Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency311Search all NYC.gov websites
Southern Manhattan
Southern Manhattan
Southern Manhattan Overview
Southern Manhattan, the coastal edge of Manhattan south of 42nd Street including all of Lower Manhattan, encompasses a number of neighborhoods and 190,000 residents. These neighborhoods are primarily residential with ground floor retail and commercial uses, except for Lower Manhattan which includes the historic financial center – the nation's fourth-largest central business district. The buildings and development reflect the high density of Manhattan with nearly all residential units located in multi-story buildings. This area also contains critical infrastructure and facilities (such as substations, transportation facilities, and hospitals) and plays the role of "hub" in multiple important regional networks (such as subways and vehicular tunnels). As a very brief overview of what happened during Sandy:
- Perimeter bulkheads provided protection against wave action, but the storm surge overtopped these bulkheads causing inundation
- Prolonged power outages impacted many more residents and businesses in the adjoining areas that were not directly impacted by inundation
- More than 40,000 housing units were located in areas of inundation, as were 6,500 businesses in 88 million square feet of space
- Closed businesses and transportation hubs in Manhattan – especially in Southern Manhattan – and facilities such as hospitals affected people from throughout the City
The Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency conducted ongoing briefings with elected officials, community boards, and community-based organizations in Southern Manhattan and held a public workshop in the area, designed to acquire feedback directly from the residents. You can read more about this public workshop by clicking on the link below: