A portion of the Hudson River Greenway. Image Credit: NYC DOT.

For the first time in nearly 30 years, the city is developing a plan to expand and fill gaps in greenways across all five boroughs. On August 22, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced that New York City has received a $7.5 million grant from the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program that will be dedicated to plan for a major expansion of the greenway network citywide. (more…)

A portion of the Hudson River Greenway. Image Credit: NYC DOT.

The City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure heard testimony regarding creation of a citywide Greenway Master Plan, the first such plan since 1993. On Wednesday, June 28th, the City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing on oversight and management of the city’s public space. The hearing included consideration of Int. 0291-2022, a bill which would require the Department of Transportation to partner with the Departments of Parks and Recreation, City Planning, Design and Construction, and Environmental Protection, as well as a private, non-profit development corporation, to create a citywide master plan for the construction and maintenance of greenways in all five boroughs. This is the first attempt to create such a plan since 1993. (more…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand

On November 22, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the creation of a new pilot program to design and construct projects utilizing the NYC Climate Resiliency Design guidelines. The guidelines provide technical guidance for engineers and architects in the design of buildings, roads, sewer systems, public housing, and other forms of public infrastructure to anticipate worsening impacts from climate change including flooding, storm surge and intense heat. (more…)

Image Credit: New York City Department of Transportation

Three miles of new bike lanes will be created. On October 14, 2020, Mayor de Blasio announced that more than three miles of protected bike lanes have been completed in Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side, including uptown protected lanes on both Sixth Avenue and Central Park West. (more…)

Solar Photovoltaic System Image Credit: DOB

Green Roofs and Solar Roof Systems should help buildings throughout the city maintain appropriate temperatures while cutting down on energy costs and emissions. On November 15, 2019, the Department of Buildings announced the effectiveness of Local Laws 92 and 94 of 2019. Local Law 92 (Intro 0276) was originally introduced by Council Member Donovan J. Richards on January 31, 2018 and Local Law 94 (Intro 1032) was introduced by Council Member Rafael L. Espinal, Jr. on July 7, 2018.  The bills were approved by City Council on April 18, 2019, adopted by the administration on May 19, 2019 and returned unsigned by the Mayor the next day. These bills were introduced to provide buildings with insulation and combat heat island effect. Heat island effect has been tied to increased energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and deaths.

(more…)