
PlanNYC


Paying for Mass Transit without Raising Fares
One of the central elements of Mayor Bloomberg's plan for a sustainable New York City is to improve mass transit and get people out of their cars and into busses and subways. In addition to better and more frequent transit service, the city also needs to ensure that the price of mass transit is kept Read More

Sustainable South Bronx: Helping the Bronx Become a Sustainable Community
There is a small town America that is idealized in myth and literature, but even in the internet age thrives outside our largest cities. In these places community spirit and what used to be called civic virtue (or values) is nurtured through local schools, churches, little league, scouts and a wide variety of community based Read More
City Makes New Office for Brownfield Cleanup
The city is creating a new office to clean up brownfields for development, an issue outlined last year in its PlaNYC sustainability plan. Officials have said the existing incentives for landowners to clean up the sites do not provide sufficient push to remediate. With the reformed program, the city hopes, will come quicker remediation Read More

What a Waste
Earlier this week, New York Times reporter Felicity Barringer filed an excellent story on San Francisco’s successful waste management strategy.
The story discussed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s zeal for keeping garbage out of landfills. Currently, his city keeps 70 percent of its disposable garbage out of landfills.
You might think that would be enough, but Read More

Somehow, Park Development Becomes Blood Sport
“This is the worst situation I’ve ever encountered in terms of [dealings with] the community,” said Carol Greitzer, a former councilwoman from the West Village who helped start a group called 250+ Friends of New York Parks. It opposes many of the Bloomberg administration’s park Read More

The Floating Cities Initiative Comes Home
When we walk down Broadway in Manhattan, we sometimes forget that New York is virtually surrounded by water. In fact, the five boroughs have 578 miles of shoreline. If global warming ends up melting enough sea ice at the poles to cause the sea level to rise, New York City is in a world of Read More

A Year in the Life of ‘PlaNYC 2030′: Performance, Promise and Limits
A little more than a year ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched his pathbreaking "PlaNYC 2030" urban sustainability plan. According to the city’s own progress report on the plan’s first year:
The implementation of PlaNYC's 127 initiatives requires the effort of more than 20 City agencies; the help of our Sustainability Advisory Board; partners and supporters Read MoreEarth Day Greetings From NYLCV
Yesterday, Dan Hendrick of the New York League of Conservation Voters stopped by City Hall, just in time to chat about Earth Day!The group just published a report about environmental initiatives (besides congestion pricing) that legislators and the public can pursue.As for how to celebrate Earth Day, Hendrick suggests riding your bike, enjoying Read More

Governor Paterson’s Challenges and the Capacity for Comebacks
As David Paterson took the oath of office as New York’s 55th governor earlier this week, you could almost taste the sense of relief in legislative chambers. Our new governor gave a remarkable, deeply personal and engaging talk and then left to face the challenges of rebuilding the broken machine of state government.
With Wall Street Read More

In Five-Year Plan, MTA Needs Congestion Pricing’s Billions
Included in the capital plan are hundreds of new train and subway Read More

In State of The City, Not Too Many Words on Congestion Pricing
Congestion pricing, a signature defining initiative of Mayor Bloomberg’s second term, managed but two quick mentions in today’s 6,200-word State of the City address. With days left until a state/city commission releases a recommendation on the issue and a looming deadline of March for state legislative approval, this is all Mr. Bloomberg, speaking between Read More
Are Green Buildings the New Central Air?
At a breakfast forum this morning hosted by the Alliance for Downtown New York and the Downtown Lower Manhattan Association this morning, panelists from city government and the real estate industry professed their undying love for environmentally friendly buildings, saying both landlords and tenants should jump on the sustainability train before it leaves the station. Read More
Brooklyn’s Dreier-Offerman Park to Get $40 M. Makeover
There are a slew of improvements that will come with the $40 million project. They Read More
City Council OKs Five Neighborhood Rezonings as Part of PlaNYC
The goal of the rezoning is to Read More