CBH Talk | NYC’s Jewel Streets and the Hazards of Climate Change
For decades New York City has neglected a twelve-block area that lies on the border of East New York, Brooklyn and Lindenwood, Queens. It’s known as “The Jewel Streets” for the street names Ruby, Emerald, Amber and Sapphire.
Built on low-lying wetlands, lacking stormwater drainage and sewage infrastructure, every rainfall floods the area’s homes and turns the roads into rivers. Increased storms, an effect of climate change, mean residents have little escape from the endless emergencies and dank quality of life. The ever-present water and lack of sanitation explain the neighborhood’s other moniker, The Hole.
Now city agencies are finally responding to resident leaders and the activists from two local organizations: East New York Community Land Trust and Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. Together city, resident, and activist stakeholders are moving towards a vision for a resilient future, considering complex answers that involve stormwater mitigation, better sanitation, and the formation of a ‘blue belt.’
Join us as we explore their path to change and what it means for The Jewel Streets neighborhood, New York City as a whole, and urban areas across the country who are seeking engineering innovation in the face of climate change.
Moderated by Samantha Maldonado, climate reporter for THE CITY, the panel includes Debra Ack of East New York Community Land Trust; Sangamithra Iyer, Chief of Bluebelts and Urban Stormwater Planning at NYC Department of Environmental Protection; and two Jewel Streets resident leaders, Julisa Rodriguez and Mohammed Doha.
We begin with a screening of the short film Jewel Streets introduced by director Sarah Jacobson.
Climate Week
This event aims to build awareness of the threats of climate change and the ways they are being addressed in one corner of the city. It is presented in connection with Climate Week.
Participants
Debra Ack has been an East New York resident for over 30 years. She is Special Projects Coordinator at the East New York Community Land Trust, an organization that she has been a part of since its inception during the pandemic. Debra began working with The Jewel Streets residents in 2021 when she saw the condition that this forgotten neighborhood was experiencing. The activism that she has been a part of has led New York City agencies to come together to plan short and long term goals for the area. She is proud to say that there have been catch basins installed by the Department of Environmental Protection along with various clean-ups of illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles. This is only the beginning. There is much more work to be done for this community.
Doha (Mohammed Doha), is a professional contractor who purchased a lot with a 1920s house on Blake Avenue in “The Hole” in 2017. He invested time and money to renovate the property and add an extension, but unrelenting floods and misuse of nearby properties for construction equipment and debris ultimately drove him to leave. He now lives a few blocks away, with hopes to move back to the area someday. He has been involved in East New York Community Land Trust’s organizing since 2021.
Sangamithra Iyer is a writer, engineer, and environmental planner. She serves as Chief of Bluebelts and Urban Stormwater Planning for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. She loves collaborating with her team at DEP to design nature-based stormwater management systems that foster resilient communities, create vibrant ecosystems, and provide habitat for urban wildlife. Sangu is a licensed professional civil engineer who holds a B.E. in Civil Engineering from The Cooper Union, and M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College.
Samantha Maldonado is a senior reporter for the local nonprofit news outlet, THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development. She also teaches at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She previously covered energy, environment and transportation policy for Politico New Jersey and New York. Her reporting has appeared in the New York Times, the Associated Press and on CNN.
Julisa Rodriguez moved to “The Hole” as a newly married 21-year old, sixteen years ago. She and her husband are raising their two children on Sapphire Street, battling endless issues related to the area’s continuous flooding. After years of letter writing to government officials, three years ago Julisa became active with East New York Community Land Trust’s organizing efforts. She is one of the resident advocates on the south side of the community. She holds a MA from John Jay College.
Sarah Jacobson is a Brooklyn-based documentary editor and filmmaker. Her passion for storytelling lies in its power as an empathy-building tool. Her editing work has screened internationally and across the US at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, Full Frame, BAMCinemaFest and Telluride MountainFilm Festival. In 2017 she co-directed Have No Fear, (Visions du Réel, 2017) which follows activist and choreographer Adia Whitaker creating a new performance piece that teaches children how to avoid becoming victims of police brutality. Her most recent film, Jewel Streets, introduces viewers to a NYC neighborhood that is perpetually flooded with toxic water. Sarah was a 2016 fellow at the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio and is a current Karen Schmeer Editing Fellow.
For decades New York City has neglected a twelve-block area that lies on the border of East New York, Brooklyn and Lindenwood, Queens. It’s known as “The Jewel Streets” for the street names Ruby, Emerald, Amber and Sapphire.
Built on low-lying wetlands, lacking stormwater drainage and sewage infrastructure, every rainfall floods the area’s homes and turns the roads into rivers. Increased storms, an effect of climate change, mean residents have little escape from the endless emergencies and dank quality of life. The ever-present water and lack of sanitation explain the neighborhood’s other moniker, The Hole.
Now city agencies are finally responding to resident leaders and the activists from two local organizations: East New York Community Land Trust and Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation. Together city, resident, and activist stakeholders are moving towards a vision for a resilient future, considering complex answers that involve stormwater mitigation, better sanitation, and the formation of a ‘blue belt.’
Join us as we explore their path to change and what it means for The Jewel Streets neighborhood, New York City as a whole, and urban areas across the country who are seeking engineering innovation in the face of climate change.
Moderated by Samantha Maldonado, climate reporter for THE CITY, the panel includes Debra Ack of East New York Community Land Trust; Sangamithra Iyer, Chief of Bluebelts and Urban Stormwater Planning at NYC Department of Environmental Protection; and two Jewel Streets resident leaders, Julisa Rodriguez and Mohammed Doha.
We begin with a screening of the short film Jewel Streets introduced by director Sarah Jacobson.
Climate Week
This event aims to build awareness of the threats of climate change and the ways they are being addressed in one corner of the city. It is presented in connection with Climate Week.
Participants
Debra Ack has been an East New York resident for over 30 years. She is Special Projects Coordinator at the East New York Community Land Trust, an organization that she has been a part of since its inception during the pandemic. Debra began working with The Jewel Streets residents in 2021 when she saw the condition that this forgotten neighborhood was experiencing. The activism that she has been a part of has led New York City agencies to come together to plan short and long term goals for the area. She is proud to say that there have been catch basins installed by the Department of Environmental Protection along with various clean-ups of illegal dumping and abandoned vehicles. This is only the beginning. There is much more work to be done for this community.
Doha (Mohammed Doha), is a professional contractor who purchased a lot with a 1920s house on Blake Avenue in “The Hole” in 2017. He invested time and money to renovate the property and add an extension, but unrelenting floods and misuse of nearby properties for construction equipment and debris ultimately drove him to leave. He now lives a few blocks away, with hopes to move back to the area someday. He has been involved in East New York Community Land Trust’s organizing since 2021.
Sangamithra Iyer is a writer, engineer, and environmental planner. She serves as Chief of Bluebelts and Urban Stormwater Planning for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. She loves collaborating with her team at DEP to design nature-based stormwater management systems that foster resilient communities, create vibrant ecosystems, and provide habitat for urban wildlife. Sangu is a licensed professional civil engineer who holds a B.E. in Civil Engineering from The Cooper Union, and M.S. in Geotechnical Engineering from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing from Hunter College.
Samantha Maldonado is a senior reporter for the local nonprofit news outlet, THE CITY, where she covers climate, resiliency, housing and development. She also teaches at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. She previously covered energy, environment and transportation policy for Politico New Jersey and New York. Her reporting has appeared in the New York Times, the Associated Press and on CNN.
Julisa Rodriguez moved to “The Hole” as a newly married 21-year old, sixteen years ago. She and her husband are raising their two children on Sapphire Street, battling endless issues related to the area’s continuous flooding. After years of letter writing to government officials, three years ago Julisa became active with East New York Community Land Trust’s organizing efforts. She is one of the resident advocates on the south side of the community. She holds a MA from John Jay College.
Sarah Jacobson is a Brooklyn-based documentary editor and filmmaker. Her passion for storytelling lies in its power as an empathy-building tool. Her editing work has screened internationally and across the US at festivals such as Sundance, SXSW, Full Frame, BAMCinemaFest and Telluride MountainFilm Festival. In 2017 she co-directed Have No Fear, (Visions du Réel, 2017) which follows activist and choreographer Adia Whitaker creating a new performance piece that teaches children how to avoid becoming victims of police brutality. Her most recent film, Jewel Streets, introduces viewers to a NYC neighborhood that is perpetually flooded with toxic water. Sarah was a 2016 fellow at the UnionDocs Collaborative Studio and is a current Karen Schmeer Editing Fellow.