Atlantic City envisioned as ‘center for research'

Instead of gamblers, imagine a team of scientists inside the former Revel and Showboat casino properties discussing protection against rising sea levels, disaster preparation and habitat diversity.

"Atlantic City has not been able to maintain its economy," architecture and design firm Perkins + Will said. "Moreover, because Atlantic City is vulnerable to coastal storm surges and rising sea levels, serious questions must be raised about further entertainment investments in the area."

The architecture firm recently released a new vision of Atlantic City tackling those issues, envisioning the troubled Shore town into a "worldwide center for research on resiliency." (See renderings.)

"At four square miles, Atlantic City is roughly the size of a medium college campus and can become a global research community for resiliency," the company said.

The company envisions institutions and governments partnering to create a "living laboratory" — by using the city's existing infrastructure, including houses and shopping centers — to discuss community resiliency, disaster preparation and response, and water and land habitat restoration and biodiversity, among other topics.

"It's by no means to suggest Atlantic City is doomed and this is the only path forward," designer Daniel Windsor said. "It's a creative way of thinking about a need for capacity building."

Source: Philadelphia Business Journals