…a design provocation inspired by urban ecological theory and emerging from the application of a Rights of Nature (R.o.N.) framework to urban governance, design, and policy. It seeks to contemplate, iterate, and ultimately resolve the question “What if New York City’s Waterways were recognized as legal entities?” at all scales of intervention across the city itself. The project is informed by global applications of R.o.N. frameworks, particularly the revolutionary legal standing given to the Te Urewera Ecosystem by the Tūhoe tribe in New Zealand.

What emerges is a governance system and radical coastal resilience proposals that approach urban design as a negotiation between natural and human rights; blurring the boundary between the two. The Coastal Commons’ right to shifting boundaries and health encourage an ecological understanding of urban form - allowing design interventions to transcend resilience and instead contribute to the ever-changing ecology of the Anthropocene.

This work is scheduled for presentation at the Academy of Fine Arts’ 11th Forum of Architectural Science, Transformations, in Vienna, Austria in December of 2025.