Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2016
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Advisor
Cindi Katz
Committee Members
Bruce Braun
John Waldman
Subject Categories
Environmental Sciences | Human Geography | Nature and Society Relations | Other Environmental Sciences | Physical and Environmental Geography
Keywords
oysters, government, Anthropocene, New York City, metaphysics
Abstract
This dissertation is a critical empirical and theoretical study of New York City’s post-Hurricane Sandy effort to build artificial oyster reefs off the coast of Staten Island, where it is hoped they will act as ‘resilient infrastructure’ capable of attenuating future storm surge and remediating polluted water in an urban environment now understood as a vast socio-technical-ecological system. Using oysters as a 'window' onto our present moment in NYC, I track a transformation in being, time and politics in the form of a new regime of government to manage systemic urban risk in the age of climate change. Rather than leave on this note, the dissertation concludes by considering how might we respond to and live within this new interconnected and turbulent environment.
Recommended Citation
Wakefield, Stephanie Diane, "Living Infrastructure: Being, Time, and Government in New York City" (2016). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/1522
Included in
Human Geography Commons, Nature and Society Relations Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, Physical and Environmental Geography Commons