
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…)

Mayor Bill de Blasio. Image credit: CityLand
On October 26, 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced an investment of $110 million for a capital project to address the threat of storm surge and rising sea levels for Lower Manhattan. The proposed project will rebuild and raise the existing bulkhead and improve the drainage between the Brooklyn Bridge and Pier 17. The announcement was made with the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency. (more…)

Interim flood barriers at Red Hook. Image Credit: NYC DDC
The protection measures consist of barriers that are capable to be opened or closed to mitigate the effects of storm surge flooding. On August 3, 2021, the New York City Emergency Management Department and Department of Design and Construction announced the completion of Interim Flood Protection Measures at the Atlantic Basin in Red Hook. The Interim Flood Protection Measures program began in 2016 to protect facilities, infrastructure, and low-lying areas all located in New York City from flooding caused by hurricanes. (more…)

Image from the stormwater flood map depicting effects in an extreme flooding scenario of combined rising sea levels and severe rainfall. Image Credit: NYC Mayor’s Office of Resiliency
Climate change is projected to have a dramatic effect on rainfall in New York City through 2100; the new plan provides projections for being prepared for these changes. On May 14, 2021, Mayor de Blasio released New York City’s Stormwater Resiliency Plan. The plan provides the City’s first city-wide flood analysis caused by rain which can cause flooding in any part of the city. (more…)

Why did ULURP remain suspended when so many City agencies and public bodies took to virtual operations? On March 16, 2020, the Department of City Planning announced that, pursuant to an executive order from Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure and all relevant public hearings and votes were suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the suspension, Community Boards, Borough Presidents, and the City Council have virtually convened to tend to other matters but have not addressed any new or pending ULURP applications. Meanwhile, City Planning has accepted filings, but has yet to certify any new applications until the suspension is lifted. To read CityLand’s initial coverage of the ULURP suspension, click here.
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