Boat Graveyard Waterfront Resiliency Park Proposal

Could the pairing of a new waterfront park with an existing boat graveyard create a dual-layered defense against future storm surge on the west shore of Staten Island?

Boat graveyards are valuable evidence of our nation’s maritime legacy that could have an unexpected co-benefit as wave breaks during a storm. Also, after decades of disintegration, abandoned ships create habitat for aquatic species when they sink into their surrounding mudflat ecology. We could think of them as unintentional reef structures!

Floodable, absorbent, waterfront parks are the perfect secondary layer of defense against storm surge. Parks can be built to serve as a cushion for rising waters and waves, and parks are the best place to appreciate the grit and entropic beauty of a boat graveyard!