RESEARCH
CBIPS Fellows become active participants in the planning processes and collaboratively suggest new ways of looking at problems that have confounded government representatives and community groups. Action research projects have been conducted by CBIPS Fellows in partnership with public agencies and private sector firms, including STV and Thornton Tomasetti. They have addressed issues of concern to public agencies and authorities, including resource allocation, systems design, site resiliency, and facility maintenance. Since the start of the CBIPS Program during the 2019-20 academic year, agency partners with collaborative research projects have included, among others, the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, and the Historic House Trust. Guest participants have addressed their ongoing work at the NYC Department of Buildings, the New York City Housing Authority, the New York City Planning Commission, and NYC Housing Preservation & Development. During 2024 our focus was on infrastructure decarbonization, bridge resilience and the connection of social housing and open space. Additional descriptions of CBIPS research work can be found in the 'Library' section of this website.
Research projects for the 2024-25 academic year will be determined in concert with those selected as CBIPS Fellows at the start of the Fall semester.
MATERIAL CORROSION
The NYC Department of Parks and Recreation controls, maintains, and improves public parks, playgrounds, and sports fields located throughout the five boroughs. CBIPS Fellows had the opportunity to work with the NYC Parks Department technical staff on analysis of sea-rail corrosion in waterfront parks. Key issues in material selection of replacement railing system were initial cost, maintenance, sustainability, and resilience. The departmental mission “is to plan resilient and sustainable parks, public space, and recreational amenities, build a park system for present and future generations, and care for parks and public spaces.”
INFRASTRUCTURE PRESERVATION
The Historic House Trust is responsible for 23 sites of architectural, engineering and cultural significance. A CBIPS research project, done in collaboration with the Historic House Trust, includes an analysis of the refurbishment needs at the Little Red Lighthouse, located adjacent to the George Washington Bridge. Issues include accessibility, site work, initial cost, cost of maintenance, sources of funding, community facilities, symbolism, and whether onsite or offsite renovation makes more sense. Comparable lighthouses from Rhode Island, Michigan, and Hawaii we’re analyzed in regard to the cost of renovation and the technical challenges posed.
WATER QUALITY
The NYC Department of Environmental Protection has among its key responsibilities the delivery and protection of the drinking water that New Yorkers enjoy, and the removal of stormwater and other substances, including airborne pollution, deleterious to the health of the population. Research projects include issues of placement and efficacy of street-side drinking water sampling stations; issues of risk and amelioration in regard to detecting lead in the city’s public schools; and issues of use of technology to detect microbiological and chemical pollutants. Fellows had the opportunity to work closely with DEP technical staff.
DATA ANALYTICS AND AI
The use of information technology supports almost every aspect of daily life. Construction is no exception. As part of a visualization and analytics research project, CBIPS Fellows explored the use of computer vision and visualization, augmented reality, and deep learning. These can support more effective monitoring of the construction process, as well as increased project safety and quality of the work performed. As the construction management process becomes increasingly reliant on predictive tools, the skills and capacities developed by the CBIPS Fellows will become very useful.
Link here and here to see the Fellows’ AI for AEC PPT and video presentation. Link here and here to see the Fellows’ "Building a Next Generation AI Platform for AEC" PPT and video presentation.
SOCIAL HOUSING
Following up on the previous year's social housing research relating to the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and its issues of apartment condition, architecture - defined as facades, windows and roofing, mechanical systems, elevators, and site work, CBIPS Fellows focused on other methods of providing affordable housing, including off-site modular production. Fellows analyzed the challenges and opportunities in consultation with modular design experts and housing producers in NYC and Chicago. Work on social housing continued in the 2023-24 academic year.
Link here and here to see the Fellows' Affordable Housing PPT and video presentation in 2020. Link here and here to see the Fellows’ Social Housing PPT and poster in 2019.
NEIGHBORHOOD PRESERVATION
In support of the 2030 Plan for the Upper Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Marble Hill, “In the Heights” focused on ten issues that determine environmental quality. The key proponent of the collaborative planning process, then-City Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez (now NYC DOT Commissioner) introduced the CBIPS Fellows to completed projects and planned sites in the community he represented. Fellows focused on issues of historic district designation, energy-efficient windows and Art Deco architecture with the office of Congressman Adriano Espaillat.
Link here and here to see the Fellows' Washington Heights and Inwood - Historical Preservation PPT and video presentation. Link here and here to see the “In the Heights” document and CBIPS PPT.
INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been posited as a panacea to the problems of lack of government initiative and civic vision. Term limits, tax levy limitations, and electoral polarization have often tied the hands of elected officials and agency appointees. Research by CBIPS Fellows centered on the effective use of capital and financing, both public and private. Case studies that highlighted not only success stories, but also examples of project failure caused by lack of planning or participation, regulatory restrictions, or misconstruing of risk, were investigated, described, and analyzed.
Link here and here to see the Fellows’ PPT and poster pertaining to Public-private partnerships.
INFRASTRUCTURE CYBERSECURITY
Smart cities use city growth and community development expertise to assure a prosperous future for all. CBIPS research centered on how to protect and enhance the quality of life, which is increasingly augmented through technological changes in our infrastructure. How do we protect our transportation network when, more and more, we are using artificial intelligence to control traffic? The use of what has been called “big data” to inform and justify decisions about system design and resource allocation was analyzed in the context of risks of cyber-incursion and other intentional system-wide cyber attack..
INFORMATION SECURITY
Each New York City municipal agency, including the Department of Transportation, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the Department of Design and Construction, and the Department of Information Technology, is responsible for anticipating, responding to, and alleviating threats and impairments resulting from increased reliance on Internet connectivity. Brought together by the NYC Cyber Command, public agencies focus on the challenges that impact the everyday life and comfort of New Yorkers. Fellows worked in this area with partners from government and industry.
Link here for the description of information security research.