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To most visitors, Hobokens ResilienCity Park might look like a normal (if rather upscale) park, complete with a large lawn for lounging, a playground, a basketball court, and an athletic field. But hidden in plain sight, the park has another purpose: keeping two million gallons of rainwater off of Hobokens streets by storing them in a giant underground tank. The parkand others like itis one of the main ways that Hoboken has transformed from a city devastated by Hurricane Sandy to one that, today, tends to recover from major rain within a matter of hours. Now, experts think New York City could use parks to follow Hobokens lead as extreme weather continues to worsen the citys flood risk. [Image: courtesy Rebuild by Design] According to a study published today by Rebuild by Design, an organization dedicated to using design solutions to solve complex urban problems, 70% of NYC parks will be flooded by 2100. The report comes on top of another recent study from the Regional Plan Association (RPA), which found that, by 2070, as many as 82,000 housing units in and around NYC could be lost due to flooding by 2040, and the number could double to 160,000 by 2070. Amy Chester, director of Rebuild by Design, believes that Hobokens example could help NYC protect both its parks and its housing by turning green spaces into a form of storm management. [Photo: courtesy Rebuild by Design] How Hoboken’s parks keep its streets dry In 2012, Hurricane Sandy flooded 80% of Hoboken, took out its power grid for two weeks, and cost the city $110 million in damages. In a recent talk shared to Rebuild by Designs YouTube, Caleb Stratton, the citys chief resilience officer, said that it was a wake-up call for the city of Hoboken. The following year, Rebuild by Design was started as a design competition to promote resilience in regions that had been affected by Sandy. At the time, Chester says, cities were blindsided by both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy: We didn’t really understand resilient infrastructure as we do now, she says. [Photo: courtesy Rebuild by Design] That was especially true for Hobokenwhich, despite its coastal location and long history of flooding, had almost no flooding mitigation infrastructure in place, Chester says. Hobokens proposed rain resilience project was one of Rebuild by Designs six winning submissions, and over the last decade or so, the city has used more than $660 million from various sources including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the state of New Jersey, and FEMA to implement new flooding protection measures. [Photo: courtesy Rebuild by Design] Hobokens flooding resilience project includes several different levers. To keep floodwaters out, its building a 9,000-foot-long series of preventative seawalls, gates, and levies. Its also updating its sewer system with more flood pumps to move water out of storage quicker during heavy rain. And, its keeping streets dry by increasing above and below ground water storage. Thats where resiliency parks come in. So far, Hoboken has completed construction of three resiliency parks and a series of waterfront parks, with several more parks currently under construction. Each of these parks uses green infrastructure on its surfaceslike pervious pavers and rain gardenswhich funnel water underground into holding tanks, keeping it out of the crowded sewer system and preventing overflows. [Photo: courtesy Rebuild by Design] The ResilinCity Park, the largest of the existing parks, can hold two million gallons of water, enough to collect runoff from 20 surrounding blocks during a notable rain event (typically defined as more than a half inch of water falling in a 24-hour period), Chester says. A large chunk of that water is kept in the parks underground tank, while some is held in other clever wayslike a sunken basketball court with a capacity to hold more than 100,000 gallons. In all, the existing parks can hold a total of 4.2 million gallons of water. It’s different from green infrastructure, because green infrastructure is on top of the park, and that stops the park from flooding. This is pumps and storage that stops the entire neighborhood from flooding, Chester says. We’re really interested in doing this all over New York City and in any urban areas where there are neighborhood parks, because if you’re a couple blocks away from a park, that park could be the storage option for your community and keep the floodwaters out of your basements and out of your streets. Rebuild by Designs data shows that, in 2022 and 2023, Hobokens new rain resilient infrastructure led to an 88% reduction in flooding events. In practice, that meant that across 121 storms, noticeable flooding only occurred 14 times. In September 2023, when Hurricane Ophelia led to thigh-deep water in Brooklyn and flooded subway cars in NYC, Hoboken was noticeably dry. Projects like thesewhich plan not just for seawater flooding, but also for excessive rainfallare increasingly important as climate change ushers in rising sea levels, and as record-warm ocean temperatures lead to more intense annual storm seasons. According to the RAPs recent analysis, NYCs existing infrastructure is not prepared to account for the coming decades of flooding damage, which is expected to impact as many as 1.6 million New Yorkers by 2040. Chester thinks resiliency parks could be the first step toward preparing the city for whats ahead. [Image: courtesy Rebuild by Design] Why NYC’s parks could help keep residents safe from flooding Rebuild by Design’s new NYC park analysis maps all of the city’s 2,385 parks based on their current and future flood risk. Users can search the interactive map to view the parks in their own neighborhood, or filter for todays flood risk and flood risk by 2100. The map is also color-coded based on FEMAs social vulnerability index (or the susceptibility of social groups to the adverse impacts of natural hazards) and the heat vulnerability index, as parks provide the added benefit of reducing urban heat. The tool shows that 38% of parks are currently in flood zonesa number that’s expected to surge to 70% by 2100. While these statistics may seem alarming, Chester sees them as an opportunity. We’ve mapped all of the floodplain in New York City and parks to see where [resiliency parks] could potentially be a solution, Chester says. We were able to show that 38% or 900 parks in New York City are currently on top of a flood plain. Interesting. Then if you look to the 2100 flood plain, it’s 70% of parks. That’s when we were like, Oh my goodness. This could be really incredible to be thinking about this on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.’ Of all of NYCs parks, Chesters team has identified 177 sites that would benefit the most from a resilient makeover, based on both their flood risk and heat vulnerability. To make this happen, Chester says, the parks would have to be fully rebuilt to construct underground tanks that would pump water off of nearby streets, like the ResilienCity examplewhich is why we need to start now, she adds. If every time the parks department upgraded a park, they rebuilt it this way, we could have a major headstart in addressing flooding across NYC neighborhoods, Chester wrote in a follow-up email to Fast Company. All of Hobokens flood infrastructure was built in the past decade (after Sandy.) These parks are, admittedly, a major investment. ResilienCity, for example, cost $80 million, while the smaller Southwest Resiliency Park (which can hold about 200,000 gallons of water in its cistern) cost $12 million. However, Chester explains, pitching resiliency parks as flood protection can help to draw in new streams of federal and state funding. Parks manage 14% of the Citys land, but only about 0.6% of the City budget over the past 40 years, far below the national standard of 12% allocation of a municipalitys budget, the Rebuild by Design interactive map page reads. Parks offer immense potential to draw down federal and state funds, including programs from FEMA, HUD, and state funding. If the City were to recognize parks as vital infrastructureas it does highwaysand properly invest in upgrading and maintaining its parks, these public spaces could protect and save lives and save billions of dollars. For now, Rebuild by Designs NYC proposal is just that. But Chester believes that, if Hoboken could implement successful resilient infrastructure in just a decade, theres no reason that other cities cant do it themselves. We’ve been working on this for a little while now, but like, it’s such an incredible model for urban areas nationally, because a majority of urban areas have neighborhood parks, and theyre these smaller areas that can be doing a lot more things, Chester says. None of these parks existed in Hoboken before, and Hoboken is not a city with a lot of money.
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Once upon a time, back in 1995, BYD was a little-known battery maker. Today, it is the worlds largest electric vehicle producer after surpassing Tesla in global sales in 2024. This rise reflects a relentless focus on automation and vertical integration. It controls every part of its supply chain. It makes its own batteries, with features unmatched in the industry, even mining raw materials like lithium. Its factories are robotic wonders that run about 97% on their own, building a never-ending stream of cars better than Western equivalents at lower price points. And it also transports its own cars across the world with its own fleet of ships specially designed to carry automobiles. The latest is also the biggest ship of its kind on the planet: The BYD Shenzhen, which just sailed to Brazil on its first assignment. This colossal ship was designed to carry just wheeled cargo, what is technically called a roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel. Unlike typical container ships, where vehicles are packed into boxes and containers, Ro-Ro ships allow cars to be driven directly onto decks via ramps, making loading and unloading faster. They are way more efficient to operate than regular transport ships because each minute shaved from loading and unloading translates into big financial savings for the company. As BYDs general manager, Wang Junbao, pointed out at the Shenzhens delivery ceremony, Its efficient loading system and advanced protective technologies for stable and low-carbon logistics will be pivotal to [the companys] globalization strategy. What’s so special about BYD’s ship? At 721-feet longnearly twice the length of a soccer fieldthe Shenzhen is the largest car carrier by capacity, holding 9,200 vehicles across 16 decks. According to the company, the ships design prioritizes efficiency and sustainability. It uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel engines, which burn LNG, a cleaner alternative to traditional marine diesel. LNG cuts sulfur oxide emissions by 99% and nitrogen oxides by 85%, aligning with stricter environmental regulations in markets like Europe. The Shenzhen also features anti-fouling paint, a coating that reduces drag by preventing marine organisms from sticking to the hull, improving fuel efficiency by up to 8%. It also employs shaft generators, devices that convert excess engine power into electricity, reducing reliance on polluting diesel generators. While BYD hasnt fully detailed its proprietary box-type battery packs onboard, their inclusion hints at efforts to electrify auxiliary systems, further lowering emissions. Vehicles wait to be loaded onto BYD’s third 7,000-car carrier, the BYD Hefei, at the Taicang Port in Suzhou, China, in January 2025. [Photo: Ji Haixin/VCG/Getty Images] Why BYD built this giant BYDs decision to invest in ships stems from its explosive growth. The company sold about 455,000 vehicles in 2019, surging to approximately 740,000 units in 2021 and more than doubling in 2022 to 1.9 million. This growth strained existing logistics networks. Knowing where its heading, BYD announced it would invest $687 million to build its own seven-ship Ro-Ro fleet. Third-party shipping costs were skyrocketing, with daily charter rates hitting $150,000 per vessel in 2024. For context, leasing a single ship for a month could cost $4.5 million. The company estimates that per-vehicle shipping expenses drop 30% to 40% with its own fleet, saving up to $1.4 billion annually. BYD plans to deploy seven car carriers over the next two years to address the shortage of shipping capacity for automobile exports, Wang Chuanfu, the companys founder and chairman, said last year. It has three more to go, including Shenzhen‘s twin, the BYD Changsha, which will be launched soon. No doubt the company will need it. Overseas shipments surged 124% year over year to 133,361 vehicles in Q1 2025, and the company is set to export 800,000 vehicles across the world this year. Such exponential growthwhich analysts believe will continue in the double digits for years to comeis why the company plans to make even more vessels. By 2026, BYDs seven-ship fleet aims to move more than one million vehicles yearly (or 83,300 per month, equivalent to nine Shenzhen trips). Thats one car shipped every 30 seconds, if you want an even more impressive figure. BYD is not the only company that does this, even while it has the biggest ship for now. Its strategy mirrors a broader shift among Chinese automakers. SAIC Motor, Chinas second-largest automaker, operates 31 ships through its logistics arm, Anji Logistics, including the 7,600-vehicle SAIC Anji Sincerity. Unlike BYD, SAIC transports cars for multiple brands, including its rivals. But BYDs fleet will be reserved mainly for its own vehicles, out of pure necessity. Globally, Hyundai GlovisHyundais logistics subsidiarymanages 60 ships and has just ordered a dozen 10,800-vehicle LNG-powered carriers. While larger, Glovis serves third parties like Toyota and Volkswagen. Legacy automakers rely on partnerships with shipping firms, a model BYD avoids, seeking instead to control every aspect of the production chain (the technology, the level of automation, the quality, and the price) to crush the competition. Its hard to imagine the beleaguered Tesla or any other Western manufacturer matching this kind of vertical integration. The massive BYD Shenzhen is yet another reminder that the race for EV supremacy may already have a winner.
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Hotel art has changed. In the last few years, generic photography and reproductions of works by Old Masters have given way to remarkable pieces of artwork befitting top-notch museums and the worlds best private galleries. Though it may feel like a 180-degree shift from the boring artwork that preceded these new and imaginative displays, hotels becoming cultural destinations unto themselves, by hanging up artwork ideal for the worlds top museums and private galleries, makes sense. The standard used to be that youd put a picture in a frame and call it a daybut hotels dont cut it anymore with this, says Spencer Bailey, editor-in-chief of a multivolume book series starting with Design: The Leading Hotels of the World and cofounder of the media company The Slowdown. People expect more with the artwork, the furniture. People want to feel a sense of craftiness at every touch point at a hotel. Millennial and Gen Z travelers in particular crave authentic, upscale, and culture-based experiences, a notion that has extended into the hotels branding itself through the use of artwork. Its something that still predominantly exists in the high-end, five-star hotel market, Bailey says. The Damien Hirst Empathy Suite at the Palms, Las Vegas, 2019. [Photo: David Becker/WireImage/Getty Images] Indeed, Denvers luxury-focused Art Hotel showcases a 22,000-piece LED light installation by Leo Villareal. Theres also Damien Hirsts outstanding art suite called the Empathy Suite at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegaswhere, for a whopping $100,000 a night, you too can gaze in disbelief at one of six original full-size pieces, like the one titled Winner/Loser, in which two taxidermied sharks float suspended in formaldehyde. Some big-brand hotels are now breaking into the art hotel concept, using carefully curated art collections as a way to help define their brand identity and sharpen their claims of authenticity. Hilton recently jumped on the bandwagon with the Curio Collection, a series of 180 individually distinct and decorated hotels. Competitor Marriott has its Autograph Collection, which has grown to 154 hotels since launching in 2010. Smaller operators are now also embracing an art-forward approach. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Merging history and art at a Cincinnati boutique The Lytle Park Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohiopart of Marriott’s Autograph collectionquite literally sits at the intersection of art and hospitality. The property, opened in 2020, combines the hotels structure from 1909 and themes from the next-door Taft Museum of Art. The venues Lytle Park neighborhood is now a lovely residential area, but at the turn of the century, Cincinnatis elite dwelled here and propagated the citys cultural and artistic center. Artwork from the museum adorns some of the hotels walls, a gesture to the hotels link to this rich, storied past. To better connect guests to the areas history and culture, the hotel in 2025 debuted its Taft Suite, which pays homage to the citys illustrious Taft family, including its most famous member, William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Museums play a crucial role in the economy of American cities, contributing over $50 billion annually to the U.S. economy, says Rebekah Beaulieu, Ph.D, president and CEO of the Taft Art Museum. Hence Cincinnati, she hopes, will benefit from the hotel/museum cross-sector approach to cultural collaboration. Todays hotel guests really want to be transported into a hotels story, says Colletta Conner, principal designer at ForrestPerkins, which designed the Taft Suite. Through its curated gallery experience, the suite offers hotel guests a glimpse into the Lytle Park of the early 20th century, when the Taft family lived there. Guests can peruse the spaces painted garden scenes and river valley motifs that feel vaguely reminiscent of the Ohio River Valley. For an added personal touch, there are even photographs of President Taft peppering the walls. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] Creating a narrative is a very imprtant part of the design process, Conner explains. Sometimes you could walk onto a property and not feel a story. Sure, the hotel might be beautifulbut theres no story that pulls guests into the hotel experience. Conner says ForrestPerkins works with a lot of different hotel brandslike Sheraton, Four Seasons, and Ritz Carltonto craft a brand narrative for each hotel. We provide local context to these properties, creating unique narratives for each that add up to unique, one-of-a-kind hotel experiences. [Photo: courtesy The Lytle Park Hotel] The design team wanted the suite to match the tone set by the gallery, which occupies a historic home that was built in 1820. Some of these hotels that think about the gallery concept are more like white-box museum gallery types of spaces, says Conner. But our intention here was to have almost this home feeling, which is how the Taft Museum next door is set up. And yet, there might be an inherent contradiction in art hotels. Art requires taste, which can be a very controversial subject, and it requires lots of money, Bailey says. Owners of what was once considered the most valuable art collection in the west, the Tafts were obviously among Cincinnatis most privileged. Objects in the hotel, especially the Taft Suite, point to the Taft Museums Rembrandts and Turners, Italian majolica painted pottery, and Chinese porcelains, the latter a coveted collection both then and now. In many ways, art is a luxury item, and great hotels will need to understand that, Bailey says. The artand where it came fromchosen for each art hotel becomes an embodiment of that hotel as much as the architecture or furniture is. If visitors sense any air of elitism at the hotel, its quickly dispersed by the interior designs and friendly staff. An open concept layout in the main lobby, complete with a stunning skylight that lets in plenty of natural light, mirrors the welcome attitude the hotel and its staff emanate. While they didnt plan these main areas, ForrestPerkins designers emphasize how convivial the spaces are meant to feel, and they sought to reflect this ambience in the Taft Suite. The idea was to have museum quality displayed in a home environment, to be welcoming, approachable, and accessible, Conner says. 21c Louisville [Photo: courtesy 21c] A new kind of art hotel As one-off hotels tailor their art offerings to their locales, boutique chain 21c Museum Hotels is scaling that approach. A chain of seven boutique hotels in the Midwest and South, the brand sees itself as a forward-thinking contemporary art museum first and a hotel second. 21c Bentonville [Photo: courtesy 21c] When you walk into a 21c, youre walking into a hotel lobby, but youre also walking into a museum gallery, says Alice Gray Stites, chief curator for 21c Museum Hotels. Every 21c hotel lobby, hotel hallway, event space, and meeting room is treated like a museum gallery, where Stites installs a varied range of exhibitions. 21c Lexington [Photo: courtesy 21c] The brand got its start in 2006, at a time when revitalizing urban cores and building preservation werent part of many peoples lexicons. As 21c cofounders, preservationists, and contemporary art collectors, Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson imagined that contemporary art could be a catalyst for revitalizing their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. In the end, the pair combined their art collection with the hotel concept because a research firm they had hired revealed that their city needed more hotel rooms to spur tourism. 21c Louisville [Photo: courtesy 21c] Laura and Steve wanted to take away the velvet rope that people sometimes perceive when walking into a museum. The result? A different kind of model for both the museum world and the hospitality industry. The hotel offers urated exhibitions that are open 24/7 and cover important topics of the day, and that cycle in and out every six months. 21c was a pioneer in thisthey were an early driver in the art hotel trend, Bailey says. 21c St. Louis [Photo: courtesy 21c] At first glance, there seems to be some tension between the 21c idea of making art more accessible and the fact that its only available in a boutique hotel, where rooms cost upward of $185 a night. Most hotels dont invite anyone who hasnt booked a room to wander their lobbies or hallways, whereas 21c allows anyone, free of charge, into the hotels to view its artwork on display. [21c has] created this idea of living with art and not being intimidated by art, breaking down the formal boundaries that feel so imposing sometimes for outsiders when they walk into an art gallery or museum,” Bailey says.
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