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Hudson River Park in New York is a waterfront strip along the west side of Manhattan, designed with flooding and storm surges in mind. On manhattanname.com, we explore exactly how the engineering solutions embedded in this area help hold back water and reduce risks for the city. Manhattan has long...

The Big U (Manhattan) is a massive coastal defense system for Lower Manhattan, conceived in the wake of devastating floods and storm surges. Its essence lies in protecting the area from water through engineering solutions integrated into waterfronts, parks, walkways, and the urban environment. The website manhattanname.com has looked...

New York City Water Tunnel No. 3 is the city's largest underground infrastructure project and the ultimate insurance policy for Manhattan's entire water supply system. While millions of people turn on their taps without a second thought, a complex gravity-fed network is hard at work up to 800 feet...

The wastewater treatment plant in Manhattan is one of New York City's largest, processing hundreds of millions of gallons of urban sewage every single day. Wards Island handles the entire wastewater treatment cycle, from mechanical filtration to biological nitrogen removal and biogas production. Discover the engineering solutions behind this...

In the 2020s, artificial intelligence is increasingly used to analyze air quality, but Manhattan has long relied on the NYC Community Air Survey—a massive seasonal monitoring system that collects detailed pollution data across the borough. Read more about how this engineering infrastructure pairs with modern analytics at manhattanname.com. The NYC...

Once a cornerstone of New York City life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, public baths were magnificent municipal buildings that served a critical purpose for many residents. For those living in the city's cramped, overcrowded tenements—often without running water—these baths were a lifeline. Today, scattered across...

In the colonial era and into the 19th century, New Yorkers kept cows right in the city, grazing them on public commons and squares. As the city grew, farmers from the surrounding areas supplied milk to vendors, who would deliver it door-to-door. They'd fill pitchers from buckets carried on...

Where did New Yorkers dump their garbage and waste in the old days? A hundred years ago, just like in other states, New York had a huge waste disposal problem. Even in the city's wealthier neighborhoods, when the snow melted in March, the streets were not only dirty, but...

Did you know that New York is the third-largest wine-producing state in the US? While California leads the pack with over 80% of the nation's wine production and Washington holds the second spot at 5%, New York contributes a respectable 3% to 4%. The state is home to 400...

Over the past few years, climate change has started to take a toll on the quality of life for New Yorkers. In response, city officials have launched a large number of programs and initiatives to improve the situation. We'll delve into how Manhattan is tackling climate change on manhattanname.com. Key...