海角视频

Two centuries after the Erie Canal helped make New York the Empire State, its next chapter is being authored through strategic advisory, multi-agency alignment, and targeted implementation. 

When New York Power Authority () assumed stewardship of New York State鈥檚 524鈥憁ile Canal System – Erie, Oswego, Cayuga Seneca, and Champlain canals 鈥� the charge was clear: reposition a historic waterway to serve contemporary community needs.  

鈥檚 main purpose is no longer as a freight corridor; it is a catalyst for resilience, recreation, and economic development. In 2017, the NYPA engaged 海角视频 to run an international 鈥�Reimagine the Canals鈥� competition and develop a strategy framework for implementation across agencies and communities to reposition the canal for the 21st century.  

What followed is a model for government clients: a statewide Task Force convened across six agencies, public engagement up and down the corridor, and a $300 million investment program that is now translating vision into built projects – from lighting historic infrastructure, new flood prevention infrastructure, recreation destinations, canal cultural districts, Empire State Trail gateways, and pedestrian bridges to future projects like adaptively reused dams for recreation, whitewater courses, canalside tourism hubs, and pocket neighborhoods.  

The canal鈥檚 transformation wasn鈥檛 about a single flagship project or uniform masterplan – it was about building a governance and delivery engine that could consistently turn innovative ideas into projects that improve the lived experience of communities. Strategic planning work is most catalytic when it is nimble to local context and ambitious to trigger implementation during the innovation process.

Alice Shay, Principal | Urban Planning & Strategy Leader

Reimagining an American icon from competition to coordination and delivery 

Over 200 years later, the Erie Canal is shifting from a underutilized shipping corridor to civic ecosystem. As lead advisor and planning partner, 海角视频 helped New York Power Authority (NYPA) turn bold ideas into a multi鈥憏ear implementation program focused on resilience, recreation, and economic vitality.  

海角视频 structured and ran the 鈥楻eimagine the Canals鈥� competition in 2017. The team then converted winning ideas into implementable projects via a statewide Task Force and multi-criteria selection framework (economic impact, resilience, ecological restoration, historic preservation, geographic distribution, operations and revenue). This produced the foundation for NYPA鈥檚 $300 million program and a portfolio that is both buildable and measurable.  
 
The  drew participation across the canal corridor, with 375+ residents at public meetings and additional input online, ensuring local priorities were embedded in the final recommendations.  

Our role has been to help public leaders manage complexity – align stakeholders, prioritize investments, and de鈥憆isk delivery – so the Erie Canal could become a platform for resilience, tourism, and community development.

Adam Friedberg, Partner | Public & Civic Sector Leader

What鈥檚 different about 海角视频鈥檚 advisory model 

Unlike conventional studies, our advisory role integrated competition management, governance design, procurement strategy, cost鈥揵enefit analysis (CBA), and implementation orchestration – the full stack required to go from 鈥渂ig idea鈥� to 鈥渂uilt outcome.鈥� We coordinated 27 subconsultants across 50 task orders, created evaluation criteria for competitive procurement, and led multi-variable project vetting with NYPA and agency partners.  
 
That discipline is why the initiative has scaled from ideas into a combination of built and planned projects across recreation, resilience, housing, heritage, and operations: 

The Erie Canal is a statewide piece of infrastructure that spans multiple ecoregions, diverse urban typologies, and countless sets of stakeholders. We couldn鈥檛 apply a standard masterplanning approach 鈥� we had to develop methods to deploy a wide range of tactical interventions where they would be most effective, while simultaneously defining a coherent strategic framework that fosters buy-in from every level of government.

Ian Nicholson, Associate Principal | Strategy & Policy

• Connectivity & recreation
  • Brockport Pedestrian Bridge: Feasibility, stakeholder engagement, climate resiliency study, design-build procurement, and philanthropy engagement resulting in $2 million in supplemental funding. Completed in 2025.
  • Little Falls Connectivity Loop: Feasibility and vision study for a complete pedestrian and bicyclist loop connecting downtown, the Empire State Trail, and the Canal. The Seeley Street waterfront promenade segment is currently in design. The project received a $1.8 million DRI grant in 2021. Implementation ongoing.
  • Whitewater Course near Cayuga Lake/Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge: Hydrology-led feasibility study, preliminary design, and RFP development. Planning and design completed; construction timeline to be determined.
  • Historic Canal Infrastructure Illumination: Selection and procurement of lighting designs to showcase movable dams, bridges, and locks, strengthening canal identity and supporting the nighttime economy. Implemented 2021-2025.

• Housing & development:
  • Canastota Pocket Neighborhood: Market research, RFP development, developer selection, and support for a canalside housing pilot. Implementation ongoing.
  • Medina Artwalk and High-Dam Restoration: Integration of infrastructure restoration with enhanced recreational amenities. Currently in design; estimated completion in 2030.

• Ecology:
  • Fall Fishing Program: Operational adjustments to support salmon runs, establishment of the Access and Conservation Easement (ACE) Program with $1 million in funding, and promotion of eco-tourism. Implemented in 2021 and renewed annually.

• Resilience & operations:
  • Flood Resiliency and Environmental Restoration: Hydraulic analyses for seasonal flooding, FEMA floodplain remapping, irrigation expansion, and approximately 2,000 acres of wetland restoration. Implementation ongoing. A major wetland restoration component has been completed, with additional restoration and resiliency efforts continuing.
  • Capital & O&M Strategy: Development and implementation of capital investment and operations and maintenance strategies to reduce long-term system costs, extend asset life, and improve operational productivity. Implementation ongoing.

These projects, and the advisory spine behind them, reflect a wider trend : the reimagining of the canal as public space and resilience infrastructure, blending cultural programming with ecological restoration.  

Annual projected economic impacts from Reimagine initiatives (CBA and program analyses) demonstrate tangible value across sectors. 

• Tourism uplift: $32 million in annual output driven by new destinations and programming.  
• Healthcare savings: $3.3 million annually from increased access to outdoor recreation.  
• Invasive species mitigation: $57.6 million in annual activity preserved by curbing spread.  
• Wetlands: $5.8 million in community economic value from improved ecosystem services.  
• Angling economy: $2鈥�$7 million annual output from enhanced fisheries.  
• Agriculture: $23鈥�$43 million in annual output tied to expanded irrigation access.  
• Annual projected jobs supported are similarly broad鈥慴ased.  
• Agriculture: 500+ jobs/year supported by increased irrigation access and output.  
• Fishing program: 25鈥�75 jobs/year from angling activity and habitat improvements.  
• Beyond annual flows, the programmatic projected impact includes step鈥慶hange regional gains tied to build projects and capital programs.  
• $169 million in increased regional economic output from economic development projects.  
• 800+ jobs supported over the course of implementation.  

The broader market signal, amplified by statewide announcements and coverage, was the initial catalytic state investment of $300 million which has been increased with private investment and continued public support, demonstrating the continued commitment to catalyze tourism, resilience, irrigation, wetland restoration, and outdoor recreation across the canal corridor.  

A playbook for local governments and agencies 

The Erie Canal initiative offers a replicable model for public authorities seeking to reinvest in legacy infrastructure: 

• Competition as pipeline creation – Running an open, international competition generated implementable concepts, community buy in, and a diversified project portfolio (145 submissions, seven finalists, two winners including Erie Armada and Canalside Pocket Neighborhoods with $2 million in awards).  
• Task Force governance – Aligning six state agencies and local stakeholders created consensus on criteria – resilience, ecology, economic impact, operations, and geographic balance – and a path to budget decisions.  
• Delivery鈥憃riented advisory – Multi鈥憊ariable project selection coordinated subconsultants (27 firms/50 task orders), and procurement support ensured ideas moved into scoping, design, and construction.  
• Transparent impact accounting – A canal鈥憌ide CBA quantified outcomes – tourism output, healthcare savings, agriculture gains, jobs – and supported stakeholder communications.  

For public clients, measuring impact isn鈥檛 a nice鈥憈o鈥慼ave – it鈥檚 what sustains the coalition. When leaders can point to jobs, health benefits, and ecological value, momentum builds for the next phase.

Alice Shay, Principal | Urban Planning & Strategy Leader

海角视频 advisory services for public clients 

• Competition & portfolio strategy: Program design, global outreach, jury management, finalist acceleration, and tie鈥慽n to capital plans.  
• Governance & task force management: Inter鈥慳gency facilitation, criteria setting, public engagement, and decision frameworks.  
• Procurement & delivery: RFP/scoping, evaluation criteria, design鈥揵uild oversight, subconsultant coordination, and phasing.  
• Cost鈥揵enefit & economic analysis: CBA, market analysis, revenue modeling, health and recreation benefits, agricultural output, and tourism impact.  
• Resilience & ecology: Flood/ice鈥慾am modeling, FEMA remapping, wetlands restoration, and invasive species mitigation.  
• Operations & O&M strategy: Capital planning, asset life extension, productivity, and risk reduction to lower long鈥憈erm costs.  

Why this matters now

As communities across Upstate New York celebrated 200 years of the Erie Canal in 2025, the canal鈥檚 reimagining demonstrates how legacy infrastructure can be positioned as public realm, ecological system, and economic engines – a perspective echoed in national coverage of the canal鈥檚 contemporary role as public space and resilience infrastructure.  

For local governments and agencies, the takeaway is practical: pair vision with an advisory spine – competition, governance, procurement, and impact accounting – and you can translate a historic asset into measurable outcomes for residents and businesses.