5. New York, NY

Sustainability out of Necessity

Shhhhh. We’re going to let you in on a well-kept secret. Despite New York’s skyscrapers and congested streets, the city is one of the most sustainable in the country. NYC’s per capita emissions are a third of those in the rest of country because of public transit use, densely packed buildings and smaller homes. Still the city plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2030. Mayor Michael Bloomberg unveiled one of the country’s most comprehensive sustainability plans (dubbed PlaNYC), made up of 127 separate initiatives. These range from revamping aging infrastructure, to planting a million trees over ten years, to making sure that all city residents live within a ten minute walk of a park. New York is also empowering pedestrians through “Summer Streets,” a program that closes portions of the city to traffic creating “car-free recreation corridors.” In addition to government action, the city boasts many grassroots and neighborhood organizations working to green the city, according to top NYC environmental officials. Sustainable South Bronx is one of the most successful of these. The group, centered in a low income area of the city, is working on greenways, installing green roofs and green job training and placement.

(Photo by Javier Carbajal)

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City Study 2008: New York City Articles

Interview: Q&A

In August of 2008, SustainLane spoke with Rohit Aggarwala and Ariella Maron, Director and Deputy Director, respectively, of New York City’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability. Maron and Aggarwala spoke to us about the challenges of sustaining a centuries-old city with aging infrastructure and about how the city will accommodate an estimated influx of one million people by 2030.more »

In NYC, Yellow Cabs Turn Green

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but if New York City has its way, what happens there will spread across the country and around the world. At least that’s what Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office is saying about the city’s decision to switch its entire taxi fleet to hybrid cars by 2012. “Just like other cities followed suit with a smoking ban, we’d like others to see that an all-hybrid taxi fleet is possible,” says Jason Post, a spokesperson for Bloomberg. “Before it was done in New York, maybe people didn’t realize a smoking ban could be done. Now you see smoking bans in places you wouldn’t have expected: Ireland, London.”more »

New York City Says Wind is More Than Hot Air

If New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his way, the Big Apple will soon be riding the winds of change. This past summer, when Bloomberg proposed installing windmills on top of city landmarks—bridges, skyscrapers, turbines sitting in the Hudson and East Rivers—the excitement was palpable. “It would be a thing of beauty if when ‘Lady Liberty’ looks out on the horizon, she not only welcomes new immigrants to our shores, but lights their way with a torch powered by an ocean wind farm,” Bloomberg said.more »

NYC Summer Streets

Picture this: New York City—without cars. It seems hard to believe, but that's what happened this summer along a seven-mile route inside Manhattan. In a test run that emulated similar initiatives in Paris, London and Bogota, streets between the Brooklyn Bridge and Central Park were closed to traffic on three Saturdays, giving residents and tourists "car-free recreation corridors" where they could breathe deeply as they explored the city on foot or by bicycle. Along the route, folks were offered dance and percussion classes, hopscotch competitions, even valet bicycle parking.more »