Information about where people can reach the water along the Hudson and Harbor Estuary was scattered, inconsistent, and unevenly maintained. The Hudson Access Project set out to build a complete, standardized inventory of public water access sites and an interactive map to help people connect with the estuary.

We developed the standardized database structure and designed the survey and data collection process. With HEP, we set up a summer fellowship that sent fellows into the field for three summers to validate sites, photograph them, and fill gaps in the amenity and accessibility data. Each site is catalogued with its amenities and its spatial extent. Working closely with the Public Access Working Group kept the map focused on what the public needs, while providing reliable data to advocate for increased equity in water access.

The Hudson Access Project was created in collaboration with the New York - New Jersey Harbor & Estuary Program (HEP) and their Public Access Working Group (PAWG). It was funded by a River Access grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, with additional support from a Taconic Fellowship awarded by the Pratt Center for Community Development.