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NYCHA's Sustainability Agenda

NYCHA's new Sustainability Agenda was released on April 22, 2026

Property Physical Needs

Property Physical Needs
Energy & Water Use & GHG Emissions

Energy & Water Use & GHG Emissions
Resiliency to Extreme Heat

Resiliency to Extreme Heat
Resident Health and Well-being

Resident Health and Well-being
Resiliency to Flooding

Resiliency to Flooding
Increased Funding for Properties

Increased Funding for Properties


As the city’s largest landlord, NYCHA is steadfastly focused on fulfilling the Authority’s mission to provide safe, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. NYCHA’s investments in sustainability and climate resilience are integral to this mission: they allow the Authority to modernize as it rehabilitates properties, improving the performance of building infrastructure, reducing the effort and cost of operating and maintaining developments, and protecting residents as the climate continues to change.  

Achieving the goals and specific targets in NYCHA’s 2026 Sustainability Agenda: Innovating at Scale will put NYCHA on course to meet the Authority’s and the City of New York’s long-term objectives around affordable housing preservation, climate adaptation and resilience, and the 80x50 goal for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. In the more immediate term, implementing the goals and strategies in this agenda will result in improvements to quality of life for NYCHA residents.

Click here to read the full report

The goals and strategies in this agenda were determined through a collaborative process involving NYCHA staff, residents and external partners, and they are all designed to address NYCHA’s six key priorities: 1) promoting resident health and well-being; 2) addressing NYCHA’s priority physical needs; 3) increasing funding for property upgrades and operations; 4) reducing energy and water usage and greenhouse gas emissions; 5) increasing resiliency to flooding; and 6) increasing resiliency to extreme heat.  

The 2026 Sustainability Agenda builds on what NYCHA has learned over the past 10 years, with nine ambitious goals around scaling up the strategies and technologies that have the greatest potential to address the Authority’s challenges and needs while also creating opportunities for additional innovation. 

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Goal 1: Install heat pumps in 20,000 apartments

  • In the next five years, NYCHA will convert 20,000 apartments from inefficient fossil fuel-based heating systems to clean, efficient, comfortable heat pump-based heating and cooling. Of the 20,000 apartments that will receive heat pumps, 9,000 will be in Section 9 developments and 11,000 will be in Section 8 conversion developments.

Goal 2: Install high-efficiency lighting and water fixtures at 45,000 apartments

  • Energy and water efficiency help NYCHA operate as an efficient landlord by generating savings from reduced electricity and water consumption, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing existing lighting and water fixtures with more efficient versions at a building-wide level also improves resident comfort and experience, because it provides an opportunity to address any preexisting problems with lighting and water and also results in improvements to common areas. In the next five years, NYCHA will install high-efficiency lighting and water fixtures in 45,000 apartments; 18,500 will be in Section 9 apartments and 26,500 will be in Section 8 conversion properties.

Goal 3: Install induction stoves in 10,000 apartments

  • Improving resident health and comfort has been a guiding principle for all of NYCHA’s Sustainability Agendas to date, and this commitment is reflected in this agenda with a specific focus on improving indoor air quality through the installation of induction stoves. In the next five years, NYCHA will install induction stoves in 10,000 apartments, including 7,500 in Section 9 apartments and 2,500 in Section 8 conversion apartments.

Goal 4: Modernize waste infrastructure at 144 NYCHA properties

  • Efficient and proper handling of waste is paramount for creating safe, attractive and pest-free communities. Over the next five years, NYCHA will build upon the substantial progress it has made in recent years toward the installation of modern waste infrastructure across its properties. Priority improvements include upgrading waste yards and interior compactors and adding convenient disposal and recycling points. NYCHA aims to bring waste upgrades to a total of 144 properties by April 2031, with upgrades at 86 Section 9 properties and 58 Section 8 properties. 

Goal 5: Protect 146 buildings from climate-related disruptions

  • Over the next five years, NYCHA aims to protect 146 more buildings from climate-related threats, with upcoming work focused on rainwater-driven flooding and extreme heat. 50 Section 9 properties and 57 Section 8 properties affected by Hurricane Ida will receive flood protection, and 39 Section 9 buildings will receive elevator upgrades to mitigate the effects of extreme heat on elevator service.

Goal 6: Pilot and scale-up Waste Plumbing Initiative at 15 properties

  • Deteriorated waste plumbing systems are the largest driver of mold and leaks in NYCHA buildings, create significant operating costs each year, and have remained largely unaddressed due to the high costs of comprehensive renovation required to address these needs. Replacing the entire plumbing lines that are the most frequent causes of leaks is a more holistic and proactive way of addressing leaks, which will save water and address the persistent challenge of mold, while improving kitchen and bathroom conditions for NYCHA residents. This program will be implemented at 15 Section 9 properties.

Goal 7: Provide 150 public electric vehicle charging stations in NYCHA parking lots

  • NYCHA’s portfolio includes more than 100 off-street parking facilities with many unpermitted spaces, which NYCHA believes can play a unique role in supporting the expansion of EV charging infrastructure in New York City. This goal will result in 150 EV charging stations at Section 9 properties. PACT partners are also encouraged to incorporate EV charging into their projects and NYCHA can support PACT partners in deployment.

Goal 8: Achieve NYCHA’s 30 megawatt solar installation goal

  • NYCHA has established itself as a leader in multifamily and community shared solar, a model for solar development that provides benefits to NYCHA properties and residents while increasing New York City’s overall renewable energy supply.  In the next five years, NYCHA will complete the 30 megawatt (MW) goal set in the 2021 Sustainability Agenda, with 25 MW installed on Section 9 properties and 5 MW installed on Section 8 properties.

Goal 9: Create economic opportunity for at least 1,300 NYCHA residents through NYCHA sustainability work

  • Beyond health, resilience, and environmental benefits, the economic opportunities created by sustainability investments have been widely heralded. Sustainability jobs are already here in New York City and at NYCHA, and they will continue to grow as the Authority and City advance their commitments to electrification and resiliency.

In addition to these goals and associated strategies, NYCHA will continue to pursue work in other areas of innovation and promising technologies, contingent on funding. 

Accelerating Sustainability Through Section 8 Conversions

NYCHA’s sustainability goals apply to its Section 9 portfolio as well as its growing portfolio of properties converted to Project-Based Section 8 through the Permanently Affordable Communities Together (PACT) program and the New York City Public Housing Preservation Trust. Both programs enable the Authority to unlock additional funding for comprehensive building-level and in-unit upgrades, including critical sustainability and resiliency measures and a more reliable funding source for ongoing building operations through conversion to Project-Based Section 8. PACT and Trust conversions are critical to accelerating NYCHA’s progress on its sustainability goals: sustainability features such as heat pumps, efficient lighting and water fixtures, updated waste infrastructure and back-up power at community and senior centers are now part of the baseline project designs for the comprehensive renovations undertaken through these programs.

Past Agendas and Annual Progress Reports

Since 2016, NYCHA has published a Sustainability Agenda every five years, as well as an annual progress report published every Earth Day.

2021 Sustainability Agenda 

NYCHA’s second Sustainability Agenda was published in 2021. Below are links to the annual progress reports for the  2021 Sustainability Agenda:

2016 Sustainability Agenda

NYCHA’s first Sustainability Agenda was published in 2016. Below are links to the annual progress reports for the 2016 Sustainability Agenda:

Resources

Since the publication of the 2016 Sustainability Agenda, NYCHA has released additional reports to complement the set goals. NYCHA’s sustainability efforts are led by the Sustainability Department. Below are links to the additional reports as well as additional data sources: