Sea-Level Rise Threatens NYC Housing and Tall Buildings

According to a new report by the Regional Plan Association, NYC’s housing shortage could grow to 1.2 million homes due to rising sea-levels, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) reports. As flood-prone land becomes increasingly unbuildable, new reports show that more than half of the 82,000 homes at risk are located on Long Island, with additional vulnerability found in parts of Brooklyn, Queens and cities along the Long Island Sound. In 2023, CTBUH completed a study on sea-level rise and the potential impact on shorelines across the globe, analyzing 23,156 of the buildings in its database that were completed, under construction or proposed buildings within 100 km of a coastline. As of January 1, 2022, CTBUH focused on 200-m-plus buildings, finding that 70% of the 2,005 buildings of 200 m or taller, or 1,399 buildings, are within 100 km of a coast and therefore in danger of rising sea-levels.