Sponge Tapped To Help Renters

The City Sponge selected to help NYC with flood information

We are pumped to be part of RebuildbyDesign’s Rainproof [Your Community's Name], an initiative supporting NYC communities to tackle heavy rainfall challenges with localized solutions.

Our project, proposed with our partner Unified Ground, is called “FloodChat” which is a platform to help the 2.3 M renters in NYC get the info they need in a simple interactive Q&A format.

Why do renters need flood info?

• Much of the flood info out there is geared towards owners.

• Of the 2.3 Million renters in NYC, an estimated 10% are in high flood risk areas. 

• There are ~4,300 “basement” apartments in NYC, and more are street level. 

• As has been documented, this high-risk group may not know their risk, nor have alteration rights nor funds to protect where they live. 

• Therefore renters need to know:

  • How stormwater works in their specific area in simple clear ways

  • Rights regarding protection (Right To Know Disclosure Laws, responsibility for mitigation)

  • Steps others have taken in similar situations: from insurance to organizing to pre/during/post flooding stories and case studies

  • Affordable solutions they can implement (barriers, sandbags vs pumps)

  • Avoiding bad plumbing fixes or underestimating insurance needs

  • Resources to help renters implement needed mitigation

  • More on FloodChat project below

Are you a renter? You can help us make this better!

We’re looking for input from renters, BEFORE we start and AFTER we have the initial proof of concept. Let us know if you are a renter and want to give your input. Just fill out this quick survey of interest, you’ll have the chance to shape this innovative tool—and selected participants who test the platform will even receive compensation for their time.

Our partner: Unified Ground

We are happy to be partnering with Unified Ground, a local organization whose mission is to “connect ESG initiatives, government's climate policy work, and social impact dollars with a network of community based businesses and organizations to meet the end to end needs of climate.” They understand how technology can bring communities together around climate adaptation and we are lucky to partner with Jamil Ellis and his team.

Other cool projects selected: water connects us

Another valued aspect of this is we get to collaborate with eight other recipients over the next year as a cohort of the initiative. The goal is to turn recommendations from Rainproof NYC into action. 

The selected projects, featured below, span the five boroughs and reflect a diverse range of approaches, from AI to artistic public outreach to hyperlocal education. The year initiative will conclude with a public report-out session to share progress. 

» Click here to learn more about EACH of these projects and follow the journey

Learn more about Rainproof NYC: rainproof.nyc

More about FloodChat

• As NYC Climate Officer/DEP Lead Rit Aggarwala said at the recent Cornell Urban Tech Summit in November: “I need AI not just to raise awareness about risk but to help people do what they need to do.” 

• The main goal of FloodChat is to make it easier for NYC renters to figure out “what do I do?” when it comes to stormwater/flooding risk. What are the micro-mitigation steps they can take?  Every renter is not in the same situation.  And one question will lead to many sub-questions. 

• By making it easier to find quality information in one place AND explore it (ask questions in the way they process information), they can ask questions about their specific situation, get answers to their questions and in their language. 

• This is how we help renters across NYC understand stormwater risk but also help them take mitigation actions appropriate to them.

Like what The City Sponge is doing?

Please share us with your neighbors, block association, tenant group. We can help them, but we are also looking for stories of what people are facing and how they tried to solve for them. 😅