Creating Equitable Access with the Lily Pad Neighborhood Mobility Hub

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 accentuated the vulnerabilities of low-lying communities to extreme hydraulic events. However, Sandy also made it clear that these vulnerabilities were not equally experienced. Communities on the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, New York, were particularly devastated by Hurricane Sandy with more than 1,000 structures destroyed and 10 ft of storm surge flooding the area and recovery continues to this day. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these vulnerabilities with significant impacts on employment. The Lily Pad is the study of a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) prototype mobility hub program to address these vulnerabilities. The mobility hub’s goal is to promote climate change impact readiness and inform government agency operations and maintenance such as NYCHA’s. This was an NSF planning grant. This paper will focus on the first goal of the planning grant which is, through the use of community engagement and data gathering, the creation of feasible pilot mobility programs to connect the community, neighborhoods, and vulnerable populations with affordable housing, jobs, and critical services.