Image Credit: Cameron Blaylock/Rebuild by Design
THE NYS ADAPTATION & innovation awards
As extreme weather becomes more common, New York needs community-led solutions that help neighborhoods adapt and stay strong. The NYS Adaptation & Innovation Awards celebrate projects and programs that help communities and natural areas prepare for these challenges. The awards are part of the NYS Adaptation Practitioners’ Network’s work to support collaboration, build skills, and promote effective strategies for climate adaptation. Our goal is to inspire communities across New York State to create resilient infrastructure that improves quality of life by reducing risks, enhancing public spaces, and supporting community well-being.
To review nominations, the NYS Adaptation Practitioners Network brought together a panel of experts in design, ecology, outreach, architecture, and advocacy. They scored projects based on innovation, multiple benefits, and community involvement. The judges also looked at how well each project reflected the Network’s shared Principles of Resilient Infrastructure.
We’re excited to recognize four outstanding projects in 2024—and we invite you to explore the full “Built to Inspire” project library.
2025 WINNERS
WINNER SMALL COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE: Ausable Freshwater Center
The East Branch Restoration Plan restores the East Branch Ausable River, addressing decades of damage from 19th-century logging. Thirteen science-based projects improve stream health, reduce erosion, and boost flood resilience for nearby communities. Climate-ready culverts, riparian habitat recovery, and native plant propagation also support long-term ecological health and hands-on learning opportunities.
LOCATION: Town of Jay, NY
WINNER LARGE COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE: ECOncrete & Field Operations
Hudson River Park’s 5.5-acre Gansevoort Peninsula transforms a former sanitation pier into Manhattan’s first public beach and salt marsh, creating a new model for resilient urban shorelines. The park integrates recreation, art, and ecology with features like a multi-use ballfield, boardwalks, tidal pools, and David Hammons’ Day’s End sculpture. Native dunes, reef balls, and oyster habitats enhance biodiversity and buffer against flooding, while new waterfront “get-downs” bring visitors closer to the river. Gansevoort Peninsula now serves as a living laboratory for climate adaptation and urban ecology along New York’s waterfront.
LOCATION: New York City, NY
WINNER CLIMATE ADAPTATION PROGRAM: Long Island Community Coalition/Hunters Point Community Coalition
The Hunters Point North Vision Plan for Resiliency is a community‑led blueprint to transform the East River waterfront in northern Hunters Point into a more resilient, equitable, and connected neighborhood. It was developed via a series of public workshops, a community site walk, and stakeholder engagement beginning in late 2023 and culminating with its release in May 2024. The plan’s core goals are to proactively address climate risk, strengthen ecological and infrastructural resilience, and support long‑term social and economic vitality for the area.
LOCATION: Long Island City, NY
WINNER MID SIZE COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
The Cayuga Creek Stream & Floodplain Restoration, led by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and partners, transformed a degraded, channelized creek by rerouting it through its historic floodplain and protecting 30 acres of land. The project reduces chronic neighborhood flooding, improves water quality, and restores diverse habitats using native plantings, root wads, riffles, and vernal pools. It remains the only floodplain reconnection project of its kind in Western New York, shaped through extensive community engagement and long-term stewardship planning.
LOCATION: Niagara, NY
BUILT TO INSPIRE: MORE NYS PROJECTS WE ADMIRE
INTERIM FLOOD PROTECTION MEASURES
New York City, NY
VILLAGE OF SLEEPY HOLLOW CLIMATE ACTION PLAN
Village of Sleepy Hollow, NY
FAR ROCKAWAY LIBRARY
Far Rockaway New York City, NY
FLOOD RECOVERY FUND
BLUE WATER TASK FORCE
Rockaway Beach, New York City, NY
ADIRONDACK AQUATIC ORGANISM PASSAGE PROJECT
Westport, NY
MALT DRIVE PARK
Queens New York City, NY
COMMUNITY CLIMATE AND HEALTH AMBASSADOR YOUTH INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
Bedford Stuyvesant, New York City, NY
CLIMATE STRONG COMMUNITIES NYC
New York City, NY
GOWANUS LOWLANDS
Gowanus New York City, NY
GREEN-WOOD STORMWATER PROJECT
Brooklyn New York City, NY
LIVING BREAK WATERS
Staten Island New York City, NY
RESTORATION OF OUR HUDSON RIVER SALTWATER MARSH
Yonkers, NY
PLANT PELHAM NATIVE
Pelham, NY
SHOREFRONT PARK LIVING SHORELINE AND STREAM RESTORATION
Village of Patchogue, NY
NYCHA SOUTH JAMAICA HOUSES CLOUDBURST PROJECT
South Jamaica New York City, NY
OASIS POP UP
Various Locations New York City, NY
SOUTH BATTERY PARK CITY RESILIENCY PROJECT
South Battery Park City Resiliency Project br />
SOUTH BRONX RESILIENCY HUBS
South Bronx, New York City, NY br />
ROCKLAND PLANNING & LAND USE WITH STUDENTS
Rockland County, NY
NEIGHBORHOOD TREE PLANTING
New York City, NY
WEST POND LIVING SHORELINE
Jamaica Bay, New York City, NY
RESILIENT SCHOOLS & COMMUNITIES CONEY ISLAND
WELLESLEY ISLAND WILDLIFE CROSSING AND ROAD REALIGNMENT
Jefferson County, NY
thanks to our partners
