Likely Futures Exhibition: Reconstruction
The Reconstruction team focused on the physical matter, community, and cultural memory left in the post-retreat.
Reconstruction
While retreat sounds like a wise decision for coastal climate change adaptation, it’s also important to understand the limitation of a retreat plan - not everyone has the capacity to leave due to different reasons; also, retreat is not a simple idea of relocation, it’s also about leaving the beloved community and a loss of family tradition and memory. For so many reasons, people will continue living in coastal New Jersey, in the land with flood risk and a gradually fragmented landscape. The studio took a field trip to Atlantic City and witnessed different actions taken to resist the flood in those staying communities. Other case studies of buyout plans also implied that there are so many things left to maintain and reconstruct after a retreat.
The Reconstruction group focuses on the physical matter, community, and cultural memory left in the post-retreat land and thinks about reusing and reconstructing the existing structures to help the staying community for flood adaptation.
Below is a description of a site less future scenario exercise undertaken by the reconstruction group, aimed at exploring three fundamental aspects: community-driven housing, the integration of culture with land-based practices, and the development of resilient infrastructure. This exercise considered three adaptation scenarios: floating, elevated, and flooded environments. Designed to be interactive, it involved the introduction of both real and conceptual actors participating in the decision-making process. The use of an exhibition format served to initiate conversations and discussions, leading to a variety of envisioned futures for the Jersey Shore. This method facilitated a broad engagement, encouraging a diverse range of perspectives and ideas on potential adaptations and futures.