NEWS

eDD’s Founder, Franco Montalto, was named one of three co-chairs on the esteemed panel of nineteen to help address New York City’s resilience in the face of climate emergencies. The fifth NYC Panel on Climate Change (NPCC5) is an independent advisory body that synthesizes scientific information on climate change and advises city policymakers on local resiliency and adaptation strategies that protect against extreme heat, heavy rain, coastal storm surge, and other climate hazards. Their research and findings will continue to inform the Adams administration’s ongoing efforts to ensure that New York City is prepared for the impacts of climate change.

Read the full Press Release from the Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice here>

We are honored to have recently received an American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Honor Award for Analysis and Planning for our work on Sojourner Truth State Park!

eDD served as the lead ecological consultant to complete a comprehensive evaluation of the 520-acre former industrial zone and limestone quarry in Kingston, NY, on the western banks of the Hudson River for the client, Scenic Hudson. eDD, in cooperation with two partners — the lead designer, The Olin Studio, and Hudsonia — conducted an ecological and hydrological site survey to determine the role that site hydrology and subsurface conditions play in supporting existing habitats. eDD mapped habitats, soil, and surface water observations and prepared a natural resource inventory to inform priority recommendations for habitat preservation and restoration. eDD completed an FQA (Floristic Quality Assessment) for the final master plan which included recommendations for a range of interventions to enhance ecological, recreational, and educational benefits on a local scale while also addressing the site’s larger role in the Hudson River Estuary and negotiating park maintenance, cost, and various site users.

Images are from our slide presentation of this project. 

eDD’s Managing Partner, Eric Rothstein, spoke at the 2024 National Conference for the American Society of Landscape Architecture on Sunday, October 6th, in DC. His session, “Rewilding a Post-industrial Landscape: A Story About Diversity,” was presented with Heather Blaikie, ASLA, PLA, of ScenicHudson.org, and Marni Burns, ASLA, PLA, of TheOlinStudio.com.

They explored how regenerative processes of unique ecosystems, in a 520-acre quarried landscape with a mile of Hudson River shoreline, can be amplified as a model for bolstering biodiversity in the transformation of a large-scale post-industrial site to deliver inclusive community gathering spaces within a framework of interpretation and recovery.

Read about the specific learning outcomes of their presentation here>

Click photos to enlarge:

eDesign Dynamics is proud to be the natural restoration designer on this job featured in the New York Times — the transformation of an abandoned industrial site into an ecological waterfront park in a part of Norwalk, Connecticut called Manresa Island.

Read the full article here>

As part of the 4^th NYC Panel on Climate Change (NPCC4), EDD President Franco Montalto’s  role was to co-lead (with his colleague Dr. Bernice Rosenzweig of Sarah Lawrence) a working group that would develop the first ever detailed report on flooding in NYC. Dr. Montalto used his recent Sabbatical to help to finalize the report, which was published this week as a peer reviewed publication of the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

“I am particularly proud,” said Montalto, “of the section on Flood Risk Management that focuses on possible solutions.”

Among the various authors, note the contribution of Drexel CAEE Doctoral Student, Nirajan Adhikari, whose research in Montalto’s lab focuses on flooding, and is a co-author on the report.

Click here to scan the full report>

eDesign Dynamics (EDD) gave a tour of the Javits Center Green Roof to practicing engineers on the afternoon of August 14th, 2024. The tour featured EDD President Franco Montalto, PE, PhD, who has led multiple research projects through Drexel University discerning the hydrological and habitat benefits offered by the nearly 7-acre green roof, one of the largest in the United States.

Construction is underway on the Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavers (PICP) that eDesign Dynamics designed for capturing runoff in The Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Once constructed, the PICP practices will manage up to 50,000 gallons of runoff per rain event, reducing wet weather flows to the City’s combined sewer system.  The New York Times recently covered some of this work — specifically our Pond Sensor and the Permeable Pavers that facilitate stormwater resilience.

EDD’s Theo Barbagianis (in the blue hat in the pics below) was excited to join Green-Wood Cemetery staff and funder NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation recently on a tour of EDD-designed green infrastructure projects!

Read the NYTimes mini-story with additional pictures here>

EDD’s Eric Rothstein and Nicholas Parisi recently participated in a community design charrette in Culebra, Puerto Rico. EDD serves as the engineering lead on a Technical Assistance team helping community organizations prepare designs for EPA Community Change Grants. EDD’s designs will focus on the ecological restoration of vulnerable shorelines, preservation of critical mangrove and intertidal habitats, and the preparation of island-wide resiliency strategies for climate change adaptation.