Mayor Adams announces his administration’s climate resiliency team. Image Credit: Ed Reed/ Mayoral Photography Office.

The combination of agencies aims to reduce redundancy and enhance integrated work. On January 31, 2022, Mayor Eric Adams announced his administration’s climate leadership team and changes to the City’s executive agencies that handle environmental justice. Three appointments were announced: Rohit T. Aggarwala as the chief climate officer and Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Vincent Sapienza as the chief operations officer of DEP; and Kitty Charles-Guzman as the executive director of the new Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ).  (more…)

The upgraded Montefiore Plaza. Image Credit: NYC DDC.

Some of the upgrades include new benches, lighting, and trees. On January 27, 2022, the Departments of Design and Construction (DDC), Transportation (DOT), Environmental Protection (DEP), and Parks and Recreation announced the completion of renovations to Montefiore Square in Harlem. Montefiore Square is a triangular plaza located between West 138th Street, Hamilton Place and Broadway. (more…)

Acting Commissioner Tom Foley. Image Credit: NYC DDC.

Foley is a 23-year veteran of the agency. On October 28, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Tom Foley as the Acting Commissioner for the Department of Design and Construction (DDC). The appointment comes as Commissioner Jamie Torres-Springer, who had been appointed in March, prepares to depart on November 12th to become the President of Construction and Development at the MTA.  (more…)

Mayor de Blasio holds up copy of a new report outlining new strategies for the City’s future response to extreme weather. Image Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.

Recommendations include citizen education and investments in infrastructure upgrades. On September 27, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the release of “The New Normal: Combatting Storm-Related Extreme Weather in New York City.” The report establishes an extreme weather response blueprint for the city and was the creation of the Extreme Weather Response Task Force. The task force consisted of City agency leaders and experts on climate change and resiliency, and came together in response to develop new protocols and policies to protect from future storms like the multiple severe storms the city experienced this past summer. (more…)

Throggs Neck Houses, Bronx. Upgrades in storm water management and green infrastructure are finished. July 27, 2021

The drainage chambers capture nearly two million gallons of stormwater annually. On August 16, 2021, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced the completion of a drainage upgrade at the New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Throggs Neck Houses in the Bronx. The $1.3 million project will decrease flooding and overflows into the East River. (more…)