Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program – Meeting 7

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the NSF Center for Smart StreetScapes (CS3) held its seventh Community Partners in Residence (CPR) Program workshop. The session was convened and led by Barbara Askins, president & CEO, 125th Street BID and Senior Advisor to CS3. The focus of this week’s workshop was on using AI-enabled systems to monitor and warn residents of environmental issues such as urban flooding. In a change of format, the latter half of the workshop was dedicated to presenting the needs of a CPR-associated organization, the 125th Street BID.

After opening remarks by Barbara Askins, Marco Tedesco, Professor of Columbia University, Climate Impact LLC, and CS3 Researcher, presented on flooding response using cameras and AI with a focus on developing a community-based approach. Prof. Tedesco began the presentation by establishing the importance of flood preparedness within the United States and globally, flooding is the most costly climate-related disaster by human lives claimed and economic damage. He emphasized the dangers posed by flooding in an urban setting, making a point to mention that mud and debris can mix into the water to make a flood more hazardous. However, he pointed out the fact that those most slowly evacuated, tend to be the most socially vulnerable due to a lack of resources and organizational incentive. While satellites and computer models are not optimal for capturing urban flooding at the scales needed for early warning and post-disaster management, clouds can blind satellites, models require a lot of data to construct. After explaining about these backgrounds, he raised a question: why is it important to collect data on urban flooding? He posited that it aids in the development of early warning systems, enables more accurate post-damage estimates (e.g., by helping inform parametric insurance policies,) helps delegate resources via more effective policy making. Also, data collection helps track the emergence of certain health-related issues and document the resilience of individual communities. In particular, the ubiquity of cameras, whose numbers are increasingly used on the streetscape with approximately 70M in use as of 2018, can be leveraged to collect data and monitor flooding. Marco introduced an AI-based flood monitoring system which detects flooding and measures water levels using camera feeds so this can be used to monitor which areas and MTA stations suffer from flooding most often, and to which degree of severity. He concluded his presentation by highlighting the importance of educating communities on the dangers of flooding.

Following Professor Marco’s presentation, CPRs engaged in a discussion about the potential for this technology and its applications within the Harlem streetscape. Topics included coping with rising sea levels, interior drainage projects, and the increasing resilience of certain communities post-Hurricane Sandy. The CPRs also touched on the urgent need to improve public education surrounding flood preparedness and the environmental dangers of storm water runoff.

CPRs proceeded to breakout sessions and discussed the contents of Prof. Tedesco’s presentation. Many participants commented on their newfound awareness of the frequency and severity of flooding, particularly within the New York City area. Several seemed excited regarding AI systems for tracking flooding, and there was common agreement that people, particularly those in vulnerable communities, should be prepared or made aware about the dangers that flooding poses. Some suggested issues that could be solved using the technology presented – enhancing awareness of flooding, determining where greenspaces should be built to hold and clean water runoff, and marking out the best locations to designate as evacuation centers in the event of a major flood. There was a pervasive sentiment that more funding and expertise should generally be dedicated to an issue as pressing as flooding.

Final remarks delivered by Prof. Tedesco made note of issues with using commercial cubesats for urban flood detection, as well as the development of auditory notification systems to assist people with vision impairments become aware of ongoing flood events. He concluded with a friendly offer to lend his support for events to educate the public on the dangers of flooding.

The next presentation was delivered by Barbara Askins, President and CEO of the 125th Street BID. Ms. Askins presented on the specific needs of the 125th Street BID and what the organization hopes to gain from the application of novel streetscape technology. Ideally, the technology would “activate the streetscape,” providing expanded opportunities for pedestrians and shoppers along the street’s business district to express themselves and become immersed in the area’s heritage. Now would be an especially appropriate time, given the recent expansions of several retail drivers–namely Whole Foods and AMC Theaters–into the region. Efforts already underway include interactive “smart” trees, adorned in lights and speakers, which try to bring people out onto the streets at night as a deterrent to criminal activity.

However, several issues still plague the area and make drawing customers–in particular visiting customers–to the street difficult, such as drug use and dealing, unregulated street vending, and vandalism. This leads into Ms. Askin’s main point: is there any technology that can help alleviate these problems or engage pedestrians and expand 125th Street’s entertainment and cultural impact? Digital signage could provide locations dedicated to pedestrian engagement, and the aforementioned smart trees are undergoing modification to integrate internet-based interaction, as well as methods to deter people from vandalizing them.

A brief discussion amongst the CPRs followed the presentation. Suggestions to improve the situation on 125th Street included exploring ideas similar to a “window-swap” or “golden shipping container.” The former refers to a system of cameras connecting locations through the internet which allow visitors to see the alternate location’s streetscape, while the latter is in reference to a program which sets up golden shipping containers with a screen and camera inside to show the view from a twinned container in another city elsewhere in the world and vice versa.

The workshop concluded with the selection of two new community presenters for the next meeting, as well as a brief discussion on distribution of materials of the Accelerator program.

CPR workshops are invite-only. If you are interested in attending a workshop or learning more about CS3’s community engagement process, please contact our team at streetscapes@columbia.edu.