The New York City Waterways
This project is a photographic survey and personal reflection on the states of the waterways and
their adjacent landscapes of New York City. Most people are aware of the two major waterways,
the Hudson and East Rivers. However, fewer know of the over seventy other waterways flowing
around the city’s five boroughs. These bays, basins, rivers and creeks used to be major transportation
waterways, filled with every type of sailing ship, carrying cargo, commuters and travellers daily to
and from the city. Up to the middle of the 20th Century, the city's harbor overflowed with commerce
and life, contributing to the city’s economic prosperity and worldwide reputation.
However, due to technological developments over time, the use of ships and the prosperity of the
waterways changed. As vehicle, locomotive and air transportation expanded at a phenomenal pace
to transport goods, machinery and commuters, the use of ships dramatically declined. Over years,
the companies whose factories lined the waterways leaked contaminants into the water and soil,
jeopardizing the health of the water supply and the plant and animal life in it. In addition, the city itself
dumped along miles of shoreline garbage and hazardous wastes, which also contaminated the soil
and water. Following this, the activities and vitality around the waterfronts eventually waned. Without
being used and cared for, the docks and piers deteriorated to rubble.
For over seven years, I have photographed the positive and negative effects of human impact along
these waterways. My hope is that this project may instigate in the viewer an appreciation for and
a desire to visit the city’s waterways. I also hope this project offers the viewer the opportunity
to contemplate how the landscape bears our history and holds the key to understanding our
culture and identity. Everything we are is in the layers of the land.