As laid out in ONE NYC, the Mayor’s plan for growth, sustainability, resiliency, and equity, the City is addressing the challenges of climate change on multiple fronts—by making New York City the most sustainable big city in the world, and ensuring our neighborhoods, economy, and public services are more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
By developing plans for growth around transit, designing walkable streetscapes, and facilitating energy efficient building design, the Department of City Planning (DCP) is working to reduce New York City’s energy consumption and its contribution to climate change. The City has set an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. This will require significant shifts in the city’s power, transportation, and waste systems, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. The stakes are high, as New York City, a city built primarily on islands and with 520 miles of shoreline, is vulnerable to the effects of climate change in a number of ways, including rising sea levels, extreme storms, and heat waves.
By working with communities in the floodplain and facilitating flood-resistant building design, DCP is reducing the city’s risks to sea level rise and coastal flooding. Hurricane Sandy was a stark reminder of these risks. The City, led by the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency (ORR), has developed a multifaceted plan for recovering from Sandy and improving the city’s resiliency–the ability of its neighborhoods, buildings and infrastructure to withstand and recover quickly from flooding and climate events. As part of this effort, DCP has initiated a series of projects to identify and implement land use and zoning changes as well as other actions needed to support the short-term recovery and long-term vitality of communities affected by Hurricane Sandy and other areas at risk of coastal flooding.
Below are some of DCP’s key strategies and initiatives to show what we’re doing to help the City be more sustainable and resilient.
Climate Resiliency - DCP, in collaboration with other agencies, has undertaken a number of initiatives to build the city’s resilience. These studies are focused on land use and zoning changes as well as other actions needed to support the short-term recovery and long-term vitality of communities affected by Hurricane Sandy and other areas at risk of coastal flooding. Learn more about Climate Resiliency.