9. The Hills Will Make Governors Island (and New York City) More Resilient to Storms

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The part of Governors Island where The Hills are now used to be super flat, created as mentioned earlier, from the landfill excavated from the Lexington Avenue Subway. On top of that, there were 2,200 parking spots on this site.

The Hills, Hammock Grove and the Play Lawn are more than just great public amenities. These feats of landscaping will help the city be more resilient to storms through the raising of the landscape, the plantings that will help absorb stormwater, and the engineering that will help retain the water from storms. The landscaped topography has been raised to anticipate sea level rise in the year 2100 and has lifted tree roots away from the projected 100-year flood line. And back to parking, there are now just 20 spots left here.