sunset along the Hudson River with the WTC and New York City skyline

Urban & Coastal Resilience

Stevens Helps Save Lives 

Stevens Institute of Technology is helping save lives and prepare communities, using leading-edge flood and storm-surge tools to inform both emergency response and long-term planning.

We also develop natural and engineered defenses against climate change, sea-level rise and extreme-weather events.

Research That Prepares, Protects Communities

Stevens’ historic Davidson Laboratory, under the leadership of Dr. Muhammad Hajj, serves as the hub for the university’s resiliency research.

Coast Guard helicopter over ocean

RESPONSE: Assisting With Maritime Emergencies

The Coast Guard turns to Stevens when it needs to take the ocean’s pulse immediately.

Melting iceberg, symbolizing global warming

PLANNING: Forecasting, Preparing for Climate Change

Climate change is real and devastating. Stevens is helping communities see the future and prepare now.

Stevens flood prediction map of Hoboken and Jersey City in bright colors

RESEARCH: The Davidson Laboratory

This historic laboratory develops and disseminates Stevens’ advanced resiliency research.

Resilience By the Numbers

60x
Floods, annually, Queens (NYC)
$70 billion
Damage, Hurricane Sandy (2012)
28
U.S. weather events costing $1 billion+ (2023)
40%
U.S. population living in coastal regions
700+
Lives saved w/ assistance of Stevens data
1,200
Times yearly Coast Guard uses Stevens observations
1 to 6 feet
Rise in NYC-area sea level, by 2100
60x
Floods, annually, Queens (NYC)
$70 billion
Damage, Hurricane Sandy (2012)
28
U.S. weather events costing $1 billion+ (2023)
40%
U.S. population living in coastal regions
700+
Lives saved w/ assistance of Stevens data
1,200
Times yearly Coast Guard uses Stevens observations
Cars floating in flooded streets

New York Underwater? Not If Stevens Can Help It.

Stevens works with New York City’s mayor and others to predict the gradual, but devastating, effects of climate change and sudden rainfall or storm surge on the city.

Video

Research in: Urban & Coastal Resilience

Government, Corporate & Academic Partners

Office of Naval Research
American Bureau of Shipping
Carnegie Mellon
NASA
Princeton
DoD
Port Authority of NY & NJ
NOAA
New York City
Coast Guard
Department of Homeland Security
NSF
Office of Naval Research
American Bureau of Shipping
Carnegie Mellon
NASA
Princeton
DoD
A photo of melting river ice

Protecting Water Supplies

Stevens is developing AI to monitor changing winter ice in the Northeast — and keep an eye on NYC's water supply

[Stevens’] tools are used approximately 1,200 times a year by the U.S. Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue (SAR). Its coverage, horizontal resolution, forecast frequency and most importantly reliability make it especially suitable for SAR.
Dr. Cristina ForbesOceanographer, U.S. Coast Guard
View of New York City from the water

Ensuring Climate Equity

Stevens researchers Philip Orton and Kaijian Liu work to prepare communities in the Big Apple equitably for the inevitabilities of floods, extreme weather and climate change.

[Stevens’] model remains our only consistently reliable model for one of the busiest maritime environments in the nation. It was used in more than 300 search and rescue responses in the last twelve months, saving or assisting [saving] nearly 700 lives.
Commander Matthew Mitchell, Policy ChiefU.S. Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue
A sand dune and a beach

'Living Shorelines' to Combat Sea-Level Rise

Stevens professor Jon Miller, an expert on beach replenishment, investigates the progress of natural defenses against sea-level rise

Video

Engagement: The Inaugural Building NJ Resilience Event

Stevens co-created and hosted a landmark event bringing together academic partners, industry and state officials to discuss resiliency needs and challenges.