Sandy

One year ago today Hurricane Sandy slammed into the New York metropolitan region after devastating many islands in the Caribbean. Nearly three hundred people died in the New York area as a result of the storm, and an estimated $68 billion of damage was done to communities in the region. In addition to this terrible toll, Sandy raised troubling questions about the future of cities in general and New York City in particular in the face of climate change. Today, one year later, questions about how to build urban resilience in the face of the multifarious challenges of climate change are much debated. What can we learn from post-Sandy reconstruction efforts about how to build more resilient cities? Contributors to this dossier, edited by Ashley Dawson, weigh in about the legacy of Hurricane Sandy.

The Limits of Local

Pamela Brown

  When Sandy’s waters finally receded, they left behind the devastation of lost lives and a mountain of debris. And they also exposed how a system of historic inequity perpetuates itself in real life, real time and real suffering. A … Continue reading “The Limits of Local”

The Fantasy of Disaster Response: Governance and Social Action During Hurricane Sandy

Max Liboiron and David Wachsmuth

  Governments make disaster plans. Between municipal, state, and federal level agencies, the amount of planning for potential disasters is enormous. But during Hurricane Sandy, plans that took several years and millions of dollars to produce were thrown out almost … Continue reading “The Fantasy of Disaster Response: Governance and Social Action During Hurricane Sandy”

The Battle Over Zone A

andrew ross

  Mayor Bloomberg’s appointment of Marc Ricks, a vice-president at Goldman Sachs, to the team overseeing the Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts was an early indication that the crisis might be used, in classic disaster capitalist fashion, to promote deregulation, reduce … Continue reading “The Battle Over Zone A”

After Sandy

Nicholas Mirzoeff

  The memories are very clear. I remember the transformer exploding. A flash of white. Purple, green and a neon pink. Then the lights go out. Cut.   I am on Rockaway Beach, beloved title of The Ramones for the … Continue reading “After Sandy”