New Episode of NYC DOT's Curb Enthusiasm Podcast Explores NYC’s Natural Landscape and Its Influence on Today’s Footprint With New York Botanical Garden’s Eric W. Sanderson

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 24, 2025 Contact: (212) 839-4850, [email protected]

New Episode of NYC DOT's Curb Enthusiasm Podcast Explores NYC's Natural Landscape and Its Influence on Today's Footprint With New York Botanical Garden's Eric W. Sanderson

Sanderson Serves As the Vice President for Urban Conservation Strategy at the New York Botanical Garden and Is the Author of Multiple Publications, Including Best-Seller Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City.

The Conversation Focuses on How the City Looked Before European Settlement, How Indigenous Trails Led to the City's First Streets, the Shift From Agriculture to Housing As Transportation Methods Expanded, the Effect of Climate Change on the Future Of NYC, and More.

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today announced the release of the 10th episode of the agency's Curb Enthusiasm podcast. The episode features Eric W. Sanderson, Vice President for Urban Conservation Strategy at the New York Botanical Garden and the author of the best-selling book, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City. The interview focuses on the past historic topography of New York City, how it's affected the present day, and what the future of the city will look like as climate change continues to contribute to increasingly unpredictable and intense weather events.

Sanderson discusses the diverse landscape of the city before European settlement and how nearly 100 different ecological communities on the land contributed to the creation of present-day New York City. Sanderson shares details about the Lenape tribe, who inhabited the land for thousands of years before the Dutch arrived, and how their trails became roads used by colonists, and how the Lenape influence can still be seen in present day New York City.

The conversation then turns to modern-day New York City, focusing on why the city built on wetlands that were historically avoided, how the United States' land use was shaped by fracking and oil refinement, and the expansion of transportation methods that led to the urbanization of historically agricultural areas.

The conversation concludes with a look to the future of our city from the perspective of an ecologist, with a focus on flood mitigation, how climate change is influencing weather events, and what the city can do to prepare for a changing climate as it relates to streets and public space.

"This 10th episode of our Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on what lies ahead for the city from an ecological standpoint, and what that means for our public space and transportation network," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "Eric Sanderson is a leader in his field, and as an accomplished author his work and contribution to science goes beyond his critical role at the New York Botanical Garden."

The Curb Enthusiasm podcast focuses on issues at the local, national, and international level and features guests who discuss the most consequential transportation work happening all over the globe.

The episode is co-hosted by Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT and Kyle Gorman, an assistant director of Programs and Partnerships on NYC DOT's Public Realm team.

Curb Enthusiasm is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Amazon Music, BuzzSprout and other major streaming platforms. More information is available at nyc.gov/CurbEnthusiasm.

About Eric Sanderson

Eric W. Sanderson, a City Island resident, is the Vice President for Urban Conservation Strategy at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Conservation Ecologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). Sanderson authored the best-selling book, Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City, which discusses the decade long Mannahatta Project's investigation of the historical streams, ponds, springs, shores, hills, forests, and wildlife of Manhattan Island on the eve of Henry Hudson's discovery in 1609. Sanderson is currently pursuing the Welikia Project, on the historical and contemporary ecology of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and surrounding waters, and Vision maker.nyc, an on-line forum to help the public to envision and share ecologically functional and climate-resilient designs for New York. Sanderson has published extensively in wildlife and landscape conservation, with over 90 papers, book chapters, and technical reports. He is currently writing the follow-up to Mannahatta, tentatively titled, The Welikia Atlas, on the five-borough historical ecology of New York City.

Eric earned a Ph.D. in ecology from University of California, Davis.

About Emily Weidenhof, Episode Co-Host

Emily Weidenhof is assistant commissioner of public realm at NYC DOT. Emily works closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. For over a decade, she has focused on strengthening communities through the creation of plazas and shared streets and retooling the curb lane for innovative programming. She's also played an integral role in NYC DOT's Broadway Vision Plan, which employs a range of tools to reimagine the famed Manhattan corridor from Union Square to Columbus Circle, which now prioritizes pedestrians and cyclists. Emily has worked as an architect and urban designer in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, including at the NYC Department of City Planning.

Emily received her bachelor's degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University and her master's degree in architecture and urban design from Columbia University.

About Kyle Gorman, Episode Co-Host

Kyle Gorman is a city planner and the assistant director of programs and partnerships on the Public Realm team at the NYC Department of Transportation. He oversees the planning, operations, and management of public space initiatives across the five boroughs, including Open Streets, Plazas, Street Seats, and other citywide programs like the Public Space Equity Program and the Public Realm Programming initiative. Since joining the agency in 2015, he has worked across roles in community engagement, project implementation, and program development. He was part of the team that launched the Open Streets and outdoor dining programs in 2020, which were critical COVID-19 relief efforts.

Kyle received his bachelor's degree in Geography from the University of Florida and his master's degree in urban planning from Hunter College.