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As the world continues to gravitate towards urban areas we have the responsibility to reevaluate development with people, resilience and community in mind.

In the case of coastal cities, sea-level rise and associated storm surges add to the challenge of rapid urbanization. Among the multi-layered consequences of climate change, storm surges have become an increasingly unpredictable threat.

Motivated by the necessity to construct protective infrastructure; transformation presents unique opportunities to engage and connect with urban waterfronts, afford adjacent neighbourhoods access to community facilities, spur development strengthening local identity, and in many cases help cities bound to the latest smart city infrastructure.

We call this Leeway Urbanism. Leeway is the calm area created by a boat drifting leeward, away from the wind, literally and figuratively. It’s an area that opens new possibilities to rethink how urbanity operates in a space “between the existing city and the sea” protecting present urban assets. The word also has the connotation of providing an opportunity to repair something that is broken, a second chance, a moment of suspension of judgement, a space of tolerance and realignment of priorities.