survivors or somehow connected with the flood scrolled across a touch screen and when touched an audio voice tells their story. While the artwork, words, and pictures inspired by the tragic event were mostly in Dutch, it was all very touching and just reiterates the notion that our lives and our homes are precious and need to be protected.

We continued touring the museum passing through each caisson which were all connected. Caisson 3 is dedicated to reconstruction and features the machinery, houses, agriculture and infrastructure that were used during the rebuilding process directly after the flood. The fourth and final Caisson is dedicated to the future and all the new innovative projects that Rotterdam has been undertaking in order to protect the land while managing to capture and store the water efficiently.

THE BARRIERS

Oosterschelde Barrier in The Netherlands

After walking through the entire museum, the group and I returned to the bus and headed to our next location. There were multiple discussions on the bus between the students, professors, teachers, organizers, and tour guides about the sustainability of waterfronts and the importance of working with the water because it is after all beneficial to the economy of waterfront communities just as it is dangerous. Our minds were bubbling with all this information and this was only the 2nd day! 

 The next stop on our tour was the Delta Project Storm Surge Barrier. The 'Oosterschelde' is apparently "without any doubt, the most impressive storm surging structure of the Netherlands" (according to their website). My group and I were able to actually go inside and learn all about how this barrier works and was constructed.

The barrier was constructed using strong and solid materials like steel and is made up of multiple layers. The bottom layer protects from erosion and supports the entire structure. Building it was a complex process that involved the strongest self designed floating crane positioning individual parts of the barrier. The gates of the barrier are left open so that the natural habitat behind it would not be affected. The gates are closed when severe storms combine with rising water levels and the risk of flood is increased. It took about 7 years to complete this massive structure but I think the people of The Netherlands would agree it was well worth it. So far the barrier has not been breached by the water and proves to be the most efficient flood protection measure taken thus far.

We also visited the 'Maeslant' barrier which we learned was economically and structurally different from the Oosterschelde. Firstly, it is more efficient for navigation and the economy because it does not stop the boats and ships from coming through and conducting their business. The design for this barrier was also chosen because it was cheaper and slightly easier to maintain. Something like this would work efficiently in areas like the Gowanus Canal where everyday functions could be carried out while the barrier is used only when needed. During Hurricane Sandy such a structure could have been highly effective in controlling the overwhelming amount of water that flooded Red Hook.

Currently there are around 100,000 people working in water management in the Netherlands. The people pay for these safety measures through taxes but also gain a more resilient, safe, and sustainable community while the work of water management creates more jobs and benefits the economy. I was just as impressed as I was on the first day of the tour with their innovations and technoligical advances. Having not only one but several innovative developments like these barriers while providing jobs is a great way to make a community more resilient. This would especially be effective in a community where unemployment is prevalent. By the end of the tour I was very eager to learn more of their society and how their community leaders played a role in the representation of the residents.

 Tomorrow brings another day of tours and a whole new set of useful information!
Stay Tuned!