From Introduction,

 

"The coming years present a pivotal moment in the history of our planet. Carbon neutrality is no longer a best-case scenario for the next decades, but an absolute necessity if we hope to slow climate change. As global leaders negotiate a deal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, we as designers must prepare for drastic change in the built environment. It is widely understood that it is too late to prevent any sea level rise in the coming decades. According to NASA, “Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 8 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.” Humans have pumped too much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is too late. That said, there is still hope. We must work quickly and boldly if we hope to mitigate future impacts of climate change, designing our cities to not only save ourselves, but also the planet.

This re-imagining of the American city investigates complex infrastructural shifts while also considering the socio-cultural impacts of a changing way of life. These futures, at times strange and absurd to the average citizen, explore what it means to live in a rapidly changing environment. No longer can we continue to live as we once did. Instead, a new way of community building, economic development, and daily life must occur to adapt to the critical threat the rising sea level presents to our communities.

The climate crisis is a vast and complex problem, one which quickly forms a web of other complicated and seemingly unanswerable questions. Through the explorations to come, we have focused in on a few key factors in re-imagining the coastal city. These include an increase in severe weather, a rise in sea level of up to 5 meters, and shifting climatic conditions. What is not fully considered are some of the tertiary effects of these environmental shifts, including but not limited to a spread of disease, food scarcity, and refugees. Instead, through a series of eight audacious case studies, we can begin to more fully understand the possibilities of such a vast undertaking. This collaborative effort of thirty-two students serves as a framework for the future of determining the fates of coastal communities. Only through intensive teamwork, discussion, disagreement, and resolution can we hope to find innovative and ideas. Though this case study of collaborative design efforts has taken place over a very short period of time, we can only hope that future collaboratives will continue to explore and expand upon the ideas within this volume.

We believe that the creation of the city of tomorrow is dependent on the forethought and imagination of designers today. We believe that climate change must be dealt with boldly, and that reactionary methodology is no longer enough to save coastal communities. We believe in the power of design, data, and imagination to create a more equitable, just, and environmentally aware future. Global leaders must decide here and now, will we sink or swim?"

 

Greg Keeffe, M.S AAD students

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Through a series of Provocations, Sink or Swim aimed the students of Cornell Fall 2021 Studio to develop eight Propositions regarding a series of strategies to confront the Sea-Level Rise in the East Coast of the United States. Beyond our imaginary, these solutions raise questions about how cities will become new landmarks in a post-natural disaster, testing the efficiency of housing solutions or the material and collective response to face such challenges. 

The Book was presented in the last Spring 2022 Launch Event at Milstein Hall by Visiting Professor Greg Keeffe and Eduardo Teran on behalf of the M.S AAD class. 

Editors:

Greg Keeffe

Eduardo Cilleruelo Teran

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Revision:

Connor Yocum

Valentina Haro

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Authors:

Noor Abdulkhaleq,

Klytaimnistra Avgetidou

Sijia Chi

Hyun Jun Cho

Jin Kyung Cho

Eduardo Cilleruelo Teran

Yang Du

Xinyue Geng

Valentina Haro

Lulin He

Jason Huang

Shhrruti Jain

Mingfeng Jiang

Ohjin Jo

Minjae Koo

So Min Lee

Tongbi Li

Haotian Ma

Thakan Navapakpilai

Eric Peters

Phasit Rattanachaisit 

Sampriti Sheth

Aubrey Sterling

Weijia Sun

Haoyuan Wang

Xingyao Wang

Yunqin Wang

Ziqi Wang

Chuyi Wu

Fanghong Xu

Connor Yocum

Xiaobai Zhao

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Institution:

Cornell University

AAP, Fall 2021 Studio

Greg Keeffe

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Printing:

ISBN: 978-0-9972602-6-7
Cornell Print Services, Cornell University.

Ithaca, NY 14850

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