1 Sustainable Systems Exchange: Nyc | Puerto Rico
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SPRING 2019 SPRING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: 1 NYC | PUERTO RICO ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SPECIAL THANKS TO UPROSE Elizabeth Yeampierre Lourdes Pérez-Medina PUERTO RICO Juan Fernandez Mariangelie Ortiz, Vuelta del Dos en Palomas Alexandra Llegus Santiago, La Maraña Sofia Unanue, La Maraña Marisol Plard Narváez, La Perla Eugenio Ramírez Ballagas, EIDA Maria Gabriela Flores Kearns, EIDA Cynthia Burgos - López, ENLACE Carlos Muñiz - Pérez, ENLACE Barnat Tort Ortiz, Junte Gente Shariana Ferrer-Núñez, Colectiva Feminista Vanesa Contreras, Colectiva Feminista Juan Carlos Rivera Ramos, PAReS Pedro Adorno, Agua, Sol y Sereno Cristina Vives, Agua, Sol y Sereno Tara Rodriguez Besosa, El Departamento de la Comida Vero Quilles, El Departamento de la Comida Manuel Bermúdez, Manuel Bermúdez Aquitectos Mariela Bravo, Manuel Bermúdez Aquitectos Malu Blazquez, Reimagina Puerto Rico Moreno Sanchez, Antiguo Ancón de Loíza NEW YORK CITY Tom Jost, Sherwood Design Engineers LES Ready Raymond Figueroa Jr. Karen Washington Megan Marini, 3x3 Design Judah Asimov, Rockaway Waterfront Alliance Noah Ginsburg, Solar One STUDENTS Isil Akgul, Sustainable Environmental Systems Hannah Anousheh, City and Regional Planning Mariah Chinchilla, City and Regional Planning Lidia Henderson, City and Regional Planning Kaila Wilson, City and Regional Planning FACULTY Leonel Lima Ponce, R.A. LEED GA Gita Nandan, R.A. LEED AP COVER PHOTO: Leonel Ponce BOOK DESIGN AND LAYOUT: Isil Akgul SPRING 2019 SPRING Image 1.1. A Beach in Loiza. Photo by Mariah Chinchilla. 4 SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: NYC | PUERTO RICO TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ABOUT THE EXCHANGE 8 KEY FINDINGS 11 II. PUERTO RICO CONTEXT 14 ORGANIZATIONS 22 III. NEW YORK CITY CASE STUDIES 68 IV. CONCLUSION 91 SOURCES 93 SPRING 2019 SPRING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: 5 NYC | PUERTO RICO ABBREVIATIONS Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture ACSA Agua, Sereno y Sol ASYS Bachelor of Arts BA Citizens Advisory Committee CAC Community Development Block Grant CDBG Community Development Block Grant Recovery Program CDBG-R Community land trust CLT Community Supported Agriculture CSA Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Arquitectura EIDA Environmental Protection Agency EPA Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment GCPE Light-Emitting Diode LED (Lower East Side (Manhattan, New York City LES Non-Governmental Organization NGO New York City NYC New York City Community Energy Cooperative NYCCEC New York City Community Garden Coalition NYCCGC New York City Economic Development Corporation NYCEDC Puerto Rico PR Puerto Rican Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act PROMESA ReImagina Puerto Rico RePR Request for proposals RFP Request for quotations RFQ Rockaway Waterfront Alliance RWA Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice SNEEJ Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths STEM Transitional Inhabit Module TIM University of Puerto Rico UPR SPRING 2019 SPRING 6 SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: NYC | PUERTO RICO SPRING 2019 SPRING Image 1.2. Sunset in San Juan. Photo by Mariah Chinchilla. SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: 7 NYC | PUERTO RICO CHAPTER I: ABOUT THE EXCHANGE In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on infrastructure. Our technical ability to mitigate risks Climate Change (IPCC) stated that “Limiting global posed by climate change and disasters continues to warming will require far-reaching and unprecedented expand. Concurrent to these natural disasters are changes” to human behavior (Wood, 2018). “We are social ones, as social, political and economic disparities already seeing the consequences of 1°C of global are exacerbated over time and lead to inequitable warming through more extreme weather, rising sea and insufficient networks of public services. These levels, and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other systems, prevalent in disaster-prone locations such as changes,” said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of one of the New York City and Puerto Rico, continue to be stressed IPCC working groups. The fall of 2017 was evidence to their limits by climate events. of this, with four major hurricanes in the Atlantic and In March 2019, a group of five students traveled to a total of $306.2 billion in property damage, breaking Puerto Rico as part of the NYC-Puerto Rico Sustainable the previous cost record of $214.8 billion in 2005 Systems Exchange with professors Leonel Ponce (NOAA, 2019). Puerto Rico was in the eye of Hurricane and Gita Nandan. The course explored how frontline Maria in September 2017, and the devastation caused communities most affected by these crises in Puerto approximately three thousand deaths, severe power Rico and New York City meaningfully contribute to their outages for months, diminished water-supplies, caused climate-resilient development and show alternate paths food shortages across the islands, and thousands of that allow our cities to thrive through future challenges buildings were critically damaged. Similarly to New posed by climate change. Pratt GCPE students York City (NYC) and the impacts of Superstorm Sandy prepared case study research in NYC prior to travel and in 2012, these disaster events revealed more than just documented information about a series of organizations a frail infrastructure system but magnified systemic and programs that planned for coastal, ecological, power imbalances and a lack of reliability of the existing and social resilience. The program collaborated with governmental and socioeconomic systems. There is a network of grassroots community organizations, a critical power balance to be addressed during the public corporations, and NGOs in Puerto Rico. The Pratt rebuilding of Puerto Rico, and these planning efforts GCPE program was facilitated by organizations such can only be successful when led by local residents and as UPROSE BK and Our Power PR NYC. Furthermore, frontline organizations. The potential for extraction local advocates, planners, and designers contributed and exploitation, increased economic dependence, and to the research. Students explored ways to produce greater poverty looms large as funds are distributed functioning, healthy, thriving, inclusive 21st century and rebuilding projects are undertaken. But another urban systems that ensure cycles of just recovery from response emerged in the wake of these storms, as disasters, and just transitions toward regenerative recovery efforts demonstrated the powerful and infrastructural ecologies. This report summarizes the innovative spirit of communities. Networks of local case studies, provides parallels and contrasts between grassroots groups working for self-reliance and self- NYC and Puerto Rico’s infrastructures and responses determination have coalesced to build alternative to climate change. Pratt GCPE looks forward to future models for a more resilient and just Puerto Rico, collaboration and support of local grassroots initiatives built by and for its people. Climate change and the in both Puerto Rico and New York City that are working resulting increased frequency of hurricanes, droughts, toward equitable and community-led just transition floods, fires, and other disasters have galvanized strategies for climate-resilient, and regenerative the development of distributed, environmentally infrastructural ecologies. SPRING 2019 SPRING sustainable and regenerative systems to vulnerable 8 SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: NYC | PUERTO RICO Image 1.3. Picture of the Class during the Trip in Antiguo Ancón de Loíza. The trip and writing took place just before and concurrent to the island-wide massive protest movement that removed Governor Rosselló and has established a stronger people’s political empowerment. Photo by Gita Nandan. SPRING 2019 SPRING SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: 9 NYC | PUERTO RICO SPRING 2019 SPRING Image 1.4. One Year After Hurricane Maria, Still Living Under Tarps. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/photo-essays/2018-09-20/one- year-after-hurricane-maria-still-living-under-tarps 10 SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS EXCHANGE: NYC | PUERTO RICO KEY FINDINGS WHAT WE LEARNED Proven preferential treatment given to US mainland citizen investors and entrepreneurs to “cash in” on The scope of Puerto Rico’s current economic crisis a slew of tax breaks and including paying zero capital The exacerbating impact of Hurricanes María and gains tax and zero tax on interest and dividends sourced Irma to Puerto Rico (Klein, 2018). The social, political, and environmental factors that Meanwhile, access to capital to native Puerto Ricans contributed to the post-Hurricane situation remains sparse, difficult to achieve and, most times, The difference in the response to Hurricane María out of reach. from the federal government of the United States and There is new pressure on local businesses due to a the Puerto Rican local government mass exodus of local workers and dwindling labor force. The actions and responses from frontline communities to rebuild and recreate Puerto Rico ORGANIZATIONAL FINDINGS The necessity of community participation and leadership during the response and recovery process Organizations such as Proyecto Enlace and La The racial and indigenous segregation that Maraña incorporate long-term community planning reverberates throughout the island, and the through their recovery and mitigation efforts. consequential cultural memory and heritage projects Organizations such as El Departamento de la Comida, which groups like Ancon de Loiza and Agua Sereno y la Colectiva Feminista En Construcción, and Junte Sol are working to heal and bring attention to Gente