Starr Whitehouse is delighted to welcome Lee Altman as Principal to lead and expand our integrated urban design, planning, and resilience practice. She joins our leadership team to help clients envision and implement resilient urban spaces that foster civic engagement and support public life.

Drawing on her deep familiarity with the NY-NJ region, experience in city government, and proven track record leading ambitious resilience and urban design projects in the private sector, Lee brings a multifaceted perspective critical in a field where both challenges and solutions cut across jurisdictions, geographies, and disciplines. 

The bioswale at The Battery Playscape. Photo: © Sahar Coston-Hardy and ESTO.

In honor of Lee joining Starr Whitehouse, we take a look at how our resilience practice has evolved across 20 years of planning and design.

EARLY YEARS: SUSTAINABILITY

When we started in 2006, resilience was largely framed as sustainability — emphasizing durable materials, native ecosystems, and water quality. 

The naturalistic shore of Bushwick Inlet Park creates marine and coastal habitat on an engineered slope that survived Hurricane Sandy with negligible damage.

Informed by city-wide and neighborhood engagement, DEP’s Long Term Control Plan reduces CSOs with new facilities and commitments to green infrastructure.

MID YEARS: CITYWIDE VISIONS

After Hurricane Sandy hit New York in 2013, resilience grew to the city scale, advancing ambitious, singular visions to protect entire coastlines and urban centers.

The Big U creates a 10-mile ribbon of amenity and coastal protection, winning $335M through Rebuild By Design.

A Vision for a Resilient East Harlem combines coastal and upland protections with intergenerational outreach.

The East Shore Shoreline Parks Plan integrates coastal neighborhoods and parklands with a planned Army Corps of Engineers flood protection system.

The first project to implement Hoboken's Rebuild By Design strategy, Southwest Resiliency Park marries community park space with stormwater storage.

TODAY: LOCAL RESILIENCE NETWORKS

Today, resilience follows an adaptive approach that zeroes in on diverse geographies and neighborhoods —using engagement and collaboration to craft networks of solutions tailored to local social and climate challenges.

Climate Strong Communities builds partnerships between communities and agencies to design and fund resilience.

The Roswell River Parks restore ecology, resist flooding, and expand river access on the Chattahoochee River in Georgia.

Hamlin Beach State Park (in progress) restores rare Lake Ontario habitat and models new solutions for lake level rise.

DEP’s Cloudburst Hubs combine resilience education with green infrastructure for multiple neighborhoods.