The East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project is part of NYCDDC’s overall Coastal Resiliency PM/CM contract and is a coastal protection initiative funded by the City of New York and the federal government. The project focuses on reducing flood risk due to coastal storms and sea-level rise on Manhattan’s East Side from East 25th Street to Montgomery Street.

Melissa Johnson Associates has developed the community and stakeholder outreach strategy for the construction phase of the ESCR project, building off of the planning engagement process to position NYCDDC’s project team as a reliable community partner helping to create a more resilient Lower East Side. During construction, the project team will collaborate with Lower East Side stakeholders to ensure consistent communication throughout construction. The goal of the outreach strategy is to ensure that stakeholder needs and concerns are addressed by the project team.

The outreach strategy includes a variety of tactics designed to work together as part of an open, accessible, and transparent construction project that creates engaging and interesting collaborations and empowers the community through an ongoing and cyclical outreach process. Tactics include the development of a community information center, project-specific website, a public inquiry management tool, school programs, info sessions, interactive kiosks, a local art program, planned media interviews, social media, and a local-hire employment program.