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 1

 On Saturday, March 15th we began our tour of Rotterdam, a vibrant international city on  water in the Netherlands. I say "on water" because much like Red Hook, Rotterdam is a waterfront  community. The city lies below the sea level which causes frequent floods, making water management work very necessary for the residents of Rotterdam. The traditional solution to this issue has always been the building of a levee, inclines, or dams but this has never been enough. Over the years the people of Rotterdam decided that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting  the same results was insane so they began to think of ways they could do things a little differently. As our tour began I noticed all the similarities that connected this small province in The Netherlands with our little Red Hook Corner of Brooklyn. 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROTTERDAM

Cycling in Rotterdam

Our journey started at a local Rotterdam bike shop where we rented bikes and learned that a large amount of the population finds cycling to be an efficient and preferred mode of transportation. Our tour guide made frequent stops on the bike route so we could take in all Rotterdam had to offer.We biked past City Hall and the Main Square. Apparently architecture in the city of Rotterdam is fairly recent due to the bombings that occurred during the 2nd World War when everything was reduced to rubble and needed to be re-built. It was an extremely memorable experience, cycling past the post modern architecture and viewing some of the more romantic gardens and scenic paths.

Cubed Houses

On one of our stops we witnessed some very interesting housing complexes being built to face the local market and personalized by local artists. Behind the complex were cubed shaped houses that only certain people (with flexible balancing organs) could live in without feeling a constant nausea! These unusual but intriguing housing options were just the beginning of the innovative developments that we would experience while here in Rotterdam. 

As we continued our ride we began to approach a floating fixture that I soon learned was called 'The Floating Pavilion'.

 THE FUTURE OF FLOATING CITIES

The Floating Pavilion set up for an event

When my group and I were led inside the futuristic structure by our tour guide we were instantly impressed with how sturdy it felt. The Floating Pavilion was a project designed by a group of students studying at a Rotterdam university and backed by DeltaSync, a company specializing in floating urbanization. The student's designs became reality when they won a contest which proposed the task of constructing a floating city. The pavilion was designed and constructed in one year and when complete it gained a lot of attention. Apparently some major companies in Rotterdam were seeking new ways to promote economic development as well as innovative ideas and functions in port areas.Understandably after all that had been lost they wanted to keep their historical significance as a port city. 

The Pavilion is primarily used for conferences, meetings, and small events but is built to be 100% self sustaining and if a major flood were to occur it would be the safest place to go because it moves with the tides and rises with the water. The idea was for the city to live in harmony with the water and not fight against it and thus, floating urbanization proved to be more adaptive than the traditional approach of building dikes (man made hills) and barriers. The building is made from various materials like steel, very light cushion-like glass, and concrete. It also features a dome shaped roof, is cost efficient, and can assist in re-capturing nutrients from waste water. In the future it could even be protected using ecological restoration (reefs) and encourage natural marine habitat in surrounding areas. The goal was to one day make an entire floating city that would not only be efficient but also productive. Their presentation was very impressive! I began to imagine the IKEA superstore floating on water and all the economic and social benefits such innovative ideas could bring to the community of Red Hook.

This project shows that floating structures of all varieties can be built, prove effective, and feasible.

Rotterdam was the first city to introduce floating structures in urban development and I for one was appreciative of the effort they put into protecting their city knowing the increased risk of living near the water. It became clear that with support and funding along with the collective effort of invested parties, Rotterdam would be prepared if there was another flood, storm, or both. This was the kind of innovation and protective measures that would be taken in Red Hook and anywhere else where there is a similar threat of major natural disaster if it were up to the non profit organizations like Red Hook Initiative. Unfortunately, non profits and community workers often struggle for funding and support unless there is some major eye opening natural disaster that needs to be immediately addressed.

I struggled to think of a solution to such a complex flaw in our system. 

Luckily...

This was only the first day of our week long tour.

Stay tuned for the second day...I am positive it's only going to get better from here!

The Life of a New Yorker Goes to Holland!

Welcome to The Life of a New Yorker (.com), a blog that previously focused on all New York all the time. I am very excited to inform the readers of this blog that we are going to branch out of the usual NY events, venues, and artists to explore a special week long segment. An amazing opportunity  to visit The Netherlands has been presented to me and thus,
THE LIFE OF A NEW YORKER GOES TO HOLLAND!

Everyday for the next week I will be updating and keeping you all informed with what I've been learning and experiencing while in Amsterdam and Rotterdam (small city near Amsterdam).

I know you are all wondering how did I end up here in Europe. Well let me explain;

I work for the non-profit organization, Red Hook Initiative (RHI) which is based in Red Hook, Brooklyn and specifically caters to the people of that community. Their mission statement: "RHI believes that social change to overcome systemic inequities begins with empowered youth. In partnership with community adults, we nurture young people in Red Hook to be inspired, resilient, and healthy, and to envision themselves as co-creators of their lives, community and society."

As a Social Justice Fellow (SJF) I am learning to engage the community, promote resiliency and self sufficiency in Red Hook, as well as develop and improve my organizing skills. Below is a video that features some other organizers and gives a little insight into what I do..

SO HOW DID YOU GET TO EUROPE???

You are all still wondering I'm sure. 

Jherelle B, Tony S, and Alisa P. of Red Hook Initiative

On Friday, March 14th my supervisor and I were sent by RHI to join other organizers and a group of Pratt University students to embark upon a week long tour that would teach us about all the resiliency and flood protection methods that are being implemented in Rotterdam (which lies dangerously below the sea level). Of course with the recent tragedy of Hurricane Sandy which devastated the community of Red Hook, this work becomes more than relevant and absolutely necessary.
I hope you will find this segment of The Life of a New Yorker to be both entertaining and informative. Until next time, I will be learning, growing, and giving back to the community while living the ever changing and exciting Life of a New Yorker!