The City of Wilmington’s location at the union of the Brandywine, Christina, and Delaware Rivers economically benefited the city over the years — however, climate change threatens to impact the low-lying neighborhoods fronting these waterways through sea level rise, worsening floods, and increased precipitation in Wilmington and its watersheds. The segment of the Brandywine River from the 16th Street Bridge to the shoreline east of the 11th St Bridge in northeast Wilmington is highly vulnerable to the effects of overland riverine and stormwater flooding – which was highlighted by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ida in 2021.

Arcadis and OFTN supported Wilmington in developing a flood risk mitigation strategy for the lower Brandywine, based on a comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment. The ensuing approach leveraged ongoing redevelopment planning for the area, and incorporated a major transportation proposal (for the redesign of 12th Street) as part of an integrated conceptual design for flood protection, multi-modal connectivity, and public realm improvements.