Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The City of New York: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
The City of New York: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
The City of New York: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Land
16 Housing
28 Open Space
40 Brownfields
Water
52 Water Quality
62 Water Network
Transportation
Congestion
72
State of Good Repair
Energy
100 Energy
Air
Climate Change
Our Challenges
will surpass their historic highs.
Our fastest growing population will be residents over the age
of 65, while our number of school-age children
BRONX STATENwill remain
ISLAND QUEENS
Under that mandate, we have identified essentially unchanged. Overall, our residents will average three
three main challenges: growth, an aging years older, a result of the baby-boomer generation reaching
2.75 retirement and lengthening life spans 2.75across the city. 2.75
infrastructure, and an increasingly This means we must concentrate on increasing the number
precarious environment. 2.2 of senior centers and supportive housing2.2 as we look ahead. 2.2
As a result, while the city’s overall projections are instructive,
1.65 important differences exist between1.65 each borough. 1.65
growth
1.1 1.1 1.1
INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS areas
0.55 BOROUGH BUSINESS DISTRICTS0.55 0.55
New York’s population swings have always CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICTS
0 0 0
been shaped by the tension between the 1950 1970 2000 2030 1950 1970 2000 2030 1950 1970 2000 2030
allure of a slower paced life elsewhere and
the energy and openness that has drawn
new residents from across the United States Manhattan
and around the world.
Over the first half of the 20th century, our Manhattan’s population % median % UNDER % OVER
YEAR population
peaked in 1910, when change age 18 65
population swelled every decade, propelled
its 2.33 million residents 1950 1.96 mil - 37 19.7 8.7
by the consolidation of the five boroughs into
were piled into 1970 1.54 mil -21.5 35 21.7 14.0
a single city, the expansion of the subway,
tiny apartments with 2000 1.54 mil -0.1 36 17.2 12.2
and surges of immigration. As a result of BROOKLYN2030 1.83 mil
extended relatives, 18.8
MANHATTAN
40 15.2 16.1
these forces, between 1900 and 1930, the creating densities in the
population soared from 3.4 million to 6.9 mil- range of 600 to 800 persons per acre. Today, Population
lion people. even the most 2.75
crowded high-rise blocks can 2.75
By 1950, the number of New Yorkers claim densities at just one-half that level. As
a result, while Manhattan
2.2 may experience the POPULATION IN MILLIONS 2.2
reached 7.9 million. But after that, the sub-
second-highest growth rate of any borough
urban ideal came within the grasp of many 1.65 1.65
through 2030, its 1.83 million residents in
post-war New Yorkers. The pull of new, 2030 will fall far1.1short of its record high. 1.1
single-family homes in Westchester, Long A significant portion of that growth will come
Island, and New Jersey was so strong that, from residents0.55
over 65, who will increase by 0.55
INTRODUCTION
The Bronx
POPULATION IN MILLIONS
2.2 2.2
Bathgate other boroughs and
1.65 the suburbs.
1.65 Larger
161st Street families will also help
Zerega
1.1 the Bronx1.1remain
The New York’s youngest
Hub 0.55
Hunts Point borough,0.55
with a
Port Morris median age
125th Street 0 0 of
1950 1970 2000 2030 33 years. 1950 1970 2000 2030
Downtown 0 0 ever-increasing
1.65
share of the 0city’s population.
1.65
Although
Brooklyn 1950 1970 2000 2030 Queens
1950 1970 2000 2030comprised just 19.7% of the 1970
1950 population in
2000 2030
1950,
1.1this number is projected to climb to1.1 over 28%
by 2030, when 2.57 million of the city’s 9.12 million
East New York residents
0.55 will reside in Queens. The consistent0.55 growth
2.2 2.2
0 0
to grow until 1950. But the Long Island suburbs,
1950 1970 2000 2030 1950 1970 2000 2030 1950 1970 2000 2030
1.65 1.65
the construction of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge
to Staten Island, and the devastation of the 1970s % median % UNDER % OVER
1.1 1.1 YEAR population change age 18 65
drained the borough’s population. Now resurgent,
1950 1.55 mil - 34 25.5 7.1
Brooklyn will likely remain the city’s largest 0.55 0.55
1970 1.99 mil 28.1 36 26.1 12.4
borough in 2030.
0 0 2000 2.23 mil 12.2 35 22.8 12.7
1950 1970 2000 2030 1950 1970 2000
2030 20302.57 mil 15.1 38 20.5 14.5
% median % UNDER % OVER
YEAR population change age 18 65
1950 2.74 mil - 33 26.2 7.4
1970 2.60 mil -5.0 30 31.3 11.1
2000 2.47 mil -5.3 33 BROOKLYN
26.8
11.5 MANHATTAN Source: NYC Department of City Planning; NYC Economic Development Corporation
2030 2.72 mil 10.3 37 23.0 15.1
$120
New York City Projected Employment
4,388,521 $95
4,500,000 100
$82
595,706 government
900,000 20
1,439,885 Office-using industries
1,015,300 1,168,419
0 0
1980 2005 2030 2005 2020 2030
Source: NYC Economic Development Corporation
PLANYC PROJECTIONS
past nine million, the equivalent of adding constrain this growth, we predict we will still ways. We reclaimed the parts of our city that
the entire population of Boston and Miami exceed 65 million visitors by 2030. had been rendered undesirable or unsafe. In
combined to the five boroughs. This growth will also result in enormous short, we have spent the past two decades
This growth offers great opportunities. Our revenues. The expansion of our tax base will renewing the capacity bequeathed to us by
employment force will grow by 750,000 jobs, impact our economy accordingly. The addi- massive population loss.
with the largest gains among health care tional jobs, tourists, and residents could But now we have built ourselves back—
and education. New office jobs will generate generate an additional $13 billion annually— and we are already starting to feel the pres-
needs for 60 million square feet of commer- money that can be used to help fund some sure. Cleaner, more reliable subways have
cial space, which can be filled by the re-emer- of the initiatives described in the following attracted record numbers of riders, causing
gence of Lower Manhattan and new central pages and to provide the services that our crowding on many of our lines. It’s not only
business districts in Hudson Yards, Long residents, businesses, workers, and visitors transit. Growing road congestion costs our
Island City and Downtown Brooklyn. To pro- deserve. (See chart above: New York City region $13 billion every year, according to a
tect our industrial economy, which employs Projected Revenues From Population and recent study. By 2030, virtually every road,
nearly half a million people, we have cre- Job Growth) subway and rail line will be pushed beyond
ated 18 Industrial Business Areas. (See chart But the expansion ahead will be funda- its capacity limits.
above: New York City Projected Employment) mentally different than growth over the last Workers are moving farther and farther
Our third-fastest growing industry will be 25 years. out of the city to find affordable housing,
fueled by the additional visitors we expect. To revive our city, we funneled money pushing our commutes to among the lon-
Tourism has nearly doubled in New York since into maintenance and restoration, invest- gest in the nation. Neighborhoods are at risk
1991, when 23 million people visited the City; ing in neighborhoods, cleaning and replant- of expanding without providing for the parks
in 2006, the city received 44 million visitors. ing parks, sweeping away the litter that had and open space that help create healthy com-
Even if hotel and airport capacity begins to piled up in our streets and securing our sub- munities, not just collections of housing units.
INTRODUCTION
New York City Infrastructure Timeline
1842 Croton Water 1882 Thomas Edison 1883 The Brooklyn Bridge 1904 The first subway
Supply System switches on the world’s first becomes the first bridge line begins service in
opens, the city’s commercial electric light across the East River New York City
first comprehensive system in Lower Manhattan
water system
1917 The city’s 1928 Catskill 1936 The city’s 1944 The Delaware Water 1964 The Verrazano-Narrows
first water tunnel Water Supply second water tunnel Supply System opens; it is Bridge becomes the last
is completed System opens is completed the city’s last major water significant bridge built in
supply expansion New York City
1920s Utility companies 1932 The city’s last major
begin putting New York’s subway expansion opens; parts 1970 Work on the city’s
electrical grid underground; of the original signaling system third water tunnel begins;
parts are still in service today are still used today the second of four stages
will be done by 2012
A global challenge...
*** U. Siegenthaler ***
*** B. Stauffer ***
*** Physics Institute ***
*** University of Bern *** Global Average Temperature
*** CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland ***
Source NOT FOUND under the citations tab
14.1 57.38
360
350
13.9 57.02
340
13.8 56.84
330
13.7 56.66
320
13.6 56.48
310
13.5 56.30
300 13.4 56.12
1880
1885
1890
1895
1900
1905
'1910
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
1880
1885
1890
1895
1900
1905
1910
1915
1920
1925
1930
1935
1940
1945
1950
1955
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
Source: Historical CO2 Record from the Vostok Ice Core: Laboratoire de Source: Columbia University Center for Climate
Glaciologie et de Géophysique de l’Environnement, Arctic and Antarctic Systems research based on National Center for
Research Institute. Environmental Prediction Reanalysis II
Historical CO2 Record from the Siple Station Ice Core: Physics Institute,
University of Bern, Switzerland, * 5-year averages are plotted
Climate Change ers in the atmosphere and acts like panels in by 2030. (See chart on facing page: Annual
a greenhouse, letting the sun’s rays through, Average Sea Level at the Battery, Manhattan)
Cutting across all of these issues then trapping the heat close to the earth’s With almost 600 miles of coastline and over
is one increasingly urgent challenge: surface. (See chart above: Global Atmospheric half a million New Yorkers living within our cur-
climate change CO2 Concentrations) rent flood plain, this change is especially dan-
The evidence that climate change is hap- gerous to New York. At our current sea level,
In February, the Intergovernmental Panel on
pening is irrefutable. Today there is 30% more we already face the probability of a “hundred-
Climate Change released a report confirm-
CO2 in the atmosphere than there was at the year flood” once every 80 years; this could
ing that humans have accelerated the effects
beginning of the Industrial Revolution. During increase to once in 43 years by the 2020s, and
of climate change. As a result, the argument
the same period, global temperatures have up to once in 19 years by the 2050s. Accord-
has shifted: we are no longer debating the
risen by nearly two degrees Fahrenheit. ing to one estimate a Category 2 hurricane
existence of global warming, but what to do
But we don’t need global averages to would inflict more damage on New York than
about it. (See chart above: Global Average
understand how climate change is already any other American city except Miami.
Temperature)
affecting our health and future security.
It is an issue that spans the entire planet,
By 2030, local temperatures could rise Preventing global warming
but New Yorkers are already feeling the
by two degrees; and our city is affected by Scientists believe that only massive reductions
effects. As a coastal city, New York is espe-
rising temperatures more than the rest of the in worldwide greenhouse gas emissions, on
cially vulnerable. Our winters have gotten
region because urban infrastructure absorbs the order of 60% to 80% by the middle of the
warmer, the water surrounding our city has
and retains heat. This phenomenon, known 21st century, will stop the process of global
started to rise, and storms along the Atlantic
as the “urban heat island effect,” means that warming.
seaboard have intensified.
New York City is often four to seven degrees No city can solve this challenge alone. But
And so we took a close look at the potential
Fahrenheit warmer than the surrounding sub- New York has a unique ability to help shape a
impacts of climate change on New York City,
urbs. But it is not only our summers that are solution. (See charts on facing page: New York
and our own responsibility to address it.
getting hotter. In the winter of 2006 to 2007, City’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions)
there was no snow in Central Park until Janu- The sheer size of our city means that
A global challenge with local ary 12th—the latest snowfall since 1878. (See our contribution to global greenhouse gas
consequences chart on facing page: Annual Average Tem- emissions is significant. In 2005, New York
Global warming and climate change are perature in Central Park, Manhattan) City was responsible for the emission of
caused by increasing concentrations of green- We also face the threat of sea level change 58.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide
house gases in our atmosphere. Carbon diox- and intensifying storms. At the Battery in equivalent (CO2e)—roughly 1% of the total
ide (CO2), the most common greenhouse gas, Lower Manhattan, the water in our harbor has carbon emissions of the United States, or an
is emitted from motorized vehicles, power risen by more than a foot in the last hundred amount roughly equal to that produced by
plants, and boilers that burn fossil fuel. It gath- years, and could climb by five inches or more Ireland or Switzerland. This figure has been
INTRODUCTION
...with local consequences
Annual Average Sea Level at the Battery, Manhattan* Annual Average Temperature in Central Park, Manhattan
recorded Estimated range of growth recorded Estimated range of growth
35 20
30
18
25
15
14
10
12
5
0 10
1900 ’10 ’20 ’30 ’40 ’50 ’60 ’70 ’80 ’90 2000 ’10 ’20 ’30 ’40 ’50 ’60 ’70 ’80 1900 ’10 ’20 ’30 ’40 ’50 ’60 ’70 ’80 ’90 2000 ’10 ’20 ’30 ’40 ’50 ’60 ’70 ’80
Source: Rosenzweig, C., R. Horton, V. Gornitz, and D. C. Major, 2006. Source: Rosenzweig, C., R. Horton, V. Gornitz, and D.C. Major, 2006.
Climate Scenarios for the New York City Watershed Region, Technical Report, Climate Scenarios for the New York City Watershed Region, Technical Report,
Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research Columbia University Center for Climate Systems Research
* 1900
Source: Rosenzweig, C., R. Horton, V. Gornitz, and D. C. Major, seaClimate
2006. level used as base
Scenarios for the New York City Watershed Region, Technical Report, Columbia
University Center for Climate Systems Research
growing at nearly 1% per year, the combined New York City’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions
impact of both population and economic Citywide Emissions NYC citywide eCO2 emissions
growth, and the proliferation of electronics
Historical levels
source: NYC 2005 level
Mayor’s Office of Long-term Planning and Sustainability
and air conditioning. By 2030, without action, business as usual forecast for 2030 30% reductions target for 2030
our carbon emissions will grow to almost 74
million metric tons 80 Tonnage of PM2.5
Our carbon comes from many sources, but 75
MILLIONS OF eCO 2 TONS PER YEAR
INTRODUCTION
The result, we believe, is the most sweeping plan The answers are neither easy nor painless.
to strengthen New York’s urban environment in They will require not only substantial resources
the city’s modern history. Focusing on the five key but deep reservoirs of will.
dimensions of the city’s environment—land, air, In some cases, the key difficulties are administra-
water, energy, and transportation—we have tive; we must achieve a new level of collaboration
developed a plan that can become a model between City agencies and among our partners in 11
for cities in the 21st century. the region. In others, the challenges are legislative.
The plan outlined here shows how using our land This plan calls for changes at the City, State, and
more efficiently can enable the city to absorb Federal levels—for transportation funding, for
tremendous growth while creating affordable, energy reform, for a national or state greenhouse
sustainable housing and open spaces in every gas policy.
neighborhood. It details initiatives to improve the Finally, there is the need to pay for what we
quality of our air across the city, so that every New want. Previous generations of New Yorkers have
Yorker can depend on breathing the cleanest air ignored the reality of financing and have suffered
of any big city in America; it specifies the actions as a result. We cannot make that mistake again.
we need to take to protect the purity of our water For each of our proposals in this plan, we have
and ensure its reliable supply throughout the city; described how it will be funded, which in some
it proposes a new approach to energy planning in cases is through the city budget, in other cases
New York, that won’t only meet the city’s reliability through new funding sources. An underlying
needs, but will improve our air quality and save us assumption has been that we should be willing
billions of dollars every year. Finally, it proposes to invest in things that we truly need, and which
to transform our transportation network on a will pay New Yorkers back many times.
scale not seen since the expansion of the subway The growth that prompted this effort in the first
system in the early 20th century—and fund it. place will also enable us to pay for many of the
answers. By guiding and shaping this growth,
Each strategy builds on another. For example,
we believe it can be harnessed to make a city of
encouraging transit-oriented growth is not only
9.1 million people easier, more beautiful, healthier,
a housing strategy; it will also reduce our depen-
and more fair than our city of 8.2 million today.
dence on automobiles, which in turn alleviates
congestion and improves our air quality. In December, we posed another question to New
York: Will you still love New York in 2030?
We have also discovered that every smart choice
Above all, this report seeks to ensure that the
equals one ultimate impact: a reduction in global
answer to that question is an unequivocal,
warming emissions. This is the real fight to preserve
Yes.
and sustain our city, in the most literal sense.
INTRODUCTION
We will continue pressuring the State and
Land
Housing
Create homes for almost
a million more New Yorkers,
while making housing more
affordable and sustainable
Open Space
Ensure that all New Yorkers
live within a 10-minute walk
of a park
Brownfields
Clean up all contaminated
land in New York City
Housing
Credit: Alexander Garvin
Create homes for almost
a million more New Yorkers,
while making housing more
affordable and sustainable
The saloons began appearing on Hunters Point in the 1860s. As travelers emerged from the
new Flushing & North Side Rail Road, they stopped in at new restaurants before transferring to
ferries that carried them across the East River to the shore of Manhattan.
The use would soon shift. Although commuters began to dwindle when the railroad started
17
providing direct service to Manhattan, by then gas plants, chemical factories, and other types
of heavy manufacturing had begun moving in. By the start of the 20th Century, Long Island City
had one of the highest concentrations of industry in the country; some 300 companies
employed 16,000 workers, making everything from automobiles to chewing gum.
But as manufacturing declined across the city, the factories and gas plants in Hunters Point
also began to close. The saloons shut down. The land was stripped of its activity, leaving behind
contaminated soil and a degraded creek. And that’s how it stayed for decades.
Today, the southern edge of the waterfront sits stark against the Manhattan skyline; an empty
stretch of land against the spires of the cityscape. On a day this past winter, the site was
covered in crushed rock and debris; huge cement cylinders and tangles of heavy-duty wire
rise in piles. But another shift is underway.
Clusters of tall skyscrapers are starting to rise in Queens West; since the first apartment
building opened in 1997, developers have built 1,000 units, with more than 4,000 units either
planned or underway. The City is slated to transform the remaining land with 5,000 new units—
60% of which will be affordable to moderate and middle income New Yorkers. The former
commuter outpost and industrial center is becoming the newest neighborhood in New York,
just a five-minute ferry or one-stop subway ride from Manhattan.
You can see growth and reclamation Already, housing for more than 200,000
across New York. Construction is at record people is in the pipeline. As we look ahead to
levels. Swaths of decaying industrial land 2030, our challenge is to house nearly another
along the waterfront are being reshaped 700,000 people between 2010 and 2030.
into new neighborhoods, with riverside Growth on this scale is not impossible—
promenades, parks, and housing. We are indeed, we have done it before. In the last 25
re-evaluating our city’s land-use patterns at years alone, we added nearly 315,000 new
an unprecedented pace, with more than 60 units, and more than 1.1 million new residents.
rezonings in total encompassing over 4,500 But two lessons from that period of devel-
blocks including the Brooklyn waterfront, opment have emerged that should guide
Morrisania and Port Morris in the Bronx, and our growth over the next quarter century.
the west side of Manhattan. The first lesson is that all growth is
Queens West, foreground not equal.
60,000 $100
90
55,000
80 50
PERCENT
45,000 60
PARCELS
40
40,000 50
40
35,000
30
30,000 30
20
25,000 10
20,000 0 20
1995 ’96 ’97 ’98 ’99 ’00 ’01 ’02 ’03 ’04 ’05 2006 1950 ’55 ’60 ’65 ’70 ’75 ’80 ’85 ’90 ’95 2000 ’05
Source: NYC Department of Finance Source: U.S. Census Bureau Housing and Vacancy Surveys
As our city faces unprecedented levels of ing density, and away from places with little But one of the biggest pressures on hous-
population, some fear that change will not ability or will to accommodate newcomers. ing prices has been the diminishing cushion
enable opportunity, but rather erase the char- While less than 70% of New York’s population between zoned capacity—the number of
acter of communities across the city. That is lives within a half-mile of mass transit, 80% of units that theoretically could be built accord-
why we cannot simply create as much capac- the housing unit capacity created since 2000 ing to the zoning code—and built units. As
ity as possible; we must carefully consider the is transit-accessible. the number of housing units continues to rise,
kind of city we want to become. Today, New York has an opportunity not developers have to compete for a shrinking
We must ask which neighborhoods would only to grow, but to enhance the strengths of supply of vacant or under-built land.
suffer from the additional density and which the city itself. This means developers pay a “scarcity pre-
18 ones would mature with an infusion of people,
We have also learned that just planning for the
mium” for the remaining sites, and that pre-
jobs, stores and transit. We must weigh the mium feeds into the price of new housing. The
required number of units will not be enough
consequences of carbon emissions, air qual- competition also empowers land owners to
to assure affordability.
ity, and energy efficiency when we decide hold out for the highest possible price without
Not long ago, our greatest housing chal-
the patterns that will shape our city over the worrying that developers will be able to find
lenge was abandonment. But as our city’s
coming decades. easy, comparable alternatives.
resurgence continues to attract record num-
In its early history, New York avoided this
For most of the 20th century, New York’s rapid bers of residents, the most pressing issue we
problem. New York’s zoning code in 1958 pro-
growth followed the expansion of the subway face today is affordability. In 2005, more than
vided the potential for 55 million people to
system, as mass transit allowed residents of half of all New Yorkers paid more than 30% of
live in the city—when we had about 7.8 mil-
an overcrowded city to disperse to lower-cost their income toward rent—among the high-
lion residents. In 1961, the city overhauled its
land on the edges of the city—while giving est burdens in the nation and a three per-
zoning ordinance, but it still provided poten-
them easy access to the jobs concentrated at cent increase from the previous Housing and
tial for 12 million residents. But since then,
the center. Vacancy Survey in 2002. According to the
despite recent rezonings, our overall capacity
We have not always made smart choices Furman Center, the number of apartments
has actually decreased—to about 400,000
since. Between 1970 and 2000, many of our affordable to low- and moderate-income New
possible new units on soft sites.
greatest areas of growth have been under- Yorkers shrank by 205,000 units between 2002
That means we only have space—if every
served by transit; many of our most con- and 2005. In a recent poll, more than 64% of
significantly underdeveloped and vacant site
nected urban centers have either lost popula- people cited housing costs as a major factor in
was developed to its full potential—to build
tion or experienced only modest growth. moving out of the city. (See chart above: Rent-
new housing for 1.3 million more people. But
Meanwhile, development pushed out into Burdened Households in New York City)
many of the sites will not be developed to
parts of the city that depend more heavily on Low vacancy rates and increasing demand
their maximum capacity. By 2030, we expect
cars. Although spreading housing across New have plagued the city’s housing market, pro-
900,000 more people to arrive. If supply is not
York helped fuel the diversity of neighbor- viding upward pressure on housing prices.
created as fast as people arrive, affordability
hoods and lifestyle choices that distinguish And despite the fact that housing production
could suffer further.
our city, growth in these areas will not stay in 2005 and 2006 represented the highest two-
The Mayor’s $7.5-billion New Housing Market-
sustainable. As we face unprecedented levels year total for residential building permits since
place Plan, which will build or preserve 165,000
of population, our growth moving forward 1965, we still face a significant gap between
units for 500,000 people over 10 years, is more
must be more transit-oriented; this will stem the supply of housing and our population.
than has ever been done before. But it will not
increasing travel times and congestion on our As potential building sites have become
be enough through 2030. Housing 500,000
roads, protect our air quality by avoiding the scarcer across the city, the land price com-
New Yorkers will be an historic achievement;
need for more cars, and reduce our global ponent of housing costs has risen. And the
but it must also be the beginning.
warming emissions. supply continues to dwindle, helping to drive
In the last five years, we have turned the land prices to new levels. (See chart above:
corner. New Yorkers have begun to shift back Vacant Land in New York City)
toward transit centers, into areas with exist-
HOUSING CREATE HOMES FOR ALMOST A MILLION MORE NEW YORKERS, WHILE MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE
Potential Population Growth Scenario
2010 to 2030
7,500 or more
5,000–7,499
2,500–4,999
1,000–2,499
20
HOUSING CREATE HOMES FOR ALMOST A MILLION MORE NEW YORKERS, WHILE MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE
Publicly-Initiated Rezonings Transit-Accessible Population in New York City
2002 to Present People living within 1/2 mile of a subway
facilitates residential/commercial
development
promotes neighborhood
preservation 100%
PERCENT
40
20
0
1970 2000 2010 2010–2030
Source: NYC Department of City Planning Source: NYC Department of City Planning
HOUSING CREATE HOMES FOR ALMOST A MILLION MORE NEW YORKERS, WHILE MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE
Case Study
Re-imagining P.S. 109
community in addition to residents. Topping The castle-like P.S. 109 once housed
off the multi-use building will be a green roof elementary school children from around
—sustaining not just the community’s seniors, its East Harlem neighborhood. In 1996,
but the environment in which they live. Ini tiative 5
when the Department of Education
This partnership recognized the potential Adapt outdated buildings witnessed a decline in the area’s school-
for achieving simultaneous goals on City-
owned land: building affordable housing while
to new uses age population they closed the school,
preserving the supply of affordable parking We will seek to adapt unused slating it for demolition three years later.
spaces. The City will seek to form equally schools, hospitals, and other outdated That’s when East Harlem community
productive alliances with other government municipal sites for productive use groups stepped in, seeking to preserve
agencies and departments in its search for the historic structure, with its slotted
additional land for housing.
as new housing
roofs and gargoyles intact. They won; and
Across the city, dozens of sites are no longer
demolition plans were dropped.
We will continue our partnership appropriate for their original intended use; but
can be reclaimed for a new purpose. Whether But in the years following the decision,
with the New York City Housing
it is redeveloping abandoned warehouses or P.S. 109 sat abandoned. Surrounding
Authority (NYCHA) to build 6,000 transforming closed hospitals—like the land- school districts were only at 74%
new affordable units marked Sea View nurses’ residence that will capacity; another school was not needed.
become a new housing project for seniors— That’s when Artspace, a Minneapolis-
When NYCHA first began building housing
we can preserve some of our most beautiful
projects across New York in the 1930s, the based developer of art housing, and El
buildings while meeting the city’s most critical
design of public housing and its integration Barrio’s Operation Fightback, a commu-
housing needs.
into the urban landscape differed from our nity and housing advocacy organization
As we move ahead over the next two
understanding today. The buildings rose as tall
decades, we must continue searching for in East Harlem, approached the City.
towers surrounded by open space, set back
from the street and without access to stores
other opportunities in underused schools, They asked for the chance to turn 23
or retail. Built into the project were dozens,
hospitals, and office buildings. Where appro- the building into affordable housing for
priate we will partner with the Landmarks neighborhood artists.
sometimes hundreds of parking spaces for
Preservation Commission to save this irre-
residents, reflecting the automobile-centered Artspace and Operation Fightback are
placeable architecture and restore its place
focus of the mid-twentieth century. now on their way to converting P.S. 109
as an integral part of our evolving city. We can
These spaces are now lightly used—leav-
also rethink these buildings to meet some of into 64 combined living and studio art
ing stretches of the developments sitting as
vacant concrete. That’s why in 2004, NYCHA
our city’s unique needs; P.S. 109 is currently spaces as part of a $28.8 million
signed an agreement with HPD to begin tar-
being converted into artists’ housing and renovation project.
studios. By working with HPD and the Depart-
geting some of these empty areas for new The entire building will be affordable and
ment of Cultural Affairs to open new afford-
housing. On the west side of Manhattan, 98 residents from the East Harlem commu-
able spaces for artists, we can not only pre-
underutilized parking spaces were scattered nity, including local artists, will be given
serve our physical city but also its essential
across three separate sites. As part of the
creative spirit. (See case study: Re-imagining preference for 50% of the buildings units.
Hudson Yards rezoning, these areas will now
P.S. 109) “The building wasn’t being utilized, and
be redeveloped to provide 438 units of afford-
able housing. now we’re keeping it as a community
By 2013, we will develop 6,000 new afford- center,” said Gus Rosado, executive
able units through this partnership, including director of El Barrio’s Operation Fightback.
sites in East New York and East Harlem.
Additional opportunities exist to co-locate
Plans include a public space for arts
housing with other functions on govern- education, and a gallery on the first floor.
ment-owned sites. Near Surf Avenue in Coney “Real estate values in the area are
Island, the Economic Development Corpora- going through the roof, and artists
tion is partnering with HPD to create 152 units are getting squeezed out—they’re the
of housing integrated with a 40,000 square
first to go, because they can’t find
foot community center. Other examples of
possible co-locations include schools, librar-
space to practice their craft,” Rosado
ies, and supermarkets. said. “This gives them that opportunity,
and it’s affordable.”
underutilized areas across the city We will examine the potential of major unique mass transit alternative for peripheral
travel between Brooklyn and Queens and sup-
that are well-served by transit and infrastructure expansions to spur port both residential and commercial growth
other infrastructure growth in new neighborhoods in Jamaica.
Throughout the city, there are areas that fail Because so much of the transit system is
to take advantage of their significant exist- already strained, investment in transit infra-
ing infrastructure. New York City can accom- structure is a key component of accommodat-
modate part of our growing population by ing growth.
rethinking the uses in these areas. Once New Yorkers were crowded into
Working together with communities, we neighborhoods like the Lower East Side at den-
can create places where people want to work sities that approximate conditions in some of
and live. We have identified a number of loca- the world’s most congested cities. By extend-
tions to explore, including the Broadway Junc- ing the city’s subway system out into the then-
tion area of Brooklyn, where three subway open land of the so-called outer boroughs, we
lines and the Long Island Rail Road converge. opened up new land for development, reduced
But the zoning capacity has never matched overcrowding in Manhattan, and provided a
this area’s potential. By recognizing this diversity of living conditions throughout the
neighborhood’s ability to absorb responsible city. While the city has very little open land
growth, we could create capacity for thou- remaining for future growth, it can incorporate
sands of new housing units. the principle of using infrastructure investment
to support future development.
HOUSING CREATE HOMES FOR ALMOST A MILLION MORE NEW YORKERS, WHILE MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE
Grand Central
Park Avenue near Photos Expansion of Zoned Housing CapacitySubtitle
Grand Central Terminal
Subtitle
1930s
large private publicly-initiated new housing areas of
applications rezonings on public land opportunity
TOTAL 318,400–497,300
seven subway lines, the Long Island Rail Road, A platform could be constructed over the
and Amtrak. Residents could walk directly and below-grade section of the BQE to create nine
safely to the shopping on Steinway Street in new blocks of housing while reconnecting two
Ini tiative 8 Astoria; residents in Long Island City could neighborhoods. Another example of a disrup-
commute from an LIRR station within their tive highway that could potentially be covered
Deck over railyards, rail lines, neighborhood and children from the surround- over includes the Gowanus Expressway.
and highways ing communities could play on new ballfields. Some of these areas may be better suited
We will explore opportunities to create By developing the site, the City could create than others for future development due to
new land by constructing decks over an entirely new neighborhood, connect long- their accessibility to rail and mass transit, and
transportation infrastructure separated communities, eliminate the noise the physical configuration of the sites. Given 25
and blight of an exposed railyard, and provide market conditions, some may not be able to
Throughout the city, in all five boroughs, high- a transportation hub for anyone traveling to support development for many years while
way and rail infrastructure is essential to life or from Queens and Long Island. others may make economic sense sooner.
in the city. But for the most part, they are To be sure, any such development would We know that the one-size-fits-all approach of
places where communities stop; where neigh- be complicated. It is an active and essential earlier eras will not work. Building communi-
borhood is divided from neighborhood. This rail yard that cannot be disrupted, and addi- ties requires a carefully tailored approach to
need not be so. (See photos above: Creation of tional infrastructure construction as part of local conditions and needs that can only be
Park Avenue) the East Side Access project is now under- developed with local input. We will begin the
Exposed railyards, highways, and rail lines way. As a major portal to Manhattan, the area process of working with communities, the
that cleave neighborhoods apart have period- already suffers from traffic congestion. On the agencies that operate these facilities, and
ically been built over to open up surrounding other hand, it offers an exceptional opportu- other stakeholders to sort through these com-
land for development—most notably along nity to expand the existing Dutch Kills and plicated issues. (See table above: Expansion of
Park Avenue in Midtown. Just a few blocks Hunters Point neighborhoods, to provide for Zoned Housing Capacity)
west sits Caemmerer Yards in the Hudson new places of employment, and to connect
Yards area, which will be decked over for hous- the areas east and west of the yards that are
ing, offices, a cultural center and public open now crossed by only a few streets.
space. There are numerous opportunities to Other examples of possible platform proj-
reknit the city’s neighborhoods together. ects are the former railroad space adjoining the
As our search for land becomes more Staten Island Ferry that could be used to con-
pressing in the coming decades, we must be nect the St. George neighborhood to its water-
prepared to work with communities to explore front, and the 36th Street Rail Yards on the
the potential of these sites. southern edge of the Green Wood Cemetery in
Probably, the most frequently cited oppor- Brooklyn. Building on a platform over it could
tunity to use existing infrastructure sites more result in substantial new units of housing.
creatively is the Sunnyside Yards in Long Island Exposed highways offer a similar oppor-
City, Queens. With transit access nearby, and tunity. One such site is over the Brooklyn-
new commuter rail access planned as part of Queens Expressway (BQE) between Carroll
the East Side Access project, it has often been Gardens and Cobble Hill also in Brooklyn. Just
looked to as a potential development site. The south of Atlantic Avenue, the BQE dips into a
open railyards span nearly 200 acres; devel- depressed section of roadway bordered on
oping even the first section could create hun- either side by Hicks Street. Continuing straight
dreds of housing units with stores, schools, through to the entrance to the Brooklyn Bat-
playing fields, and parks. tery Tunnel, this sunken highway divides
The site could also include an intermodal Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens from the river
transportation facility at the intersection for and the community along Columbia Street.
Expand targeted
affordability programs
Ini tiative 9 Initiative 10
New York’s recent boom in housing permits
is already shrinking the gap between hous- Develop new financing strategies Expand inclusionary zoning
ing supply and demand. We will continue to pursue creative We will seek opportunities to expand
But to truly address the challenge of financing strategies to reach new the use of inclusionary zoning, har-
affordability, we must pair these actions
26 income brackets nessing the private market to create
with targeted strategies to make sure that
these new housing sources are available to Under the expanded 10-year New Housing economically-integrated communities
the full spectrum of New Yorkers. Some Marketplace Plan, the City will create 92,000 When the Department of City Planning (DCP)
income groups have found themselves new units of housing. But just like other cities approached the rezoning of Maspeth-Wood-
priced out of the private market—but unable across the country, New York City struggles side, Queens, it wanted to preserve the neigh-
to benefit from the City’s affordable housing to provide housing to a range of incomes. As borhood’s rows of single-family houses set-
programs because their incomes are too a result of the existing resources available to tled along quiet, residential blocks. But along
high. To maintain a diverse workforce and a create housing, HPD programs have tradition- Queens Boulevard, the wideness of the street
vibrant city, we must reach out to these ally targeted populations earning between was not matched by the scale of the housing
groups and ensure that the City’s programs $20,000 and $40,000 per year. and shopping opportunities. So, in addition to
address the broadest range of housing By enhancing our existing middle income acting to preserve the character of the interior
needs. programs and committing additional capital blocks, DCP opened up the broader boule-
To this end, we expanded our New Hous- funding to develop a new Middle Class Hous- vards to a mix of affordable units and private
ing Marketplace Plan in 2006 to create and ing Initiative, 22,000 units will be targeted market development. But this rezoning was
preserve 165,000 units of housing by 2013. toward New Yorkers earning between $50,000 different: the Maspeth/Woodside rezoning
HPD anticipates that 68% of the units will be and $145,000 per year for a family of four. included the first inclusionary zoning program
affordable to households earning less than In addition, the New York City Housing ever in Queens.
80% of 2005 Area Median Income (which is Trust Fund will utilize approximately $70 mil- Inclusionary zoning enables developers to
approximately $50,000 for a family of four or lion of Battery Park City Authority revenues build larger buildings in exchange for dedicat-
$35,000 for a single person) and the remain- to target households earning below $20,000 ing a percentage of their units to affordable
ing 32% of units will serve moderate and and households earning between $42,540 housing, either onsite or within a short dis-
middle-income New York families. and $56,700. tance. Traditionally, this strategy has been lev-
But even though this plan is the most Finally, the $200 million New York City Acqui- eraged across Manhattan and emerging areas
ambitious in American history, we know we sition Fund will be used as early stage capital of Brooklyn, where the pace of development
will need to continue pushing for new to acquire privately-owned land and buildings and surging demand has attracted record
options through 2030. (See case study above: that will enable the construction and preserva- numbers of building permits. Developers have
Abandonment to Affordabilty) tion of 30,000 units of affordable housing. been eager to incorporate more units, and in
All three programs provide new sources of exchange, create more affordable housing for
funding to meet the housing needs of popula- neighborhoods, fulfilling the promise of the
tions that have been underserved by City pro- city—people from every background living
grams in the past. side-by-side in a single neighborhood. Now
that kind of demand is spreading across all
of New York.
HOUSING CREATE HOMES FOR ALMOST A MILLION MORE NEW YORKERS, WHILE MAKING HOUSING MORE AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE
Already, we have incorporated inclusion- such as Habitat for Humanity, towards the pur- this case, HPD has arranged the successful
ary zoning provisions in Hudson Yards and chase of a home. For New Yorkers who don’t transfer of more than 1,000 units from HUD’s
West Chelsea on the west side of Manhattan have enough money saved for their down foreclosure pipeline to responsible new
and in Greenpoint-Williamsburg and South payment and closing costs, HPD’s HomeFirst owners. But there are thousands more units
Park Slope in Brooklyn. Many other rezonings Down Payment Assistance program provides we need to preserve. Over the coming years,
incorporating inclusionary zoning have been qualified home buyers with up to 6% of the we will work to create a comprehensive strat-
completed or are underway, including in Fort home’s purchase price. egy to preserve these units with the goal of
Greene and the Lower East Side. We must con- In addition, we are continuing to partner providing incentives to owners to keep their
tinue to maximize this strategy as we evaluate with the Nehemiah program, a collaboration buildings affordable or to transfer them to
possible new rezonings to ensure that not between HPD and a consortium of commu- responsible ownership. As the housing market
only is more housing produced, but also that nity-based churches in Brooklyn that over the in New York continues to evolve, the City is
it is more affordable. past 15 years has constructed nearly 3,000 committed to adapting its preservation strate-
single-family homes in East New York and gies to ensure we save this valuable stock of
Brownsville. Under the Neighborhood Homes affordable housing. In fact, preserving 37,000
Program, HPD conveys occupied one- to four- of these units is an explicit goal of the New
family buildings to community-based not- Housing Marketplace Plan.
for-profit organizations for rehabilitation and
Ini tiative 11 eventual sale to owner-occupants.
Encourage homeownership
We will continue to develop programs Conclusion
to encourage homeownership,
We have seen the shift that can occur over
emphasizing affordable apartments Initiativ e 12 25 years. Since 1980, the city’s housing crisis
over single-family homes Preserve the existing stock of completely reversed, from abandonment 27
to affordability. Each question has been
Most people consider homeownership one affordable housing throughout equally urgent.
of the foundations of the American dream. In
New York City, the homeownership rate is the
New York City We recognize that the strategies discussed
highest it has been since we began collect- We will continue to develop programs here—rezonings, maximizing affordability
ing information on homeownership in 1965: to preserve the existing affordable on public land, looking at new areas of oppor-
tunity, developing innovative financing pro-
currently 33% of New Yorkers own their own housing that so many New Yorkers grams, expanding the use of inclusionary
homes. While this is an all-time high for the
city, we will continue to encourage homeown-
depend upon today zoning, and supporting home ownership—will
ership so that more New Yorkers can build As we focus on developing affordable housing, have to be adjusted as the market changes,
equity and savings instead of spending money we must not forget that a considerable stock and new approaches may need to be added.
on rent that they will never recoup. of affordable housing already exists in New Our efforts must reflect the dynamism of New
For those who do leap into the home- York. One particular stock of affordable hous- York and its growing population if we are to
ownership market, their choices have been ing that is at risk is the government-assisted be successful in addressing the city’s hous-
constrained by the available supply. Smaller stock. A significant number of New Yorkers ing needs. We must be prepared to respond
houses, including two-family and three-family rely on 250,000 units of affordable housing with creativity and compassion as newer chal-
homes, have traditionally provided the first provided by the Mitchell-Lama program, the lenges emerge.
opportunity for renters to become homeown- Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program, and The mixture of residents will determine,
ers across New York City. HUD-financed properties. These units repre- more than anything else, the kind of city we
But in a strong real estate market, oppor- sent an important long-term source of afford- become. By expanding supply possibilities to
tunities for the development of larger, afford- able housing for low and moderate-income create healthier market conditions, we can
able co-operative and condominium buildings New Yorkers. But, many of the original afford- continue ensuring that new housing produc-
have increased—and in some cases been ability restrictions set by the government to tion matches our vision of New York as a city
introduced for the first time—into neigh- restrict rents on properties are now expir- of opportunity for all. The building blocks are
borhoods across the city. From Harlem to ing, and in New York City’s strong real estate mixed-income communities.
the South Bronx, new opportunities for the market, owners are tempted to convert their But this principle will not change: If New
empowerment of homeownership are emerg- buildings to market-rate. At the same time, York loses its socioeconomic diversity, its
ing, without fostering a suburbanized pattern some of these buildings have fallen into disre- greatest asset will be lost. We can—and
of growth. pair and need help improving housing condi- must—do better.
In the coming decades, we will continue to tions for their tenants.
build on a range of financing programs and To date, HPD has worked with partners to
partnerships that encourage homeownership. preserve these units using strategies catered
Today, low-income New York City residents to each building or group of buildings. One
living in overcrowded or substandard housing example of this is HPD’s work with the U.S.
conditions in Harlem, Queens or Brooklyn can Department of Housing and Urban Develop-
qualify for financing through HPD programs, ment (HUD) to preserve their properties. In
29
In 1652, Dutch traders began settling farming Flatbush is not alone. Through much of the
villages just east of Manhattan—including one 20th century, in too many neighborhoods,
they named Vlackebos, meaning “wooded the population grew faster than the rate of
plain.” The area, with its dense forests and new park development, even as the City
flat terrain, would eventually become known built one of the largest urban park systems
as Flatbush, and it remained in its natural in the United States—29,000 acres in all. The
state for the better part of three centuries. challenge today is not only to add new park-
But, in the 1920s, the new Interborough Rapid land, which is critical to the city’s quality of
Transit linked Flatbush to the rest of the city, life, but to expand access to parks and open
sparking new developments that began space in communities where they have been
welcoming successive generations of scarce for decades. (See case study on follow-
immigrants. As with the Dutch traders, these ing page: New York City’s Three Great Ages of
newcomers built homes and roads, only more Parks Development)
quickly and densely. Riding through East Over the last five years, the City has
Flatbush today, there are still trees that line added more than 300 acres of new parkland,
its quiet, residential sidewalks. But the area’s much of it by reclaiming stretches of the
open space is virtually gone. waterfront that were abandoned by industry
decades ago. Yet because of our population
density, the city has fewer acres of green
space per person than almost any other
major American city. And as the city’s popu-
lation continues to grow, and as competition
from housing, office space, and other uses
intensify, the need to create new parks and
open space will increase.
The current standard for park space in are increasingly crowded. With population York City were almost twice as likely to be hos-
New York is 1.5 acres per thousand people. growth expected to continue, and as greater pitalized for asthma as children in the U.S. as
For playgrounds it is 1,250 children per play- competition for land from housing, offices, a whole. Expanding access to open space is
ground. In contrast, East Flatbush’s 56,000 schools, municipal uses, and other priorities not a panacea for these health problems, but
residents have access to a total of 4.8 acres intensifies across the city, the open space it can be part of the solution. In the interest of
of open space, or 0.09 acres per thousand ratio is expected to fall even further. Today, public health and environmental justice, we
people. The neighborhood’s 12,000 children 97 out of 188 neighborhoods have more than have to do better.
share three neighborhood playgrounds. More 1,250 children per playground. Based on cur- New Yorkers are clamoring for more oppor-
than half the population, or 29,000 people, rent trends, by 2030, 59 neighborhoods will tunities to enjoy parks, and maintaining and
lives farther than a quarter-mile from publicly have less than 1.5 acres of open space per expanding our quality of life requires us to
available open space. 1,000 residents. answer that need.
New Yorkers love their parks—and are Expanding access to parks is also impor- By developing a comprehensive, neighbor-
eager to use them. In a recent survey, 82% of tant for public health. Today, the city’s obesity hood-by-neighborhood approach, we can
New Yorkers cited open spaces as one of their rate among children is 24%, almost 10% above ensure that every child and every adult has
most cherished city assets. But those assets the national average. In 2000, children in New open space to relax and play.
OPEN SPACE ENSURE THAT ALL NEW YORKERS LIVE WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK
All Park Initiatives
SCHOOLYARDS TO PLAYGROUNDS
take the field sites
artificial turf
fields to light
pipeline plazas
neighborhoods
regional parks
Nonummodiamet ea feu
feugiat uerit, vendiate delit
iriusci tie conum
zzriureetue dio eratisit wis
amet wis nonsequipsum
zzriustrud tis augue do od
molorem
Our Plan as play space or parkland and make it available borhood. Combined with other transforma-
to new audiences. Second, we will expand tive park projects already being advanced,
When opportunities arise to create new parks usable hours at our current, high-quality sites. the total number of acres newly planned,
we should continue to seize them—as we And third, we propose re-conceptualizing our acquired, developed, or opened will total
have by reclaiming Fresh Kills from its lan- streets and sidewalks as public spaces that nearly 4,000. No longer will some residents
guishing status as a 2,300-acre former land- can foster the connections that create vibrant have access to recreation and space for relax-
fill, re-imagining the East River Waterfront, communities. ation, while others do not. By 2030, virtu-
and Governors Island as part of a new Harbor The collective result of these policies will ally every New Yorker across the city will live
District, building a new 20-acre waterfront create over 800 acres of upgraded parkland within a 10-minute walk of a park. (See map
park along Sunset Park’s Bush Terminal Piers, and open space across virtually every neigh- above: All Park Initiatives)
transforming the Elmhurst gas tanks site into
six new acres of park space, and setting in
motion over the last five years the creation of
nearly 2,700 acres of parkland—the largest
expansion of our system since the New Deal. Our plan for open space:
But even that will not be sufficient for every
Make existing sites available to more New Yorkers
neighborhood as we move forward. The need
for new parkland must be balanced with the 1 Open schoolyards across the city as public playgrounds
need for additional housing, schools, and 2 Increase options for competitive athletics
transit access, and the available land for these 3 Complete underdeveloped destination parks
critical priorities is getting scarcer. As a result,
we cannot fully solve the challenge by buying Expand usable hours at existing sites
more land and converting it into parks. New 4 Provide more multi-purpose fields
approaches are needed, strategies that clev- 5 Install new lighting
erly evolve and co-locate uses on the land we
already have. This idea is the core of our Open Re-imagine the public realm
Space program. 6 Create or enhance a public plaza in every community
We have developed three main approaches 7 Green the cityscape
to ensure that nearly every New Yorker lives
within a 10-minute walk of a park by 2030.
First, we will upgrade land already designated
OPEN SPACE ENSURE THAT ALL NEW YORKERS LIVE WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK
Current Playground Access and Proposed
Schoolyard-to-Playground Sites
SCHOOLYARDS-TO-PLAYGROUNDS
Adequate playground access
inAdequate playground access
open space/non-residential
Together, these sites will become regional
destinations. For each one, we will engage in a
planning effort with the surrounding commu-
nity to develop green spaces, outdoor recre-
ational centers with opportunities for all ages,
and sports facilities—such as for soccer and
cricket—that reflect the shifting recreation
interests of today’s New Yorkers. (See map on
following page: Destination Parks)
Often the fiercest competition among sports The most tantalizing opportunity lies in the Highland Park, Queens
teams in New York City can be finding a place 500 acres of underdeveloped parkland and The former Ridgewood Reservoir is nestled
to play. We will increase options for competitive underutilized facilities. within the broader expanse of Highland Park.
athletes by making high-quality competition New York’s park system is built on a founda- Built in 1856 on a natural basin, the reservoir
fields available to teams across the city. tion of regional and large parks. These parks was used until 1959 and served as a backup
In recent years we have developed a stock are the greatest attractions in the system, water supply for Brooklyn and Queens until
of first-class fields that can be made available providing a full range of experiences—ath- 1989. Today its three basins are overgrown.
to more teams with proper coordination. For letic, cultural, educational, and relaxing—for Two of the three basins will be set aside
example, the “Take the Field” program, a public- every resident in the city. As New York grows, as a nature preserve, while the largest will
private partnership that rebuilds outdoor ath- these parks will continue to attract even larger be transformed into a 60-acre active recre-
letic facilities at public schools, has already cre- numbers of users. To maintain the quality of ation center.
ated 43 high-quality sports field complexes at the park system, New York will need to create
McCarren Park, Brooklyn
high schools in every borough. Altogether, the new regional and large park destinations.
Opened in 1936, then closed in 1984 due to
program has built 36 soccer fields, 35 baseball We’ve identified eight sites across the
the deterioration of its systems, McCarren
fields, 35 tracks, and 22 tennis complexes— city—at least one in every borough—that
Pool will finally be rebuilt as both an outdoor
some of which can be made available to wider were once envisioned as spectacular
Olympic-size pool and a year-round recreation
use with proper coordination. resources for the surrounding region. All have
center serving the people of north Brooklyn.
Existing fields are currently being used both by yet to reach their potential.
school teams and a limited number of commu- One is a former reservoir. Several are Ocean Breeze Park, Staten Island
nity teams. We will work with sports teams and located along highways, with few access Ocean Breeze is a 110-acre park that used to
community-based groups to open the sites to options. One site lies within a nature preserve, be part of an adjacent hospital campus. Most
new audiences and maintain underused fields. but could safely be developed. of the park is sand dunes and wetland and
Manhattan
Fort Washington Park
160 acres
Proposed Improvements: improve
access across Henry Hudson Parkway,
build new soccer and volleyball facility,
34 and create greenway improvements
Brooklyn
McCarren Park, 36 acres
Proposed Improvements: rebuild the
McCarren Park pool as an Olympic-size
pool and a year-round recreation center
Staten Island
Ocean Breeze, 110 acres
Proposed Improvements: develop
soccer fields, baseball fields, and
the city’s third indoor track facility
Brooklyn
Dreier-Offerman Park
77 acres
Proposed Improvements:
develop competitive soccer
and baseball center
OPEN SPACE ENSURE THAT ALL NEW YORKERS LIVE WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK
The Bronx
Soundview Park, 212 acres
Proposed Improvements: undertake
environmental improvements, including
salt marsh restoration, construct a
new athletic fields and facilities
35
brooklyn
Bushwick Inlet Park
Queens Bushwick Inlet Park is an example of a regional
Highland Park, 60 acres park already underway. It will transform formerly
Proposed Improvements: set industrial land into a 28-acre waterfront park
aside two of three basins set against the Manhattan skyline. A two-mile
as a nature preserve and waterfront esplanade will wind along the
new active recreation center Greenpoint-Williamsburg shoreline, opening up
on recreational turf ball field, gardens, and boat
launches that enhance the site’s dramatic views
and riverfront location.
queens
Rockaway Beach
44.5 acres
Proposed Improvements:
re-establish amenities
along the boardwalk for
beach visitors
OPEN SPACE ENSURE THAT ALL NEW YORKERS LIVE WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK
Just as we have begun to re-imagine the
waterfront from a set of dilapidated docks
and warehouses into a resource for emerg-
ing neighborhoods and families, we must
similarly turn our attention to the most com-
monly shared spaces among us. That means
creating new plazas in every community
where sidewalks in commercial areas allow
for more neighborhood life, and where
empty spaces could be converted into
public plazas. It means filling out the remain-
ing barren streets with trees that will add
shade, color, cleaner air and higher prop-
Willoughby Street before
erty values; and it means encouraging an Credit: NYC Department of Transporation
active, vibrant public realm as essential to
the life of our city.
Ini tiative 6
widely, just as the scale and design of the health. City trees cool summer air tempera- Conclusion
city’s neighborhoods vary widely. Four new tures, reduce air pollution, conserve energy,
or enhanced plaza spaces will be completed and reduce storm water runoff. Throughout this chapter, we have defined
per year until every community board has at parks as publicly-accessible open space that
least one. In every case, the communities will We will fill every available street tree offers New Yorkers possibilities for either
be consulted on sites and how the space is active recreation or relaxation and enjoyment.
designed, constructed, and programmed.
opportunity in New York City No park smaller than a quarter acre has been
In the past decade, the Department of Parks considered to meet this standard.
& Recreation has planted more than 122,000 We have also considered the question of
curbside trees of more than 30 different access. For a typical New Yorker, a 10-minute
varieties. Current plantings fill 74% of the exist- walk is a half mile. But this is a goal for all
ing space for street trees. We will undertake ages, and so we’ve also assessed open space
Ini tiative 7 an aggressive campaign to plant trees wher- opportunities within a quarter mile, recogniz-
ever possible, in order to fully capitalize on ing the different pace set by parents walking
Green the cityscape tree opportunities across the city. Our goal is with small children and seniors. (See map on
We will beautify our public realm to raise the street stocking level from 74% to facing page: 2030 Access to Parks)
to improve the experience of 100% as part of our overall goal of planting As a result of the initiatives outlined here,
one million more trees by 2030. To achieve we can expand opportunities for virtually every
every pedestrian this, we will plant approximately 23,000 addi- New Yorker within the next 10 years, building
In 1902, the Municipal Art Society encouraged tional trees annually. (See map above: Street on the substantial progress from the last five.
residents of Brooklyn Heights to beautify their Tree Stocking Levels) With our projected population growth and
neighborhood by planting sidewalk trees, increasing competition for land, new open
installing flower-filled window boxes, and cre- We will expand the space will become more difficult to find. That is
ating mini-gardens of potted plants on their why we will be even more vigilant about using
stoops. Called Block Beautiful, this private ini-
Greenstreets program what we already have more efficiently—even
tiative led to the adoption of the first sidewalk In addition to tree planting, we will expand as we continue to search aggressively for avail-
tree planting program. Greenstreets, a program that has successfully able parkland. Through shared usage and new
In truth, we have always known that trees transformed thousands of acres of unused facilities on existing sites, we will substantially
beautify neighborhoods; but in the late 1980s, road space into green space since its incep- increase open space for New Yorkers to enjoy
scientists began to quantify the benefits of tion in 1996. Over the next 10 years, we will their parks.
urban trees. Today, an impressive and grow- undertake 40 new Greenstreets projects every Together, we will create an active, healthier,
ing body of knowledge recognizes trees as planting season, bringing the total number of more beautiful public realm for all New Yorkers
assets to a city’s economic and environmental Greenstreets projects to 3,000 by 2017. across our city.
OPEN SPACE ENSURE THAT ALL NEW YORKERS LIVE WITHIN A 10-MINUTE WALK OF A PARK
2030 Access to Parks
half-mile walk in 10 minutes
quarter-mile walk in 10 minutes
non-residential areas
39
Today, the 5.5‑acre brownfield known as As our need for space grows while
Public Place is anything but open to the public. our supply of land remains fixed, we
A tall fence encircles the site, separating it must use our existing stock of land more
from the surrounding community and blocking efficiently. Brownfields represent one of our
access to the Gowanus Canal. Dense under-
greatest opportunities. All five boroughs
brush has spread over piles of dumped
contain sites where previous uses have left
garbage, an old building foundation, and a
rusting dump truck. The only active corner is behind contamination. There might have
used by a concrete production facility. been a factory that turned coal into natu-
ral gas; a dry cleaner that used hazardous
Adjacent to the growing neighborhood of 41
Carroll Gardens, framed by the rising ridge chemicals; or a gas station that left behind
of brownstone Brooklyn, and within walking gasoline in the soil. In some cases, the con-
distance of the subway, the area’s potential firmed presence of these dangers has stalled
is unquestionable. As the largest City-owned development; in others, just the fear of pollu-
site in the neighborhood, the lot could be tion has prevented the land from being used
reclaimed as housing and open space. But
more effectively. All together, as many as
while the surrounding areas have flourished,
7,600 acres across the city may suffer from
Public Place has stubbornly remained vacant
for decades, despite repeated requests by contamination—an area over eight times the
the local community to restore the land for size of Central Park.
active use. The presence of brownfields is most acutely
Starting in the 1860s, the Brooklyn Union Gas felt in low-income communities where con-
company operated a manufactured gas plant taminated sites can be concentrated. For
on the site for a century—leaving coal tar years, environmental justice advocates have
waste and other chemicals behind. Since the
championed the need for strengthened
plant closed in the 1960s, the pollution has
brownfield remediation programs for years,
sunk as far as 150 feet underground, seeping
into, under, and across the canal. particularly ones that address community
needs.
As early as 1970, the community identified
Public Place as a redevelopment opportunity— With enough investment and oversight,
but for the next three decades, nothing even the most contaminated land can be
happened. Since KeySpan signed a voluntary cleaned up for safe use. Barretto Point Park
clean-up agreement in 2002, the process has in the South Bronx is built on a site once con-
accelerated—but it has still taken four years taminated by an asphalt plant and a sand
just to complete the analysis of contamination and gravel facility. Schaefer Landing, once
on-site, explore the range of possible uses, and
a manufactured gas plant, sugar refinery
negotiate responsibility for the steady flow
and brewery, is now the site of 350 units of
of toxins leaking into the Gowanus Canal.
housing on the Brooklyn waterfront. And the
Agreement on a remediation design will
Shops at Atlas Park in Queens was once a toy
take another year and the cleanup itself
will last one more. By 2008—nearly 40 years factory site that tainted the surrounding soils
after first being identified—the redevelopment and groundwater by pouring chemicals down
of Public Place can begin. its drains. (See case study on following page:
Schaefer Landing)
Public Place, Brooklyn
Existing State programs large-scale developer might succeed; a small- sive than the rest of the state, a small number
The programs regulating and encouraging this scale developer will be at a distinct disadvan- of sites has consumed a disproportionate
redevelopment have mainly been at the State tage. amount of funding. As a result, the State has
and Federal levels. Today, there are nearly 270 More pressures are being caused by been forced to restrict the number of entrants
sites covering more than 1,900 acres enrolled today’s strong real estate market: the demand into the program.
in the State’s brownfields oversight programs, on State agencies is growing, with limited Still others are eligible, but their owners
in all five boroughs. (See map on previous page: resources to handle the increasing caseload of believe that entering current programs will
Brownfield Sites in New York State Remedia- applications. lengthen the time and cost of redevelopment.
tion Programs; see case study on facing page: As a result, the developers have undertaken
Sites not in programs
Brownfield Redevelopment History; see graphic testing and cleanups without government
But the sites facing these challenges are
on facing page: Timeline of Brownfield Policy oversight, accepting the risk that this cleanup
already part of a State program; it is likely that
Development). might not be sufficient. These “at risk” clean-
they will be returned to productive use. In con-
But despite the scale of enrollment, ups pose little safety risk if they are done cor-
trast, the sites not in State programs—roughly
these programs can be costly and time con- rectly, but they will only take place on those
5,700 of the estimated 7,600 acres—have no
suming. sites where the value of the site far exceeds
guarantee of ever getting cleaned up.
Frequently, sites must undergo testing and the cleanup cost.
Some of these sites have attempted to
analysis before being accepted. This process,
enter the State cleanup program, but have Community input
known as “phase II environmental site assess-
been prevented because of the State’s restric- The challenges facing brownfield owners often
ment,” requires that teams take multiple soil,
tive eligibility criteria. It is not likely that sites make them eager to find any economically fea-
vapor, and groundwater samples from the
with low levels of contamination or types of sible uses for their sites, whether or not they
site, send them for testing—and then wait
pollutants common to New York City, such conform to the vision of the local community.
for results to determine if more testing will be
as some of the fill material used in the early In our current situation, landlords often find
required. As a result, even just applying for
20th century, will be admitted into the State’s that their financial interests dictate develop-
admission into the program can take a year or
Brownfield Cleanup Program (BCP) when the ment plans that minimize cleanup require-
more.
site is redeveloped. ments, time, and costs. Accordingly, they may
Once sites have been accepted, the com-
In other cases, many sites are rejected due choose new uses for the land, like parking lots,
plexity of our development history means that
to a lack of available funding. The current pro- that do not require high cleanup standards—
the State’s remediation guidelines rarely apply
gram was designed to encourage develop- but also do not reflect community needs or
neatly to city sites. As a result, the details of
ment as well as cleanups; therefore, not only desires.
each cleanup must be negotiated with two
do incentives cover the remediation costs, This mismatch of uses has become an
State agencies in a process that can take years.
they also contribute toward the actual con- environmental justice issue because brown-
In this complicated back-and-forth of sampling,
struction. In New York City, where projects fields are often concentrated in low-income
soil analysis, and negotiation, a sophisticated,
are generally denser, higher, and more expen- neighborhoods that find the new develop-
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Love Canal becomes a Minnesota adopts nation’s first New York State begins Congress amends In his State of the State
national issue and highlights voluntary program to clean to address brownfield Superfund, shielding address, Governor Spitzer calls
the risks of toxic chemicals brownfields redevelopment through developers from for reform of State brownfield
to public health introduction of voluntary Superfund liability program
cleanup program when they acquire
land contaminated
by others
City Department of
Environmental Protection
Water
Water Quality
Open 90% of our waterways
to recreation by preserving natural
areas and reducing pollution
Water Network
Develop critical backup systems
for our aging water network to ensure
long-term reliability
Water Quality
Credit: NYC Economic Development Corporation
Open 90% of our waterways
to recreation by preserving natural
areas and reducing pollution
The opaque two-and-a-half mile twisting For more than two centuries, New Yorkers
Gowanus Canal is part of New York folklore, used waterways as garbage bins, dump-
a gritty piece of city history. ing waste into the rivers that rushed by
“When I first moved in 11 years ago, it their houses. By the industrial age, our atti-
smelled nasty,” said John Creech, 44, who tude remained largely unchanged: water-
lives in the area. ways were a means to achieving an end,
whether convenience or commerce. Oil refin-
The stench came from a century and a half
eries, factories, and ships rose along the riv-
of sewage and industrial pollutants settling
to the bottom of the canal and decomposing.
erbanks and their waste products were often 53
deposited in the water. As manufacturing
Built in the 19th century to usher Brooklyn
declined after World War II, the waterfront
into the industrial era, the Gowanus quickly
withered along with it. For decades,
became the nation’s busiest commercial
stretches of riverfront sat largely abandoned
waterway. After World War I, six million tons
while pollution seeped deeper into the soils
of cargo annually were produced and
and surrounding water.
trafficked through the canal. The resulting
In 1972, the Clean Water Act established
industrial contaminants, storm water runoff,
ambitious new pollution regulations, with
and other oil-slicked pollutants—particularly
the goal of making every water body in the
ink—gave the Gowanus its nickname,
country safe for active recreation. Since
“Lavender Lake.”
then, the City has dedicated $35 billion to
Today, more than 154 million gallons of fresh improving the quality of our waterways.
water are pumped into the canal per day, In dry weather, virtually all of New York
helping to oxygenate the waterway and City’s sewage is treated. During storm
support aquatic life. But thousands of gallons events, the added volume of storm water
of sewage still discharge during rainstorms results in Combined Sewer Overflows, or
and decades worth of toxic sediment still sits CSOs. CSOs still occur during heavy storms,
along the bottom. but the number of these events have
dropped dramatically. New infrastructure
upgrades have enabled us to capture more
of the overflow, increasing our capture rate
from 30% to 70% since 1980.
Today, our rivers are experiencing a renais-
sance. Every year, dozens of races are held
in the Harbor which is cleaner than it’s been
in decades. There are fishing stations set up
along the piers of Queens West, kayaking
along the Hudson, and plans for canoeing at
the new Brooklyn Bridge Park. (See maps on
following page: Tributary Water Quality)
d
d
un
un
So
So
Bronx River Bronx River
Today 2030
d
d
an
an
Fresh Fresh
Isl
Isl
ng
ng
Bronx Bronx
no contact allowed
Lo
Lo
Westchester
no contact allowed Westchester
er
er
Creek Creek
boating and fishing allowed boating and fishing allowed
Riv
Riv
Bronx Bronx
son
son
River Tidal r River Tidal r
R iv e R iv e
Hud
Hud
East East
n
n
tta
tta
nha
nha
Ma
Ma
Flushing Creek Alley Creek Flushing Creek Alley Creek
Little Neck Bay Little Neck Bay
Newtown Newtown
Creek Queens Creek Queens
Shellbank Shellbank
Gowanus Hendrix Basin Bergen Gowanus Hendrix Basin Bergen
Upper Canal Creek Basin Upper Canal Creek Basin
New York New York
Bay Fresh Bay Fresh
Creek Spring Thurston Nassau Creek Spring Thurston Nassau
Creek Basin County Creek Basin County
Brooklyn Brooklyn
Paerdegat Paerdegat
Staten Basin Staten Basin
Island Island
Coney Island Coney Island
Creek Creek
Lower Sheepshead Lower Sheepshead
New York Bay Atlantic Ocean New York Bay Atlantic Ocean
Bay Bay
Our Plan
NO CONTACT ALLOWED NO CONTACT ALLOWED
As we accelerate the reclamation of former Although our water quality has improved
industrial land along the riverbanks, with more over the past few decades, progress has
than 60 miles of waterfront development started to slow as conditions across the city We are one of the world’s great waterfront
underway, the need to improve water quality change. Natural areas and permeable sur- cities: a series of islands and archipelagos,
itself has become more important than ever. faces absorb storm water and help prevent with nearly 600 miles of waterfront. But we are
There are two primary areas that require even more sewage from pouring into our just beginning to rediscover our waterways as
attention. First, significant parts of the harbor waterways. But these areas are disappearing a source of recreation and inspiration.
estuary, including the Hudson and East rapidly. Over the last century, the city’s wet- To fulfill their potential, we must address
Rivers, are periodically forced to close for swim- lands shrank by almost 90%. Even in the last 25 the waterways themselves, particularly our
54 ming as a result of heavy rains and resulting years, we lost more than 9,000 acres of per- most polluted tributaries.
CSO events. meable surfaces. (See map on facing page: Achieving our goal will require a balance
Our second, more intractable problem is Vegetative Cover Change) between infrastructure solutions and more
the series of man-made canals, like the Gowa- To account for this shifting landscape and natural strategies.
nus, that were designed largely to ease ships to continue making progress toward our goal, That’s why we will upgrade our wastewater
more deeply into the city. The majority of these we must be more ambitious in our approach treatment facilities, while integrating separated
tributaries are embedded within neighbor- to reducing CSO discharges. storm sewers into new development projects
hoods before coming to a dead end. Without Today we capture 70% of CSOs before they like Hudson Yards. We will also expand efforts
a flow of water, they lack the natural currents enter the surrounding waterways, but other to harness our environment as a natural water
that would flush out pollutants. Oils, sewage, cities are doing better. Boston and Chicago, filter. That includes expanding our pioneering
and toxins simply sink to the bottom, where for instance, have been able to approach rates Bluebelt system, adding nearly one million more
they have been piling up for decades. Today, of 90%. To begin closing this gap we must trees, and landscaping our streets.
more than 52% of these canals and creeks are complete large capital improvements that will But today we have an opportunity to go
unavailable for public recreation because their expand the capacity of our treatment plants even further—we will not only plant trees,
contamination levels are too high. and sewers. but pay more attention to the design of the
The problem of CSOs can largely be traced Perhaps even more importantly, we must pit they are planted in to maximize its ability
to the original design of our sewer system: also prevent water from entering our com- to absorb water. We won’t just increase plant-
60% of our network captures rain water and bined sewer system in the first place. That ings along streets, but study the design of the
sewage in the same pipe. During dry weather, means pursuing proven water retention and surrounding median and sidewalk so that it
treatment plants can easily handle all of the diversion strategies, while piloting a range of can collect and store water more easily.
city’s waste. In heavy rain events, our treat- promising solutions, often called Best Man- These BMP strategies are not fully proven
ment plants can double their dry weather agement Practices (BMPs), that harness natu- in New Yok City—but their potential could be
capacity, but that is sometimes not enough ral processes to retain, detain or cleanse the enormous. A new Inter-agency Best Manage-
to avoid CSOs. The extra flow—which is 90% water. These BMPs tend to be less expensive ment Practices Task Force will explore the
storm water—is released, untreated, into the and help achieve multiple environmental possibilities for incorporating these initiatives
surrounding water. These CSOs are some- ends. For example, trees absorb water, but into various planning processes, starting with
times caused by as little as a tenth of an inch they also cleanse the air, create a more wel- a range of pilot programs.
of hard rain. This phenomenon is not unique coming public realm, and help reduce global Through the initiatives outlined below, we
to New York City. Municipalities throughout warming emissions. will improve public access to our tributaries
the United States, particularly the older com- By overcoming the institutional barriers from 48% to over 90%; and we will ensure that
munities of the Northeast and Midwest, are that have prevented the implementation of our larger water bodies are less susceptible
served by combined sewer systems. However, BMPs to date and rigorously assessing their to storm-generated pollution. As BMPs and
the City recognizes the need for substantial performance in the city, we can prioritize other resources take effect, we will increas-
improvements and requires creative solu- sound investments in the coming decades. ingly be able to use some of our waterways
tions. (See map on facing page: Wastewater for swimming as well.
Drainage Areas and Combined Sewer
Overflow Locations)
No Change
no change
Vegetation Loss
vegetation loss
Tallmans
North Bowery Bay Island
River
Newtown
Source: NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Creek
Red Hook
Jamaica
26th Ward
These policies are expected to improve the
CSO capture rate to more than 75% as well Owls Head
Port
as decrease bacterial levels and increase dis- Richmond Coney
Island
solved oxygen—a key indicator of aquatic Rockaway
57
But we cannot simply install these sepa- could have absorbed, according to an analy-
rated sewers at every site. Since they require sis by the U.S. Forest Service and the City’s
a separate pipe and outlet to a waterbody, Department of Parks & Recreation (DPR), 243
this strategy is only cost-effective for develop- million gallons for every inch of rain. Trees Initiative 5
ments near the water’s edge. capture rainfall on their leaves and branches Expand the Bluebelt program
Therefore, the City will analyze each site and take up water through their roots, and
carefully on a case-by-case basis to determine release significant volumes to the air through
We will expand the Bluebelt in
the appropriateness of this strategy. One area evaporation. In all, the DPR estimates that Staten Island and other boroughs,
that is clearly a good candidate is the Hudson city street trees capture 870 million gallons where possible
Yards area. Other developments that may of stormwater each year. At least four million
In many areas of Staten Island, development
also be appropriate for HLSS or for the com- gallons of water are absorbed by soil around
preceded the full build-out of the sewer
plete separation of their sewer infrastructure street trees during each storm event.
system. For example, some residents of South
include the Bronx Terminal Market, Queens Over the next 25 years, we will undertake
Richmond still rely on on-site septic systems
West development, Gateway Estates in Brook- 40 new Greenstreets projects every planting
for sanitary waste disposal. During periods
lyn, and the Columbia University expansion season, bringing the citywide total to more
of rain, several areas in this region routinely
in Manhattanville. (See case study above: than 3,000 by 2030. A one-acre Greenstreet
experience localized flooding and septic tank
Hudson Yards) can hold about 55,000 gallons of storm water.
failures. To address these concerns, in 1997,
The existing total acreage of Greenstreets
the DEP created the Staten Island Bluebelt as
sites in New York City is almost 164 acres,
a natural solution. (See case study on follow-
which translates into nine million gallon
ing page: Reshaping the Urban Environment)
capacity citywide. With an additional 40 new
Nearly 36% of Staten Island’s precipitation
Greenstreet projects, covering 75 acres, the
drains into the current Bluebelt system which
Initiative 4 capacity to hold stormwater will increase by
covers nearly 10,000 acres. Over the next 25
four million gallons.
Capture the benefits of our In addition to increasing stormwater stor-
years, we will seek to add an additional 4,000
open space plan age through Greenstreets, we will increase
acres in the borough, spread across South
Beach, New Creek, and Oakwood Beach.
We will expand the amount of green, the number of trees in the city by one million.
To date, the Bluebelt program has saved
permeable surfaces across the city to New designs for the tree pits could signifi-
the City an estimated $80 million in infrastruc-
cantly increase this capacity as well.
reduce storm water runoff ture costs, and it has also saved homeowners
money in flood damage. In addition, property
Green spaces act as natural storm water cap-
values in the immediate vicinity of the com-
ture and retention devices. The 9,000 acres of
pleted Bluebelt drainage corridors have con-
vegetative cover lost between 1984 and 2002
sistently appreciated, enhancing the city’s tax
Structural Soil
Sidewalk
Sidewalk
Credit: Pia Norling
Street
Expanded area for roots and
water drainage under sidewalk
Source: NYC Department of Environmental Protection Source: NYC Department of Environmental Protection
The focus will be on greening the public Within the next two years, the City will also to filter all the effluent, 65 mgd, from the
right-of-way, developing BMPs on City-owned pilot other BMPs, including developing storm 26th Ward Wastewater Treatment Plant.
land, improving environmental performance water BMPs for ballfields along the Bronx But because this premise has not been
of open space, and creating strategies to pro- River, using vacant public property to create tested recently in New York City, we can’t
mote BMPs on private development. urban storm water systems that offer greater confirm that this level of performance is pos-
The Task Force and its working groups will infiltration and protect wildlife habitat. We will sible. Therefore, we will test the solution in
be coordinated by the Office of Long-Term also study the treatment and capture of storm order to determine whether or not it should
Planning and Sustainability with participation water from large parking lots using vegetation be expanded.
from the Departments of Environmental Pro- and infiltration through pilots in the Jamaica The study will evaluate to what extent mol-
tection, Design and Construction, Transporta- Bay Watershed. lusks can grow in our waterways, the mollusks 59
tion, Citywide Administrative Services, Parks densities necessary to address urban pol-
& Recreation, Health and Mental Hygiene, We will introduce 20 cubic meters lution and nutrient problems, and the costs
City Planning, and Buildings, and the Office of associated with achieving various levels of
Management and Budget.
of ribbed mussel beds water quality improvement. The demonstra-
The Task Force also will create a set of per- When Henry Hudson first sailed through New tion habitat will be monitored, documented,
formance metrics to be published annually. York’s Harbor, half the world’s oysters were and replicated as appropriate.
Possible metrics include market penetration of alive beneath him. Approximately 350 square
BMPs on private development, acres of perme- miles of oyster beds lined the surrounding We will plant trees with improved
able surfaces, storm water capture rates, and harbor estuary, removing impurities from
improvement in water quality such as reduc- our water free of charge. At one time, oyster
pit designs
tions in fecal-coliform levels and increases in trade supported the city’s early mercan- New York City street trees are often planted
dissolved oxygen. It will develop a process to tile economy. But over-harvesting and raw in small confined pits—commonly four feet
monitor, assess, and report agency and BMP sewage led to the loss of the oyster popula- by four feet square and 20 feet apart—with
performance, as well as a process to reevalu- tion by the early 20th century. While scattered densely packed soil. These characteristics
ate and modify the report every two years. populations of oysters and other mollusks, restrict roots, blocking their ability to absorb
including mussels, can be found in the city’s oxygen, nutrients, and water. In addition,
harbor estuary, there are no longer enough to these confined pits limit the amount of storm
significantly improve the city’s water quality. water that can be captured. (See illustration
The loss of mollusks has resulted in the loss of above: Improved Tree Pit Design).
one of nature’s finest filtration systems. Trees planted in cramped pits can either
Initiative 7
To once again reap the benefits of these die or damage the sidewalk as they grow.
Pilot promising BMPs natural bio-filters, the City will create a Improving the design and size of the tree pit
We will immediately pilot various BMPs habitat and reintroduce 20 cubic meters of will confer the dual benefits of improving the
ribbed mussel beds. Ribbed mussels present chances for the tree’s survival and retaining
to monitor and assess their performance little safety risk because they are not eaten. storm water.
in New York City neighborhoods Through this pilot, we will test the capability Installing underground storage areas and
The Task Force will begin by piloting the of mollusks to improve the water quality of using structured soils will expand the volume of
following three BMPs, selected for their our tributaries around combined sewer over- storm water captured by these redesigned pits.
feasibility and proven effectiveness in other flow outlets. Our first location will be Hendrix Structured soils have more air space and can
programs across the United States: Creek, a tributary to Jamaica Bay, which is be used in trenches between trees, under side-
• Create a mollusk habitat pilot program located next to the 26th Ward Wastewater walks or under porous pavement.
Treatment Plant, at a cost of $600,000. (See
• Plant trees with improved pit design
photo on facing page: Long-Line Mussel Farm)
• Create vegetated ditches (swales) According to the Gaia Institute, 20 cubic
along highways meters of ribbed mussels should be able
Street
Street
Street
Interior trees
Street Trees
Zoning Zoning
lot line lot line
Street Street
Source: NYC Department of City Planning
Perimeter screening
DEP, in partnership with the Gaia Institute large asphalt expanses while more effectively
and DPR, will pilot in the Jamaica Bay water- managing storm water runoff and helping to
shed five enhanced tree pits with below-grade cool the air.
water catchments to increase storm water Initiati ve 8 In addition to the zoning modification, the
infiltration. The pilot program will include Require greening of parking lots City will analyze the costs and benefits of
three years of monitoring and data collec- We will modify the zoning resolution integrating additional BMP’s into parking lots.
tion with annual reports and a final project From these findings, we will create appropri-
summary of findings. If successful, this tech-
to include design guidelines for ate policy to improve storm water capture
nology will be recommended for widespread off-street parking lots for commercial and storage for parking lots as part of the New
60 application during future sidewalk and road and community facilities York City Interagency BMP Plan.
reconstruction.
Much of the urban landscape is impervious,
We will create vegetated ditches including buildings, roads, and parking lots:
this means water cannot trickle back into the
(swales) along parkways ground, but instead flows off the hard sur-
Vegetated ditches (called swales) are linear, faces into our sewers, putting additional strain
dry ditches designed to receive runoff and on our infrastructure. As described above, Initiative 9
slowly move rain to an outfall point along our there are strategies for reducing this runoff,
Provide incentives
waterways, absorbing water along the way. such as tree plantings, other landscaping
They are especially effective when located projects, porous pavement technology, and for green roofs
adjacent to parking lots, streets, parkways or underground water storage. (See renderings: We will encourage the installation
highways or when used as a median. In addi- Greening Standards for Parking Lots) of green roofs through a new
tion to storing direct rainfall and reducing The addition of trees and landscaping to
incentive program
storm water volumes entering the combined parking lots offer a feasible and cost-effective
sewer system, swales provide natural cleansing means for the private sector to work with the A green roof partially or completely covers a
of runoff through the soil and vegetation. City in curbing storm water runoff and poten- building roof with plants. It can be a tended
(See illustration on previous page: Vegetated tially decreasing CSO events. Increased land- roof garden or a more self-maintaining ecol-
Swale) scaping, along with storm water detention ogy. Similar to swales and tree pits, green
But there are challenges associated with and retention, could slow down the rate at roofs can reduce the volume of runoff by
swale construction, including finding enough which water enters the sewer system; that will absorbing or storing water, and other natu-
space given the city’s density. Nevertheless, enable New York’s combined sewer system ral processes, in addition to cooling the air.
incorporating swales into the redesign of to treat a higher percentage of storm water. According to a recent study by Riverkeeper, a
roadways may prove less expensive than con- Vegetated and gravel buffer strips along the 40-square-foot green roof could result in 810
structing traditional piped drainage systems. edge of landscaped areas or surrounding gallons of storm water captured per roof per
For example, Seattle’s pilot Street Edge Alter- detention infrastructure can also help filter year. If each installation cost $1,000 then a
natives Project (SEA Streets) is designed to pollutants from water. $100,000 dollar investment could lead to over
provide drainage that more closely mimics the The City will modify the zoning resolution to 81,000 gallons of stormwater captured. (See
natural landscape instead of traditional piped require perimeter landscaping of commercial illustration on facing page: Components of a
systems. Two years of monitoring show that and community facility parking lots over 6,000 Typical Greenroof)
SEA Streets has reduced the total volume of square feet as well as street tree planting The City is developing four residential and
storm water from the street by 99%. on the adjacent sidewalks. Parking lots over two commercial pilots to analyze the poten-
12,000 square feet would also be required to tial cumulative benefits of green roofs on the
provide a specified number of canopy trees in city’s combined sewer system. The expected
planting islands within each lot. The intention cost for each is $100,000 for design and $1.3
of this proposal is to reduce the eyesore of million for construction and equipment.
the Task Force is required to submit its con- closest treatment plant; a new force main will
Initiative 10 clusions and recommendations to the Mayor move the CSO overflow directly to the treat-
and Council Speaker on the feasibility of trans- ment plant, instead of traveling a more circu-
Protect wetlands ferring such wetlands to the Department of itous route; a modernized flushing tunnel will
We will assess the vulnerability Parks & Recreation and to other agencies that be able to process 40% more water, enabling
of existing wetlands and identify can protect them against loss. the tunnel to bring more dissolved oxygen to
additional policies to protect State regulations provide a framework the canal’s water, encouraging the growth of
for local governments to adopt their own aquatic life.
and manage them freshwater wetland protections, in order to By applying a range of strategies to water
Wetlands play an important role in maintain- strengthen the New York State Freshwater bodies across the city, we can reclaim them
ing and even improving our water quality. Wetlands Act. Many other municipalities also for New Yorkers. It would not be the first time.
They filter and absorb pollutants from storm regulate their tidal wetlands. In the 1860s, the City opened 15 pools
water runoff, lower high levels of nutrients, We will launch a study to identify gaps, or along Manhattan’s waterfront, all open to
such as nitrogen and phosphorus, and trap areas not effectively addressed under exist- flowing river water. Despite the pools’ popu-
silt and other fine matter to reduce cloudiness ing Federal and State laws. Specifically, we will larity, the presence of raw sewage in the
in local waterways. In addition to water quality assess where existing regulations fall short waterways soon caused them to be closed.
improvements, they provide flood protection, of protecting New York City’s remaining wet- With the city’s waters now cleaner than at any
erosion buffers, important wildlife habitat, lands. This assessment will be the first step in time in half a century, it is time to revive ideas
public enjoyment, and they sequester CO 2. the development of a comprehensive policy like these in a 21st century form.
But we have lost 86% of our wetlands in the to protect and manage wetlands in the city. That means exploring possibilities such as
last century. Some of this loss is due to envi- creating permanent pools along our rivers.
ronmental change, such as rising sea level; but The structures could be supported by piers,
the majority of it was due to development. which in turn, could be designed as habitat
To further wetlands protection in New York
City, in 2005 the City Council sponsored, and
Conclusion for mollusks and other life forms, enriching
the ecology of the waters and cleansing them.
Mayor Bloomberg signed Local Law 83 which In the coming decades we must challenge our- This balance between ecology, recreation,
formed the Wetlands Transfer Task Force to selves to creatively reclaim our waterways for and water quality will underpin our efforts as
assess available City-owned properties that public use. In Gowanus, the Pump Station will we continue reclaiming our waterways for the
contain wetlands. By September 30, 2007, be upgraded to move 50% more water to the next generation of New Yorkers.
In 1835, a fire engulfed Lower Manhattan for 24 hours. With the rivers frozen, more than
700 buildings burned to the ground.
The blaze made the need for a new water supply inescapable. New Yorkers accelerated
construction of the original Croton System, which would open eight years later. Over the
following decades, we added two more watersheds, determined not to make the same
mistake again. But though our supply has continued to stay ahead of our population growth,
today we face a new challenge. 63
Growth is no longer our greatest risk. New York City’s water supply
New Yorkers use 1.1 billion gallons a day (bgd), Fresh water is a relatively recent phenome-
but we are far from reaching the system’s non for the city.
capacity. In fact, in the 1980s, our system In the early 1800s, the only freshwater
supplied as much as 1.6 bgd. At our current supply in New York City was a single, fouled
usage rate, and as citywide conservation lake in Lower Manhattan where New Yorkers
efforts continue to succeed, 900,000 more washed clothes, disposed of waste, and
people would only raise our total to a still- dumped dead animals. The only other sources
manageable 1.3 bgd. were 250 public wells sunk along streets trav-
But though we have the luxury of a strong eled by horses, hogs, and other livestock.
water supply, our supply system faces seri- Water quality remained a serious public health
ous challenges. The majority of our network problem for decades, as contaminated water
was constructed before World War II. While contributed to cholera epidemics and other
our two water tunnels are constructed outbreaks that killed thousands.
in bedrock and expected to provide water In 1837, construction began on the Croton
service well into the future, neither has been Water Aqueduct System, which brought
closely examined since opening more than fresh water from the Croton River through
70 years ago. And as development encroaches the Bronx and across the Harlem River to
on the city’s watersheds, protecting our res- what is now the Great Lawn in Central Park.
ervoirs will require continued vigilance. There a reservoir was built to supply water
In order to continue providing reliable to homes across the city.
water to New York City residents and an Over the next century, the city added
additional one million people upstate, we two more upstate watersheds and con-
face three fundamental questions: How can structed viaducts, creating the world’s larg-
we continue to protect the quality of our est municipal water system. Today, our three
water supply, ensure it arrives safely to the watersheds sprawl across 2,000 square
city, and then deliver it reliably to residents? miles and contain 19 reservoirs and three
(See map on following page: New York City controlled lakes, with a storage capacity of
Watershed System) 550 billion gallons.
City Water Tunnel No. 3
Pepacton
Catskill System, 1905–1928
Cannonsville
Reservoir Reservoir • C onsists of CAshoken
o
and Scholarie Reservoirs,
lu m b
the Shandaken Tunnel, u n t y the Catskill Aqueduct, and
Eso
ia C o
pus
the Kensico and Hillview Reservoirs
Cre
ek
are
Ashokan • Provides 40% of the city’s water supply
We
an De Tunnel 1955
nc
h • Supplies 600 million gallons per day
ch
a
les
De
Br
Delaware Mi West
law
st
0 Delaware
Ea
County
10
are
Tunnel 1964
Hudso
n River
Rondout Catskill
Delaw Neversink Neversink Reservoir Aqueduct
are Reservoir
R Tunnel 1917 NEW YORK
1954
ive
Delaware
r
Aqueduct CONNECTICUT
1940s
r Branch
e
Reservoir
on
Westchester
• Provides 10% of the city’s water supply
Ri
County
ver
Rockland County
• Supplies 180 million gallons per day Croton
Aqueduct CONNECTICUT
NEW YORK 1893
Kensico
Reservoir
)
Hall
iv er
m City
kR
s (fro
sin
ile Delaware
ver
WATER NETWORK develop critical backup systems for our aging water network to ensure long-term reliability
Case Study
Toilet Replacement Program New York City Average Daily Water Consumption
The Delaware Watershed has prompted conserva-
1600
tion efforts before. In 1949 and 1950, the City was
hurrying to complete the system when a dry spell
1500
struck. The city announced “thirsty Thursdays,”
WATER NETWORK develop critical backup systems for our aging water network to ensure long-term reliability
Kensico
New York City Water Distribution System Resevoir
CT
CT
UCT
EDU
EDU
UED
AQU
AQU
Tunnel No.3 Stage 3
AQ
LL
TO N
Kensico-City Tunnel
RE
SKI
WA
CRO
C AT
LA
DE
Hillview
Jerome Park Resevoir
Resevoir
Tunnel No.2
East River
Subways
30–50 ft deep 100 ft 63rd Street
Piers subway tunnel
Glacial deposits
200 ft
300 ft
Old water tunnel
70
Uptake shaft
400 ft
Lower bedrock layer
Water Tunnel No. 3
500 ft
Source: Don Foley/National Geographic Image Collection
Case Study
Water Tunnel No. 3
In 1970, the City broke ground on the most up to 800 feet underground and rise to a depth nearly $2.6 billion has been earmarked to
expensive construction project in its history. of less than 150 feet at its highest points. propel the project to completion.
It quickly became larger. But there is another reason that the tunnel’s In addition to providing essential redundancy
Originally projected to cost $1.5 billion and take construction has been delayed. In the early for our in-city distribution network, the tunnel
16 years to complete, Water Tunnel No. 3 will 1970s, the City suspended work after has also been designed to improve the ease of
ultimately cost more than $6 billion and have mounting bills, cost overruns, and contract repairs. In the original tunnel, valves controlling
taken more than half a century to build. disputes. During the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, the water supply were located within the tunnel.
Much of that pace has to do with the enormity construction of the tunnel stopped completely. Unlike those inaccessible bronze models, the
of the project. The tunnel, which will be 60 miles Progress continued through the succeeding new valves will be crafted out of stainless steel
long when completed, has engaged more than decades. But in 2002, the City declared and centralized in large underground chambers.
5,000 workers and cost the lives of 24 men. It its commitment to completing the tunnel.
will be formed by approximately three million Even through the economic downturn
cubic yards of concrete. As it snakes through after September 11th, that commitment has
the subterranean city, the tunnel will plunge remained resolute. Over the past five years,
WATER NETWORK develop critical backup systems for our aging water network to ensure long-term reliability
Average Annual Water Rate
For a single family household, 2006
$1200
1000
ANNUAL WATER BILL
800
$698
AVERAGE
600
400
WASHINGTON D.C.
SAN FRANCISCO
NEW YORK CITY
JACKSONVILLE
PHILADELPHIA
NEW ORLEANS
INDIANAPOLIS
SAN ANTONIO
LOS ANGELES
MILWAUKEE
CLEVELAND
BALTIMORE
COLUMBUS
SAN DIEGO
HONOLULU
ST. LOUIS
SAN JOSE
HOUSTON
200
CHICAGO
ATLANTA
DETROIT
NEWARK
BOSTON
DALLAS
0
Source: NYC Water Board
Conclusion
Initiative 8 Initiati ve 9 The initiatives described above are essen-
tial. But they are not inexpensive. Each will
Complete a backup tunnel Accelerate upgrades to take years to complete, and in some cases,
to Staten Island water main infrastructure decades. And they are massive, sprawling
We will replace water pipelines We will increase replacement rate across hundreds of miles and involving thou-
sands of workers, residents, and even com-
connecting Staten Island to Water to over 80 miles annually munities. That is the price we must pay for
Tunnel No. 2 Once it leaves our in-city tunnels, water travels continuing to have a reliable source of water— 71
Staten Island is currently served by the five- through 6,700 miles of water mains to reach something New Yorkers have only truly been
mile-long Richmond Tunnel, which connects our homes, over 1,000 of which were installed able to count on for the last century.
the borough to Water Tunnel No. 2. Com- over a century ago. These aging pipes require By investing in these critical backup sys-
pleted in 1970, the Richmond Tunnel tripled constant repair and continual upgrades. tems, and making more efficient use of exist-
carrying capacity to Staten Island, increasing We are currently replacing 60 miles of water ing resources, we will ensure New Yorkers
its water supply from 100 to 300 mgd. mains annually. enjoy a reliable water supply into the next
Currently, two pipelines embedded into a At our current pace of replacing 1% of century. (See chart above: Average Annual
trench in the Harbor provide redundancy for our infrastructure every year, a full upgrade Water Rate)
this tunnel. But by the end of 2007, the Army will take a century to complete. Over the
Corps of Engineers will be dredging the bottom next decade, we will accelerate the pace of
of the waterway to create a deeper shipping upgrades to over 80 miles annually. In addi-
channel—dislodging this backup system. tion, we will spend approximately $575 million
DEP will partner with the Army Corps to link Stage 2 of Water Tunnel No. 3 with the
to build a new 72-inch water main that will water main distribution system. Over 10 miles
replace the pipes, ensuring a continued reli- of new trunk water mains will be installed in
able water supply for Staten Island. Manhattan for this purpose.
Transportation
Congestion
Improve travel times by adding
transit capacity for millions more
residents, visitors, and workers
29.4% 31.9%
Work outside CBD, Work in CBD,
drive take transit or walk
Improve travel times
by adding transit capacity
for millions more residents, 34.1%
Work outside CBD,
4.6%
Work in CBD, drive
visitors, and workers take transit or walk
of good repair” on
New York City’s roads,
subways, and rails for
the first time in history The lack of transit for Bryan and his
neighbors in southeast Queens is not a
new problem. As early as 1929, planners
proposed to extend the subway to the area.
But despite widespread agreement that it
was necessary, the plan was halted because
funding could not be found.
It is a story that has been repeated again
and again in New York. Inadequate invest- 75
ment in the basic maintenance of our roads
and transit system intensified until the 1970s
Bryan Block rises at 6:30 am. By 8:00 am Fifth Avenue, a bus up from the Village. They when the entire network fell apart. A truck
he is waiting at his local bus stop in Cambria don’t understand. Once you live in southeast plunged through a hole in the West Side
Heights, Queens, watching for the bus Queens and have to get to Manhattan you’re Highway. Track fires were common occur-
to arrive. It lumbers to the Parsons/Archer tired when you get to work.” rences. Bridges were closed for fear they’d
subway station, where Block takes an Block loves southeast Queens and the collapse.
E train that will be packed well before it shared work ethic that binds together the In 1981, the Metropolitan Transporta-
reaches Manhattan. neighborhood’s cross-section of professions, tion Authority (MTA) halted all new transit
By the time he reaches his office in Midtown from doctors to teachers to city workers. expansion until the existing system could
Manhattan, his trip has taken an hour and He has to remind himself of this on his way be restored. The City made a similar com-
a half. It used to be called a “two-fare zone.” to work, especially during the wintertime. mitment to repave and reclaim its road net-
Now it’s just too long. “It’s cold, you’re wet, you’re freezing, you’re work. And that has been the focus of trans-
“It’s tiresome,” said the 50-year old Block, angry, you’re frustrated and you have to portation investment for the past 25 years:
who has been traveling from Cambria stand there and wait. rebuilding, but not expansion.
Heights into Manhattan for more than “You have no recourse,” he said. “No choice.” The improvements are undeniable. In
20 years. “By the time I get to work I am 1981, trains broke down every 6,600 miles;
fatigued. By the time I get home I am today they run for more than 140,000 miles.
fatigued. If you live in Manhattan you can The MTA has made great progress in provid-
just jump on the IRT, my co-workers can ing cleaner, safer stations, and implementing
walk to work, they can take a bus down new technology such as the MetroCard. Our
road network has also improved, although
the quality of our streets has fallen below the
levels achieved in 1999. The City’s bridges
have done better since the days when they
were regularly closed for emergency repairs:
in 2005 only four of the City’s 787 bridges
were deemed to be in poor condition, down
from 48 as recently as 1996.
1988
1981 Reliability improves 2005
With 25% of trains 500% since Ridership hits
out of service, 1983 as a result of 50-year high
travel times triple 300
2000 $16 billion spent
1977 on improvements
Subway ridership 1997
hits a 70-year low Implementation of 280
MetroCard system and
1500 free transfers between
buses and subways
MILLIONS OF RIDERS
ROUTE MILES
260
1000
240
1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Note: Route miles are non-directional; i.e., the distance from Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability;
terminal to terminal. Several lines may share the same route. Robert Olmsted; Brian J. Cudahy
76
And yet, there is much more to be done. by car. In 2006, with the quality of subway ser- Road congestion costs all of us money—in
Today, more than half our stations are await- vice at modern-day record levels, that figure higher store prices, because freight deliveries
ing repairs; and 40% of our network’s signal has remained essentially unchanged. take longer; in higher costs for services and
systems are obsolete, preventing new ser- While only 4.6% of working New Yorkers repairs, because delays mean repairmen visit
vices like displays showing the arrival time of commute to Manhattan by car, the conges- fewer clients each day; in taxi fares, in wasted
the next train. Altogether, we are more than tion they fight through has increased. Rush fuel, in lost revenue. One recent study esti-
$15 billion short of achieving a full state of hour has slowly stretched out over the past mated that traffic jams cost the New York City
good repair on our transit and road networks. two decades, as people have started leaving area $13 billion every year.
But with population, jobs, and tourism all earlier and arriving home later. This is true for And there are other consequences as well.
at record levels, our challenge is no longer drivers across the region, with local traffic on Snarled traffic slows bus service. Emergency
simply maintaining the system—we also face roads like the Hutchinson River Parkway, the vehicles lose valuable response time. Finally,
an urgent need to expand it. In 2006, ridership Long Island Expressway, and Interstate 95 cars and trucks contribute 20% of the City’s
on our subways soared to the highest levels competing with cars heading for Manhattan. global warming emissions and a large part of
since 1952—but during that time the subway By 2030, rush hour conditions could extend to the ozone—a serious pollutant that can cause
network actually shrank by eight route miles. 12 hours every day. respiratory illnesses like asthma—in our air.
(See chart above: New York City Subway Rid- It isn’t just Manhattan-bound commuters By 2030, nearly a million more residents,
ership and Route Miles) who face the consequences of increasing road 750,000 new jobs, and millions more visitors
Failure to invest adequately in our transit congestion—nearly seven times as many New will put our system under new pressures.
system has had negative consequences for Yorkers drive to jobs outside of Manhattan as The increasing congestion, and the resulting
nearly all New Yorkers. Too many don’t have to it. These commuters often have fewer tran- economic costs, will reverberate throughout
access to mass transit; those who do find their sit alternatives, but face the same challenge of the region. (See map on page 78: Demand
trains increasingly crowded. Nearly half of our escalating traffic. (See chart on previous page: for Travel into Manhattan’s Central Business
subway routes experience congestion at key How New Yorkers Get to Work) District)
times or are at capacity today. With every travel mode congested, it should We know what must be done. There is
It isn’t just city residents who suffer. Over come as no surprise that New Yorkers experi- general agreement on the strategy neces-
70% of all Long Islanders who commute into ence the longest commutes in the nation. Of sary to achieve the level of mobility our city
Manhattan take the Long Island Rail Road all large counties in the United States, 13 of and region need. We must finish repairing our
(LIRR), but the tunnels into the city have the 25 with the longest commute times are roads and transit system and invest to pro-
reached their capacity. in the New York area. The four worst nation- vide more and better mass transit options. We
Auto use has risen alongside transit use. wide are Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, must also proactively embrace strategies to
In 1981, when subway service was at its low- and Brooklyn. (See chart on page 78: Average reduce congestion on the city’s streets.
point, 31% of all people traveling to Manhat- Travel Time to Work) The problem is that we do not have the
tan’s Central Business District (CBD) arrived resources to fund our needs. Although we
know that the projects will prevent crippling don’t know exactly where funding will come In addition to accelerating major transit
congestion, collectively they face a monumen- from, it’s a good indication that we may not expansions, we must also aggressively reduce
tal funding gap. As a result, improved transit get what we want. (See photos above: Second congestion on the city’s streets. Citywide,
will require new sources of funding. Avenue Subway) road travel is growing faster than population.
The greatest factor in determining the suc- Building the new transit we—and our entire Managing our roads better to improve traffic
cess of our city in the 21st century may be region—need and achieving a full state of flow will help, but it won’t be enough.
whether we can summon the collective will good repair will require over $50 billion. The time has come for New York to try con-
to generate the funds necessary to meet the Only $13.4 billion is already committed gestion pricing: a carefully-designed charge
transportation demands of the future. New to these projects; we can reasonably expect for drivers in part of Manhattan during busi- 77
York City is prepared to make an extraordinary another $6.3 billion from Federal sources. ness hours. This solution is bold. It is also
commitment to ensure that we do. That means that if we want to see those proj- proven. Cities around the world have shown
ects built, the region will have to raise an that congestion pricing can reduce conges-
additional $31 billion between now and 2030. tion and speed travel times with no significant
That is why we seek to work with the State to negative impact on economic activity.
create a new regional partnership, the Sus- Congestion pricing has three primary ben-
Our Plan tainable Mobility And Regional Transporta-
tion (SMART) Financing Authority. The SMART
efits. First, it has been proven to reduce con-
gestion and improve travel times. Second, it
We benefit today from the foresight of past Authority’s mandate will be to provide funding would generate revenues dedicated to the
generations of New Yorkers: the street necessary to complete nearly every critical SMART Authority, which would fund significant
grid, laid out in 1811 for a city of a million at transportation project—and finally bring the expansions and upgrades in transit across the
a time when New York only had a 100,000 full system into a state of good repair. city and the region. In the short-term, the
residents; Central Park, built at a time when The Authority would have three dedicated focus would be on neighborhoods with limited
few lived above 23rd Street; a water system revenue streams: the proceeds from conges- mass transit options and high concentrations
constructed with the capacity to last for cen- tion pricing; an unprecedented City invest- of drivers. But by reinvesting the proceeds in
turies; and the subway system that reshaped ment; and a corresponding contribution mass transit, nearly all New Yorkers can ben-
the city. from the State, all exclusively dedicated to efit, especially the 95% of New Yorkers who do
But we seldom think about the fact that funding improvements to the regional trans- not drive to jobs in Manhattan.
those New Yorkers made the decision not only portation network. By encouraging mode shifting from private
to do those things, but to pay for them as well. These dedicated revenue streams would automobiles, it will stem the amount of pol-
In all of those cases, New Yorkers argued over support bond issues to ensure that our most lution spewed from tailpipes on city streets,
who should pay what, but ultimately settled on critical projects are not delayed by a lack of helping us meet our goals of reducing green-
financing approaches based on the principle funding. Over time, they would also gener- house gas emissions and achieving the clean-
that those who benefited should contribute. ate enough excess revenues to launch a new est air of any big city.
We face a similar challenge today. The wave of projects to improve mobility across The potential benefits of congestion pric-
recent groundbreaking ceremony for the the region even more. ing are tremendous. And there is no reason
Second Avenue Subway marked the third The SMART Financing Authority would be we cannot turn the system off if we do not like
time that same project has been started. Each governed by an independent and experienced it. That’s why we propose to pilot congestion
time, New Yorkers were confident the project board appointed by the City and State to incor- pricing for a period of three years. We expect
would be completed; the Second and Third porate a wide range of perspectives about a combination of Federal and private dollars
Avenue Els were even dismantled in antici- transportation priorities for the region. It would could fully cover the initial investment. After
pation of the new route. But each time, the not operate or build anything, but rather would three years, we will know whether it really
project stalled for lack of funds. This experi- invest in projects proposed by other transpor- works for New York.
ence ought to have taught us one thing: If we tation agencies. It would then monitor those
investments, assuring accountability.
78 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2003 American Community Survey Source: NYC Department of Transportation
By aggressively combating congestion, find- Mass Transit We must keep pace. That’s why we have
ing new sources of funding, and making Despite being the most transit-oriented city in developed a mix of short-term and long-term
smart choices about priorities for the coming the United States, when it comes to transit rid- solutions that will improve transit throughout
decades, we can reach a state of good repair ership, we still lag behind our strongest global the city. The result will be new or improved
on our roads, rails, and subways for the first competitors. Cities like London, Singapore, public transportation options for virtually
time ever, while expanding our transporta- and Tokyo have recognized that providing every New Yorker. (See chart on page 80:
tion system to improve travel times and con- more mass transit options creates a cleaner, Public Transit Usage Per Capita)
venience for New Yorkers. (See map on facing healthier, more efficient urban environment—
page: Transit Capacity Expansions) and have invested accordingly.
RAIL LINES
RECEIVING MIDTOWN
NEW YORK DIRECT SERVICE
THROUGH Access
to region’s core
Port Jervis Line
Westchester
ver
on Ri
Huds
NEW JERSEY Metro North Railroad
Penn Station Access
NEW
YORK Bus Rapid Transit
CITY
NEW JERSEY
Second Avenue
Express Subway
Bus Lanes
7 Train 10th
Avenue Station
Access to
Region’s Core Bus Rapid Transit
Penn/Moynihan
Station East Side Access
LIRR Third Track
Nassau Hub
Long Island
Atlantic Ocean
shanghai
SHANGHAI
Build and expand transit Note: Data is for
Metropolitan region london
LONDON
trains running during rush hour. 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650
For decades, planners have known the ANNUAL BOARDINGS PER CAPITA
answer. The Second Avenue Subway was
proposed in the 1920s to provide relief
for the Lexington Avenue line and to
replace elevated trains. The new subway The Second Avenue Subway is one of
line is one of 11 major transit projects that our most urgent needs, for a wide range of
Source: Institute for Sustainability and Source: Institute for Source: Institute for Sustainability and Technolog
would help solve the region’s transit conges- travelers: workers fromustainability
the Bronx, andlocal trav-Policy at Murdoch University
Technology
tion problem. elers from the Upper East Side, commuters Initiative 2
Some, like the Second Avenue Subway, changing trains to get from Westchester to Provide new commuter rail
Wall Street. Its construction will be a massive
will increase capacity on already clogged
undertaking and cost billions, but we cannot
access to Manhattan
routes. Others, like East Side Access, will
expand commuter rail options. Several will let funding run out on this critical project a We will seek to expand options
provide access to growing, but inaccessible third time. (See case study on facing page: for rail commuters
80 communities. The rest will just make life for Yorkville, Manhattan)
Today’s commuter rail service is excellent,
riders more pleasant. All share one thing: The addition of a third track on the Long
but increasingly strained. Rising ridership has
they are not fully funded. Island Rail Road (LIRR) Main Line will enable
meant more crowded rail lines. For thousands
In most cases, some funding is available, the LIRR to run more trains, use its fleet better,
of commuters, their trains do not even take
from Federal and other sources. But they and provide more service at local stations in
them where they need to go. Nearly half of
are all missing the last set of contributions Queens. It will especially serve reverse com-
all LIRR riders work on the East Side, but are
necessary for completion. We may have broken muters, who live in New York City but work in
dropped off every morning at Penn Station;
the ground for the Second Avenue Subway— Nassau County. Today, nearly 270,000 New
23% of Metro North riders have jobs on the
but there is still a significant funding gap for York City workers commute to jobs outside
West Side, but arrive daily in Grand Central
the first of four phases. While the entire proj- city limits, up by 10% since 1990. Facilitating
Terminal. Traveling across town lengthens
ect is designed to travel from Harlem to reverse commuting helps New York City resi-
their daily commute—and takes up additional
Lower Manhattan, we are still nearly a bil- dents expand their career options and subur-
subways, buses, and street space. (See map
lion dollars short of the funds needed to ban businesses broaden their worker pool.
on facing page: New and Expanded Transit
build just from 96th Street to 63rd Street. Two projects will increase capacity for
Infrastructure; see commuter profile on page
Overall, the remaining funding gap for commuters west of the Hudson. Access to
85: Co-op City to Lower Manhattan)
just these 11 projects is nearly $21 billion. If the Region’s Core (ARC) will create a second
Finally, rail lines that run through the Bronx
we can fill this gap and realize these plans, we trans-Hudson tunnel for New Jersey Transit
and Queens do not provide as much service
will prevent the transit and traffic conges- (NJT), doubling the number of trains NJT can
to residents as they could, in part because the
tion that threatens to choke our economy in run into Manhattan and enabling direct ser-
trains can’t fit more riders. Three projects will
the coming decades. vice to New York on several lines for the first
address these issues.
time. These and other Penn Station commut-
East Side Access was first planned in the
ers will be able to get closer to the emerg-
1960s to offer LIRR riders better access to
ing Hudson Yards neighborhood through the
Grand Central. Its construction will free up
Moynihan Station Project. The station will
track space for Metro North service to Penn
also restore a grand entrance to the west side
Station. Combined, these projects will reduce
Initiative 1
of Manhattan.
subway crowding and provide most commut-
Even more New Jersey commuters arrive
Increase capacity on by bus than by train—making the Express
ers with two Midtown rail options. (See com-
muter profile on page 82: Bayside, Queens to
key congested routes Bus Lane through the Lincoln Tunnel one
Manhattan’s East Side)
We will seek to fund five projects that of the region’s most important assets. The
They would also improve service to Queens
Port Authority’s plan for a second dedicated
eliminate major capacity constraints Express Bus Lane through the Lincoln Tunnel
and the Bronx. Additional tracks will allow for
a station at Sunnyside Yards (serving Long
Five key projects will ease congestion on will allow expanded service for communities
Island City), and make it easier for additional
some of our most clogged routes into Man- not on the NJT rail network.
trains to serve stations in eastern Queens.
hattan—all of which will be pressed beyond
Metro North will also be able to extend ser-
their capacity by 2030 unless we act.
vice to new stations—providing residents of
NEW YORK
er
Main Line
on Riv
commuter profile
Huds
Metro North Railroad
nd
NEW JERSEY
Penn Station Access
n dS
ou
Yorkville, Manhattan
g Isla
Lon
Crammed into the uncomfortable
intimacy of New York City’s morning
Raritan Valley Line
NEW
YORK
rush, passengers on the Lexington
CITY
Express train play the subway version
7 Train 10th
of Twister to keep from falling. Riders
Lincoln Tunnel
Avenue Station Second Avenue
Subway
squeeze into spaces between elbows
Express Bus Lane
and handbags, breathing in smells of
Access to
the passengers pressed against them.
Region’s Core
LIRR Third Track Jocelyn Torio confronts this crowd combat
Penn/Moynihan
Station East Side Access every morning.
NEW JERSEY Nassau Hub “A train passes me by once or twice
a week and I get stuck waiting on the
Long Island
platform,” she said. “They are just too
crowded for me to fight my way in.”
Lower Manhattan
Rail Link The 4 and 5 lines start high in the
Bronx, extend through Harlem, down to
North Shore
Alignment the tip of Lower Manhattan and then
through Brooklyn.
There are few other mass transit options
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
81
for reaching Manhattan’s east side; Torio
experimented with the bus down Second
New York Bay
Co-op City and Hunts Point with fast, direct for either rail or a dedicated road for buses to
Atlantic Ocean
Avenue from her apartment at 83rd
rides, and helping to reduce auto commuting give the area its first rapid transit service in Street to her office on 26th Street and
to job centers in West Harlem. two generations. Park Avenue.
Long Islanders who work in Midtown are The second area of opportunity is on Man-
more likely to take the train than those who hattan’s West Side: as the 7 train is extended “I even got a seat, but it just takes so
work in Lower Manhattan or downtown Brook- to reach the Javits Center, it will pass through much time,” Torio said.
lyn. Those who drive contribute to traffic an area that is growing fast but lacks transit. A As early as 1929, planners have known
delays in Brooklyn and Nassau County. Those new 10th Avenue Subway Station will meet a that a Second Avenue Subway was a big
who do take the train have to transfer to sub- strong, emerging need at West 41st Street.
part of the solution. But lack of funding
ways to get to their jobs. Further, the lack of But transit-oriented development isn’t
good airport access hinders the competitive- limited to the city: developing transit hubs has stalled the project for decades.
ness of both areas for job growth. By connect- around suburban railroad stations can achieve A Second Avenue Subway would shorten
ing Jamaica, Brooklyn, and Lower Manhattan, a similar purpose. One such project, the Torio’s commute to work and alleviate
the Lower Manhattan Rail Link will address Nassau County Hub, envisions a transit loop rush-hour traffic on East Side subways
all of these challenges. connecting LIRR stations and several existing and buses. But the subway won’t be her
and emerging employment centers in Mine-
only new choice. By 2009, one of the
ola, Hempstead, and Garden City. Serving
local riders, inbound commuters, and reverse city’s five new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
commuters, the project will help reduce con- lines will be implemented on First and
gestion on Long Island and create opportuni- Second Avenue, giving commuters the
Initiative 3 ties for the entire region. option of a bus that zooms downtown in
Expand transit access to These three projects should only be its own lane, bringing with it a 22%
the beginning of a new era of rapid transit increase in travel-time savings.
underserved areas planning in New York. We will work with the
We will seek to provide transit to MTA to review other potential transit expan- “There’s definitely a need for a new way
to handle the increasing population.”
new and emerging neighborhoods sions in the city, and we will support other
regional efforts to explore local and longer- Torio said. “Having that Second Avenue
Two areas of the city offer immediate oppor- distance opportunities. subway line would just make everyone’s
tunities to add new transit options where commute much easier.”
none currently exist. The 5.1-mile Staten
Island North Shore Alignment—an aban-
doned railline linking directly to St. George
and the Ferry Terminal—has been unused
since 1953. A study will examine the potential
12.3
12 11.2
10.5
COMMUTER PROFILE Improve transit service on 9.7
existing infrastructure
7.9
Manhattan’s East Side
6
Karin Werner has given up on Bayside. While these longer-term projects are crucial,
WASHINGTON D.C.
NEW YORK CITY
Although the Bayside Long Island Rail transit improvements do not have to wait for
LOS ANGELES
Road (LIRR) station is closest to her major new construction. Through targeted 3
CHICAGO
BOSTON
near-term investments and closer partner-
house in Queens, she drives an extra few
ships between the city and the MTA, we can 0
minutes to the Auburndale stop instead. improve transit options for all New Yorkers Source: Federal Transit Administration,
National Transit Database: revenue bus
“I never got a seat, and there were in just a few years. miles/revenue bus hours
Improve access
125th St 16 8 Broadway
8 Auburndale
Hunter’s Point Ave 10 28 Woodside 12 Bayside
Grand Central to existing transit
Penn Station 9 Hollis
Long Island City Forest Hills 11
9 Queens Village We will facilitate access to subways
Kew Gardens 11
and bus stops citywide
4 St. Albans
Atlantic Avenue Every transit trip requires the passenger to
Nostrand Avenue 18
10 Rosedale get to the subway station or bus stop. But in
East New York 20 10 Laurelton
9 Locust Manner many cases across the city, that can be almost
Jamaica
51 to Penn Station as difficult as the journey itself.
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority and 26 to Flatbush Ave Three main challenges prevent transit stops
Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability 11 to Long Island City
from being used to their full capacity: subway
stations where the sidewalks are congested;
bus stops where riders have to wait in the
Commuter profile Express Bus service, for example, or stopping street under elevated rail structures; and bus
Staten Island to Brooklyn some Express Buses in Downtown Brook- stops along city streets that lack sidewalks. By
Tony Licciardello laughs when asked how lyn—might also increase ridership and help making it easier for people to reach and use
long he has commuted from his home to reduce congestion. Changes in traffic pat- our existing transit system, we can encourage
in New Dorp, Staten Island, to his job as terns, signal timing or street alignment might a broader mode shift in every borough.
a court officer in Downtown Brooklyn. eliminate “hot spots” where buses routinely All over New York are sites that require
get delayed. Because they rely on City-owned simple improvements to make existing transit
“Oh, a long time,” he says. “At least streets, good bus service requires close coop- options more accessible. For example, in the
20 years.” eration between the City and the MTA. The burgeoning neighborhood of Williamsburg,
84 In that time, Licciardello has gotten his City will invite the MTA to work with it to iden- commuters increasingly ride bicycles to the
daily drive down to a science—one based tify a wide range of opportunities, big and L train. Today the line of bikes at the Bedford
on the desire to avoid the complex subway small, where joint efforts might provide better Avenue subway station stretches down the
and bus route commute that links his transit service. (See map on previous page: block, spilling across the narrow sidewalk. To
borough to Brooklyn. Express Bus Service Today) relieve this condition, we will remove parking
Source:
There is currently no direct transit optionMTA LIRR Online Train Schedules, Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning
spaces, andsidewalk,
expand the Sustainability.
and install more
to shuttle the more than 2,600 New Dorp bicycle racks.
residents who commute outside Staten After evaluating all 468 subway stations, we
Island every day. Today, if Licciardello wants have identified 24 areas in Brooklyn, Queens,
to leave his car at home, he has to take a and the Bronx that are not yet equipped to
local bus to the Staten Island Ferry, which Initiati ve 5 handle the rise in sidewalk congestion. These
drops him in Lower Manhattan, and then Improve local commuter sites were selected in 2000, and work is
take the subway or bus to Brooklyn. The trip underway to complete all of them by 2019.
would take 90 minutes—and add an entire rail service In 42 other sites across the city, bus stops
borough to his commute. We will seek to expand local use are tucked under elevated structures near
He opts for his car’s relative ease over of Metro-North and Long Island Rail subway stops. The columns interfere with traf-
fic patterns especially when combined with
transfers and inevitable wait times—even Road (LIRR) stations high volumes of pedestrians. Buses cannot
though the travel time is roughly the same.
But if there was a simpler transit route, For some neighborhoods in the Bronx, Brook- weave through the columns to reach the curb,
Licciardello would leave his car, ending his lyn, and Queens, commuter rail is the best which forces waiting riders to step into traf-
constant search for parking and cutting transit option. But local service at many of fic to see if a bus is approaching. When the
down gas costs. these stations is infrequent, and commuter rail bus arrives, boarding frequently takes place
costs even more even than express buses— on the street. To date, we have built raised
He will be getting the choice soon. A new especially if a transit transfer is necessary. Of islands that serve as bus stops at four loca-
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) option from Hylan the 33 commuter stations in the city, 15 do tions. By 2021, we will complete work at all
Boulevard in Staten Island—set to launch not have rush-hour service frequencies com- 42 locations. These upgrades can also include
in 2007—will provide Licciardello with parable to local stations in suburban counties. sidewalk extensions to make it easier to get to
direct service to the subway—and shave (See map above: Commuter Rail Service) the stop.
15 minutes off his commute time. Capacity constraints drive some of this In other cases, there is no sidewalk to the
Congestion pricing would give Licciardello shortage; in some cases, expanding service bus at all. For example, at Staten Island’s
a faster drive, too, removing some of the will only be feasible after new projects such Hylan Boulevard and Fairlawn Avenue, dozens
Manhattan-bound traffic that he battles as East Side Access are complete. At others, of adults and school children need to cross
with each day. higher ridership can come from improved the road daily to walk to school, work, or the
“Now it’s just more convenient for me connection from local buses. We will seek to bus stop, but there is no sidewalk along the
to drive,” Licciardello said. “But I would work with the MTA to identify innovative ways eastern side of the road leading to the cross-
definitely take public transit instead—even that commuter rail service can serve Queens, walk or the bus stop.
if it took a little bit longer.” Brooklyn and the Bronx.
Huds
BRT Fordham Road/ Riverdale un
d
86
Potential Improvements for 22 Neighborhoods with Concentrations of Manhattan-bound Drivers
Re-routing BUS Subway and bus Skip Stops/
Intermodal Rail Station Increase New Bus
Neighborhood of Existing PRIORITIZA- Limited Other projects
Connection frequency Route
Bus Route TION Access Stops
North Riverdale
• Metro-North to Penn Station
Schuylerville
• •
Soundview
• • •
Brooklyn Bay Ridge
• • •
Canarsie
• • • Nostrand BRT
Clinton Hill
• • Bus Lane on Manhattan Bridge
Flatbush
• • Nostrand BRT
Flatlands
• • • •
Kensington
•
Sheepshead Bay
• Nostrand BRT
Queens Bayside
• • • LIRR East Side Access
Cambria Heights
• • • Merrick Blvd BRT
College Point
• • •
Jackson Heights
• • • • • • Bus Lane on Queensboro Bridge
Kew Gardens
• • • LIRR East Side Access
Maspeth / Middle Village /
Ridgewood • •
South Ozone Park
• • • •
Astoria / Steinway
• • • Bus Lane on Queensboro Bridge
Whitestone
•
Woodside / Sunnyside
• • LIRR East Side Access
20 low congestion
<65% of Peak Hour Traffic
18 $13 Billion
moderate congestion $2 BILLION
65% to 79% of Peak Hour Traffic in wasted fuel
in annual costs
16 and other vehicle
Heavy congestion operating costs
14
80%+ of Peak Hour Traffic
12 $1.9 BILLION
$5 BILLION
in lost time in increased
HOURS
10 operating costs
0 Source: NYC Department of Transportation; Source: Partnership for New York City
1990 2005 2030 NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning
and Sustainability
The plan includes 504 miles of separated ment of Transportation (DOT) will continue the efficiency, and aesthetics, the percentage of
bike paths (Class 1 facilities) and 1,296 miles CITYRACKS program by installing 1,200 addi- drivers has remained essentially unchanged.
of striped bicycle lanes or markings reminding tional on-street bicycle racks throughout On a given workday, the Manhattan CBD
drivers and cyclists to share the road (Class 2 the City by 2009, and commit to that level is home to nearly 2 million workers from
and 3). To date, only 420 miles have been con- of installation until every neighborhood has around the region, hundreds of thousands of
structed. adequate bike parking. We will also pursue tourists, and several hundred thousand resi-
We will complete Phase 1 of the plan in legislation to require that large commercial dents. Cars compete for the road with buses,
2009, which will add 200 lane miles in tar- buildings make provision for bicycle storage trucks pedestrians, cyclists and taxis. Vehicles
geted areas across the city—with the first 40 either on site or reasonably nearby. trapped in traffic spew pollution into the air,
88 finished by June 2007. putting the health of those living near con-
We will prioritize areas with high demand, gested roads at risk; and the resulting jams
building connections between existing por- cost the region more than $13 billion dol-
tions of the network, and strengthening
access to parks through special bike paths
Improve traffic flow lars every year. As our population grows by
another 900,000 people, we add more than
known as greenways. These greenways not by reducing congestion 20 million visitors annually, and 750,000 new
only offer their own recreational benefits such jobs—many concentrated in the CBD—the
The city’s quality of life and economic pros-
as biking, skating, and walking throughout our consequences of congestion will become ever
perity depend on a transportation system
city’s park system; they can also open up new more severe.
that can meet demand. That means we must
areas of parkland. The strategy that has emerged around
use our streets more efficiently if we are to
Phase 2 and beyond will complete the the world as the most effective tactic to this
absorb millions of new residents, workers,
remaining bike lanes, resulting in 1,800 total gridlock is congestion pricing, a system that
and tourists.
lane miles of bicycle facilities in New York City. charges drivers a fee for entering a city’s
To achieve this goal, we will expand
center. London, Stockholm, and Singapore all
bike master plan status proven strategies to smooth traffic flows;
employ congestion pricing. Here in the United
LANE MILES Class 1 class 2 class 3 total and we will encourage commuters to shift
States, the U.S. Department of Transporta-
from their cars onto an improved transit
Built 200 176 44 420 tion has also encouraged cities to undertake
system, while providing better service
market-based congestion reduction initia-
Planned for 2030 42 1,076 1,380 for those who choose to continue to drive.
tives. (See case study on facing page: London
(See charts above: Hours of Congestion and
Total 504 1,296 1,800 Congestion Pricing)
Annual Cost of Congestion to the New York
In every case where it has been imple-
Source: NYC Department of Transportation Region)
mented, congestion pricing has been success-
ful at reducing traffic both within the “con-
We will facilitate cycling gestion zone” and outside it, speeding bus
service, decreasing delivery times, improving
In addition to implementing the master plan,
air quality, and cutting greenhouse gas emis-
we must provide support for city cyclists and Initiati ve 10 sions, with no material impact on the econ-
encourage New Yorkers to explore this form
of transportation. That means improving Pilot congestion pricing omy, including retail activity in the zone in
which the charge applies.
public education on the benefits of cycling and We will seek to use pricing Key to the success of congestion pricing
on safety issues, increasing necessary bicy- to manage traffic in the in those cities—and the widespread accep-
cling infrastructure such as bike racks and
lockers, and improving observation of traffic
Central Business District (CBD) tance of initially reluctant businesses and
residents—is the fact that congestion pricing
and bicycling laws. Over the last 30 years, even significant
is only one part of an overall commitment to
Cyclists often point out that their main improvements in our subway system have not
increase investment in mass transit.
concern is having safe places to store their substantially changed the way New Yorkers get
bikes. To solve this problem, the City’s Depart- to Manhattan. Despite enhancements in safety,
7
Congestion Pricing Zone
UNCHARGED ROUTES 6
THE BRONX
CHARGED ZONE MANHATTAN
5
PERCENT
4
3
West Side
UPPER MANHATTAN
Highway
CHARGING ZONE
2
86
Str th
BROOKLYN
REGION
eet 1
QUEENS
STATEN
ISLAND
BRONX
0
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term
Planning and Sustainability
FDR
Drive
BROOKLYN
90 Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term
Planning and Sustainability
$8 daily charge to enter, leave, and move within the zone during charging hours
Charges: autos $4 daily charge for travel only within the zone during charging hours
$21 daily charge to enter, leave, and move within the zone during charging hours
Charges: trucks $5.50 daily charge for travel only within the zone during charging hours
Drivers do not pay unless they enter the zone. For example, driving from
Trips bypassing the Zone Brooklyn to the Bronx on the Brooklyn Bridge and FDR Drive would still be free
E-Z Pass users paying bridge and tunnel tolls to enter the zone will be credited the amount of their round-trip tolls that
Toll rebates for E-Z Pass users day, up to $8. For example, an E-Z Pass driver who now uses the Battery Tunnel to enter and leave Manhattan will pay
no additional charge, because the current round-trip toll they pay is already $8
No charges for:
• Handicapped license plates
Exemptions • Emergency vehicles and transit buses
• Yellow taxis and livery cabs
At-speed E-Z Pass readers will allow fee collection without slowing vehicles down. Vehicles not equipped with E-Z Pass
Collection technology will be recorded by cameras and drivers can pay the fee by phone, internet or at participating retailers within 48 hours.
Revenues All net revenues will be dedicated 100% to transportation investments through the SMART Financing Authority
NYC Department of Transportation will control the system, which will be built and maintained by a contractor
Operating entity yet to be selected
One of the major ways that New Yorkers bear to the Van Wyck Expressway for non-commer-
the costs—economic, health, and social—of cial vehicles; improvements to the Van Wyck
congestion is in the movement of freight. Expressway; allowing 53’ trailer access to JFK;
Delays to deliveries increase the cost of the and providing a southern route to JFK for com-
goods sold in New York stores. Congestion— mercial vehicles. We will pursue these recom-
and inconsistent tolling policies—lead trucks mendations, and explore the long term solu-
to take circuitous routes through neighbor- tions the task force recommends in the future.
hoods. Deliveries require curbside space, and
when trucks can’t find it they often cause more We will explore High-Occupancy Truck
congestion, either by cruising for a space or
by double parking. Congestion is even threat-
Toll (HOTT) Lanes
ening the status of John F. Kennedy Interna- Around the world and in several states, truck
tional Airport (JFK) as one of the nation’s lead- traffic has been accelerated by the creation of
ing airfreight hubs—and the airport is one of new lanes dedicated to trucks, which pay for
the largest employers in Queens. Still, for the themselves through tolls charged for travel-
vast majority of deliveries to New York busi- ing on these lanes. In many cases, high-occu-
nesses and homes, trucks are the only viable pancy vehicles are allowed access for free,
option, even in the long term. and in some, those driving alone can choose
The City and its regional partners are under- to pay a variable toll to travel on them. Thus,
taking several efforts to improve freight access they are referred to as “HOTT” Lanes—for
across the region. In some cases, capacity High-Occupancy Truck Toll.
would be added; more often, we would be On several of New York City’s main high-
attempting to manage the capacity we have ways, the opportunity exists to explore this
more wisely, for the benefit of the truckers concept, using medians and in some cases
and the neighborhoods they drive through. service roads for additional lanes. Key bottle-
For example, the results of the DOT’s Truck necks where trucks encounter—and cause—
Route Study will improve the overall manage- congestion include the Cross-Bronx Express-
PERCENT
100
50
90
40
80
30
70
20
60
PERCENT
10
50
0
40
1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
30
Source: NYC Department of Transportation
20
1500 10
1350 0
1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Lane
1200 Miles Resurfaced Per Year in New York City
1050
LANE MILES
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority 900
1500
750
1350
600
1200
450
1050
300
LANE MILES
900
150
750
0600
1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
450
300
150
0
1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004
Source: NYC Department of Transportation
93
Close the Metropolitan standards, or have additional power sources Reach a state of good repair on
to stay on in case of a blackout. Last October,
Transportation Authority’s there were 514 weekday train delays due to
the city’s roads and bridges
state of good repair gap “signal trouble.” We will seek a grant from the SMART
We will seek a grant from the Obsolete equipment has capacity con- Authority to fund accelerated capital
SMART Authority to cover the MTA’s sequences as well; older signal technology repairs and upgrades
allows fewer trains to be run safely on the
funding gap same track than modern systems. Modernizing During the 1970’s fiscal crisis, the City’s road
In 1981, the MTA halted all expansion proj- these could dramatically improve service on resurfacing efforts virtually stopped. Repav-
ects until the transit system could be brought crowded lines such as the E train. The MTA has ing was limited to our principal arterials, which
back into a state of good repair. The goal was invested $288 million to test its first computer- received a lower quality of resurfacing than
to restore all system components so that ized signaling system on the L line—including would be acceptable today. New layers of
they could start being upgraded on a normal electronic messaging boards alerting passen- asphalt were simply laid over the older, dam-
replacement schedule—before they started gers of train arriving times—but we are billions aged sections and sealed up. Each new layer
to fail. The next year, the MTA launched its first away from modernizing the full system. caused the road level to rise closer to the curb.
five-year capital plan—an attempt to establish The challenge is that the MTA is chronically To avoid having streets at the same level as the
long-term priorities for renewing our deterio- under-funded. Every five years, it develops a sidewalks, repairs were simply avoided longer.
rated transit system. Since that decision, New capital plan and then has to ask the State for As the city’s budget crisis eased, New York
York’s transit network has undergone a renais- the funding sources to cover the costs. We restored funding for street repair. Using new
sance. The dedication of the MTA’s leadership believe that achieving good repair is as funda- equipment, as well as additional personnel
and staff have made it one of the core compo- mental as expanding the system, and will seek and private contractors, resurfacing increased
nents of New York City’s recovery. to have the SMART Authority provide the MTA through 1991, and the roads steadily
But even with the progress that has been with a one-time grant to cover its unfunded improved. (See chart above: Lane Miles Resur-
made, the MTA system is still nearly $15 bil- need to achieve a full state of good repair. faced Per Year in New York City)
lion away from a state of good repair, only But since then, the average yearly resurfac-
$5.5 billion of which has a dedicated source of ing has fallen back below what was needed
funding—leaving a gap of $9.5 billion that will to maintain the quality of the city’s streets.
begin in 2010. More than 60% of our subway To keep pace with the wear of daily travel,
stations remain in disrepair. Fan plants, which we must resurface approximately 1,000 lane
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
3.5 3.5
3.0
CONGESTION
3.0
PRICING
2.5 2.5
2.0 2.0
STATE CONTRIBUTION
1.5 1.5
capital
needs
1.0 capital 1.0
needs city CONTRIBUTION
0.5 0.5
0 0
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
2028
2030
2032
2034
2036
2038
2040
2042
2044
2046
2048
2050
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
2028
2030
2032
2034
2036
2038
2040
2042
2044
2046
2048
2050
miles of its roads per year. In the past 15 years Develop new
we have averaged only 800 lane miles. This
under-investment has resulted in a consis- funding sources
tent decline in street assessment ratings, to Initiative 16
There is wide agreement on a series of proj-
a current low, where only 69.9% of our streets ects that would bring mobility to our city. Establish a new regional transit
are rated “good” or better. (See chart on pre-
vious page: Lane Miles in Good Repair in New
But despite impressive recent funding com- financing authority
mitments, none of them has actually secured
York City) enough financing to be completed. For all
We will seek to create a SMART
We will reverse this trend by increasing the the projects outlined in this plan, the com- Financing Authority to advance
94 City’s street resurfacing output with a limited bined budget gap is $30.9 billion. And the new projects and achieve a state
SMART grant paid out over 20 years.
We will also seek to improve our efficiency
longer it takes to fund these projects, the of good repair
higher the costs—so the combined budget
by increasing the use of recycled asphalt gap will grow. (See chart on facing page: Proj- We will seek to work with the State to establish
pavement (RAP). With RAP the City takes the ects Financed through the SMART Fund; see the Sustainable Mobility and Regional Trans-
asphalt that is about to be removed and recy- maps on page 96: Rail and Subway Conditions) portation (SMART) Financing Authority, which
cles it as fresh asphalt. RAP has the potential Good planning is not enough to secure would serve as a transportation infrastructure
to replace as much as 50% of the new material the future of our city; we must be willing to bank for the region. This authority would be
we use for asphalt. In addition to reducing our identify, organize, and raise the financing funded through dedicated revenue streams
waste disposal needs, this will cut down on that is required to build the things we need. that could be bonded against to advance criti-
truck trips and on the need for new aggregate To that end, we will work to create a dedi- cal capital expansions that improve connec-
and asphalt cement. cated, regional fund to finance our needed tions between the city and the surrounding
The City has done a better job at maintain- transportation infrastructure, tapping new region. (See charts above: How the SMART
ing the 787 City-owned bridges and tunnels sources of revenue as well as dedicated Financing Authority Would Fund Regional
that connect the five boroughs. After the Wil- commitments from existing sources. Transportation Projects)
liamsburg Bridge was closed in 1988 for emer-
Revenues
gency repairs, the City began a significant
For two generations, our inability to raise suffi-
rehabilitation program and is in the process
cient funds for transportation investments has
of completing all deferred maintenance. But
undermined the mobility of our region. That is
with more traffic every year, the City’s bridges
why we must tap new sources of funding if we
require significant periodic capital upgrades
are to make our goals a reality. Further, that
and replacement. We will not substitute that
funding responsibility must be borne equitably.
work for routine maintenance, but we will seek
All of these projects serve New York City in
a SMART Fund grant to provide enough capital
some way, so the City must share in funding
to allow the needed, but costly upgrades nec-
them. Virtually all of them—even those wholly
essary to keep our bridges safe.
within the five boroughs—serve the region’s
commuters as well, and so non-city residents
should also contribute. That is why we will
seek to partner with the State to establish
three dedicated revenue streams that split
the contributions evenly between city and
non-city resident commuters.
3.5
3.0
•Improved transit access to the region’s airports
2.5
annual revenue • Enhanced, high-speed intercity rail services
2.0 debt for DEBT SERVICE
issued
1.5
1.0
ANNUAL EXCESS
0.5
REVENUES DIRECTLY INVESTED revenue
0
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
2026
2028
2030
2032
2034
2036
2038
2040
2042
2044
2046
2048
2050
*Note: Debt fully paid off in 2050. Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
Access to the Region’s Core $7,381 2009 2016 $2,580 $1,111 $3,691
Express Bus Lane to Lincoln Tunnel $1,300 2010 2011 $100 $550 $650
Lower Manhattan Rail Link $7,500 2010 2015 $2,960 $790 $3,750
MNR Penn Station Access (Hudson Line) $455 2012 2013 $228 $228
MNR Penn Station Access (New Haven Line) $357 2012 2013 $178 $178
State of Good Repair (NYC Roads & Bridges) $1,722 2009 2029 $1,722
Note: Costs are nominal, year of construction. Where available, agency’s year-of-construction estimates are used.
Otherwise, annual construction industry inflation estimates used. Existing funding includes Federal, state, local, and agency funding;
“expected” is based on reasonable expectation based on past trends. Second Avenue Subway Phase 1 estimate assumes receipt of
Federal Full Funding agreement. MTA SGR estimate based on unfunded remaining state of good repair gap after current MTA Capital Plan.
IEnergy
Energy
Energy
Provide cleaner, more reliable power
for every New Yorker by upgrading
our energy infrastructure
IEnergy
Credit: NYC Economic Development Corporation
Provide cleaner, more reliable power
for every New Yorker by upgrading
our energy infrastructure
On July 17, 2006, the electric cables began to fail. Every year, New Yorkers collectively spend
As the lights started flickering off, the residents approximately $13.4 billion on the energy
of western Queens began alerting Con Edison that that lights our buildings and powers our
a blackout had begun. electronic devices, on our electrical delivery
Over the next nine days, Con Edison recorded system, and on the fuel used for heating and
these calls to assess the scope of the outages— hot water; the average residential energy bill
because there was no automated way to find
is $145. But this consumption has additional
out. Finally, their employees drove through the
streets of western Queens and counted the costs. It is responsible for roughly 80% of our
number of buildings without lights to estimate global-warming emissions and more than
how many customers had been affected. 40% of all locally generated air pollution.
Although we have the most reliable energy Even on regular days, our supply is nei-
101
network in the United States, the recent Queens ther as clean nor as affordable as it should
power outages betrayed the weaknesses in our be. Our existing fleet of power plants aver-
aging grid. Less familiar, though, are the risks ages around 30 years old, and uses mostly
revealed over the rest of the summer. out-of-date technologies. These older plants
Ten days after the blackout, a third multi-day heat use 30% to 60% more fuel and produce sev-
wave gripped the city, with temperatures reaching eral times the air pollution of newer plants to
as high as 102º. Although institutions and large generate the same amount of electricity.
companies began extinguishing lights, raising air
But by 2012, even this supply will not be
conditioning temperatures, and shutting down
elevators, there was no systematic way to slow enough. We are continually setting new
the skyrocketing demand. Con Edison customer records for energy usage. As the summer of
representatives, police officers and members of 2006 showed, our ability to reduce demand
the City’s Office of Emergency Management began in a coordinated, efficient way is limited. And
knocking on doors across the city. The Real Estate our delivery infrastructure is under increas-
Board of New York began emailing many of its ing pressure.
12,000 members. Newspapers, radio stations, and By 2030, population and economic growth
local news networks carried announcements. All
will strain the city’s energy network further.
urged New Yorkers to slow down their energy use.
It wasn’t enough. If current trends continue, energy demand
could grow substantially. By 2015 alone,
On August 1-2, the city set two consecutive
records for electricity demand, topping the the city’s annual electricity and heating bill,
previous record set a year earlier. To prevent a excluding delivery costs, will increase by
blackout, businesses began switching to backup $3 billion, translating into energy bills
diesel generators that spewed pollutants into the that are annually $300 to $400 higher for
air. Our dirtiest and least efficient power plants the average New York household. As we
were turned on, making our air quality unhealthy consume more energy, our environmen-
for people with heart or lung disease, the elderly, tal impact will increase accordingly. By
and children. And since these aging plants are
2015, we will be pumping an additional 4.6
more expensive to run, the city’s electricity
prices—already among the highest in the nation— million metric tons of CO 2 into the atmo-
soared by 500% that day. sphere. (See chart on page 103: New York City
Price of Electricity)
mmb tu pe r ye ar
Megawatts
Source: KeySpan; Con Edison; NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
72,000,000
480,000,000
422,000,000 +14%
+44%
Reducing
50,000,000 prices and CO 2 emissions will We can do better. Smarter choices and York State. Since deregulation, power plant
require displacing high-cost, inefficient plants targeted investments can yield substantial construction and operation is now the role of
through an unprecedented demand reduction savings. Our density is an advantage; less private developers and owners. But without
strategy and new, clean sources of supply. than 4% of our buildings contain roughly 50% long-term contracts, there is no guarantee
of the city’s built area. By focusing on these that power prices will provide a sufficient
Energy planning
sites—and our other largest energy con- return—and land constraints, construction
Today, there is no entity capable of address-
sumers—for upgrades, the impact could costs, and higher financing requirements
ing these challenges. There are eight organi-
2005 2030 be enormous. have made the price of building power
zations responsible for some dimension of
Unchecked,
2005 our city’s2030
peak electricity plants in New York almost three times the
energy planning in New York City, but not one
102 of them is designed to take the city’s unique
demand—the highest amount of electricity national average.
we will need over the course of a year—is pro- Virtually every existing power plant in the
needs into account. None are empowered to
jected to grow by 29% by 2030. Total electric- city has the capacity to expand or improve its
bargain on behalf of 480,000,000
New Yorkers, while pri-
ity consumption could rise by 44% or more and efficiency and environmental performance—
oritizing air quality, lowering global-warming
422,000,000 +14%
our consumption of heating fuels by 14%. But but owners currently have no incentive to do
emissions, and ensuring affordable prices.
it does not have to grow. We will seek to meet so. Adding more supply would risk lowering
And there is no existing planning body that
the entirety of this need by increasing our prices across the market. While the health
analyzes how supply and demand-side strat-
energy efficiency and expanding programs to benefits are clear, there is no guarantee that
egies can work together to achieve reliable
manage demand on our “peak” days—while owners will make back their investment.
power for the city.
actually reducing our consumption of heat- As a result, only one repowering has
Demand reduction ing fuels by 17%. (See charts above: Projected ever taken place in the city. Since deregula-
Reducing our demand while absorbing growth New York City Energy Increase) tion with the exception of investments by
will not only be difficult—it has never been NYPA—a public authority—only two private
New, clean supply
done before.
2005 Energy efficiency
2030 programs in powerplants have been built.
It will take several years to benefit from this
the United States began during the 1970s, Our heating and electricity will increasingly
ambitious efficiency effort. In the meantime,
but consumption has still steadily risen along rely on natural gas, which is the cleanest-
we must prepare for a short-term rise in
with the proliferation of air conditioners, cell burning fossil fuel. But our delivery capacity is
our power consumption. We must also add
phones, laptops and other electronic devices. limited, creating some of the highest natural
enough clean supply to retire our dirtiest
Even the most successful programs in the gas prices in the nation.
plants, which are frequently located in some
country have failed to flatten demand; while The cleanest energy sources—such as
of the city’s most underserved communities,
California has held its per capita energy use wind and solar power—are promising, but
and make our prices more competitive with
constant, the state’s overall energy needs they are not yet financially feasible to play a
the rest of the region. As a result, securing
have continued to grow (See chart on facing large role. Without significant support, they
a clean, reliable, affordable energy supply
page: Electricity Consumption Per Capita) will not be able to assume a greater role in our
will require generating an additional 2,000 to
In New York, under-investment, a series energy generation.
3,000 MW of capacity by 2015.
of fragmented programs, and the absence
In our current market, that won’t be easy.
of city-specific programs or planning have
Before the mid-1990s, Con Edison was a
prevented us from achieving our efficiency
regulated monopoly that built, owned, and
potential. Participation in programs has also
operated the city’s power plants and deliv-
been hampered by the city’s high installation
ered the electricity they supplied. They were
costs and greater proportion of renters; build-
guaranteed a return on their investment,
ing owners are reluctant to invest in upgrades
because they could raise ratepayer costs to
that will only benefit their tenants through
cover new construction. But in 1998, the com-
lower energy bills.
pany was directed to sell its power plants to
foster a competitive electricity market in New
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Cost of Electricity*
New York(nominal)
$/MWh City Price of Electricity*
– assuming constant real gas price after 2009 Electricity Consumption Per Capita Compound Annual Growth Rate
*Assumes constant real gas price after 2007. Price is wholesale: Percentage of Increase
does not include delivery, surcharges or taxes. U.S. average california new york city 1970–2006
$170 100
90 +1.7% US Average
150 ~60% growth
80
(2005-30)
COST PER MEGAWATT HOUR
MEGAWATT HOURS
Extrapolated
60 projection
110 based on historical growth +1.4% new york city
50 +0.5% california
*Cost does not include
90 delivery
40 surcharges or taxes.
70 30
20
+36%
50
10
30 0
2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Source: ICF Consulting and NYC Economic Source: U.S. Department of Energy; U.S. Census Bureau; and Global Insight
Development Corporation Analysis
Source: Source: NYC City Hall – Population Planning department;
ICF; KeySpan; ConEd; team analysis
Delivery infrastructure Our Plan This plan will require significant effort,
We also must make sure that the supply we capital, and political will. The City will pro-
have can reach its recipients. We know the solution: greater investment in pose an amendment to the City Charter that
The world’s first electric power delivery a comprehensive energy efficiency plan, cou- will require it to invest 10% of its energy bill
system was developed in New York City in pled with an increase in clean supply. in reducing the energy consumed by City
1882. When Thomas Edison switched on the We must target our largest energy con- operations. Citywide initiatives will be funded
first electric station in Lower Manhattan, it lit sumers—institutional buildings, commercial through an increase in the energy bill sur-
up a total of four hundred bulbs. A year later, and industrial buildings, and multi-family resi- charge that customers already pay.
there were over 10,000 electric lights in Man- dential buildings—and accelerate energy effi- By spreading the charges of these initia-
ciency upgrades through a system of incen-
hattan fed by a web of overhead wires, which tives among all energy users, the costs will be 103
were moved underground after the blizzard of tives, mandates, and challenges. reasonable—approximately $2.50 per month
1888 to improve public safety. To retire our oldest, most polluting plants, for the average household. But they will reap
The design of this underground grid we must encourage the addition of new, clean enormous benefits for the entire city.
has remained essentially unchanged in the power plants through guaranteed contracts, By implementing an unprecedented energy
decades since. As a result, although we have and expand the market for renewable ener- efficiency strategy, while increasing supply,
the most reliable network in the United States, gies in the future. New York City’s overall power and heating
the grid’s current technology and complexity Together, the strategies just outlined bill will plunge by $2 billion to $3 billion annu-
make it difficult to repair. This can be espe- can produce a reliable, affordable, and envi- ally—saving the average household $230
cially damaging during events like the 2006 ronmentally sustainable energy network for a year on its energy bill by 2015.
power outages in western Queens, when the New York City. The environmental impacts will be equally
lack of “smart” technologies meant that we But today there is no entity capable of impressive. By 2015, our carbon emissions
were unable to assess the extent or location implementing these projects and realizing will have been slashed by seven million tons,
of outages in a timely fashion. their goals. bringing us closer to our goal of reducing the
To overcome these challenges, we have That’s why we will work with the State to city’s greenhouse gases by 30% by 2030 and
developed an aggressive, integrated plan that create a New York City Energy Planning Board providing a healthier environment for all New
puts the city’s energy, air quality, and green- that will help us shape our energy future. The Yorkers. (See table on following page: Our
house gas targets within reach. Board will oversee a new entity that will coordi- Plan for Electricity)
nate all energy efficiency efforts within the city.
New York City Government New York Power Authority New York State Energy Research Con Edison
•W orks with NYPA to (NYPA) and Development Authority • D elivers electricity and maintains grid
incorporate city priorities • S ecures energy supply for (NYSERDA)
• Collects electricity payments
into energy supply contracts government facilities • C reates and implements
through own assets or energy efficiency programs, • S ecures new supply when market fails to meet
• A dvocates for the interests demand as directed by the PSC
of city businesses, residents, contracts with outside funded through the Systems
and government through PSC suppliers Benefit Charge (SBC) • C ollects SBC from customers on behalf of NYSERDA
rate cases •W ith City, co-administers
•W ith NYPA, co-administers program to improve energy
program to improve efficiency of City government
energy efficiency of City buildings New York City Customers Power Plant Owners and Operators
government buildings • Consumes electricity • D evelops, owns, and operates
• P ays electricity bill, including the power plants
Systems Benefit Charge (SBC) • S ells power to NYISO or directly to utility
(Con Edison or NYPA) or customer
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Public Service Commission
Proposed New York City Energy Approves plans,
Planning Board RFPs, and funding
Planning
NYC Energy Planning Board
Creates city-specific supply and demand plans
New York City New York State Con Edison/KeySpan Case Study
Long Island Power Authority
The Long Island Power Authority (LIPA)
NYC Energy Efficiency Authority New York doesn’t just focus on providing electricity
Coordinates and implements Power Authority to Long Island consumers.
demand initiatives Issues and awards RFPs
It does that, too. But as the entity empow-
Demand Supply ered by State legislation to generate a
power strategy for all of Long Island, LIPA
Customers Merchant
Developers considers how reducing demand and adding
Funds and implements demand
initiatives; receives benefits Builds new supply supply can work together to meet the area’s
reliability needs.
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
When it does procure more power, it
offers investors the security of long-term
contracts in exchange for supply that
Reducing demand: The Board would set is clean, affordable, and efficient.
demand reduction targets as part of the As a result, while developers are hesitant
city’s overall energy plan, recommend fund- to enter New York City’s volatile energy
Ini tiative 1 ing levels and approve strategies for reach- market, LIPA’s willingness to enter into
Establish a New York City ing those goals. A new authority will also be long-term contracts spurred new power
created dedicated to the coordination and plants and transmission lines to serve
Energy Planning Board implementation of energy efficiency initiatives Long Island.
We will work with the State and in New York City. “We realize how urgent it is to keep our
utilities to centralize planning for the This authority, a partnership among the rates and charges as low as possible,” said
city’s supply and demand initiatives organizations involved with energy efficiency Richard M. Kessel, LIPA’s CEO and President. 105
programs in New York, would be responsible “Since we make no profit on the sale of
There is a clear need for a more compre- for developing plans to meet the Board’s targets. electricity, we make every effort to do so.”
hensive, coordinated, and aggressive
planning effort, focused on the specific needs Expanding supply: The Board would also Until 1998, Long Island residents got
of New York City. That is why we are pursuing set supply targets and recommend a budget their power from LILCO, a privately-owned
State legislation and regulation to establish a for spending on supply initiatives. The Board corporation. After a financially-strapped
New York City Energy Planning Board. (See would facilitate the supply of new clean power LILCO saw its cost of debt skyrocket,
chart above: Proposed New York City Energy to the city by enabling a process to issue long- New York State’s Legislature stepped in,
Planning Board; see case study: Long Island term contracts to energy supply developers. creating LIPA to act as a single, coordinated
Power Authority) These contracts would provide a constant rev- buyer. Over time, LIPA has lowered rates
enue stream to pay off investment costs. As by an average of 20%—the largest single
Functions a result of this security, power plant owners electric rate reduction in U.S. history.
Comprehensive planning: This entity’s would be able to attract investors at better LIPA also aims at balancing supply and
primary function would be to review and financing rates. demand side programs—further keeping
approve energy plans that include supply and One way long-term contracts could be prices down.
demand strategies to meet the city’s needs. issued is for the State to empower the New
This plan would be submitted to the Public York Power Authority (NYPA) or another exist- LIPA’s Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) is
Service Commission (PSC) for regulatory and ing entity to issue and award a power supply one of the most ambitious programs of
funding approval. request-for-proposals (RFP) that reflects the its kind in the nation. The CEI is a 10-year,
To ensure that these plans are revised city’s priorities and needs. NYPA already per- $355 million commitment to promote energy
regularly, we will urge the State to pass a new forms this service for government institutions efficiency and clean generation technolo-
energy planning law similar to Article VI, which located in the city, including our municipal gies including the largest commercial solar
lapsed four years ago. Article VI required the government, the Metropolitian Transportation project in the country.
periodic issuance of a State Energy Plan that Authority (MTA), and the New York City Hous- LIPA also rewards green energy choices,
assessed capacity needs and identified strate- ing Authority (NYCHA). encouraging customers to purchase
gies to meet or manage demand. We believe wind-generated power and soliciting
the law should additionally require the devel- Board structure: To ensure a range of proposals from developers for renewable
opment of localized plans across the state, perspectives and technical experience, the resource projects.
and should take into account not only peak proposed Board would include representa-
tives from the City, the State, and the utilities. “With each alternative or renewable energy
demand capacity, but also energy consump- project we advance,” Kessel said, “we take
tion, costs to rate payers, environmental The City and State representatives would
ensure that their respective public policy pri- another step away from our over-dependence
impact, and greenhouse gas emissions. on fossil fuel burning technologies. Future
In addition to overseeing the creation of orities are reflected in the planning process.
The City’s representative would also articulate generations as well as our environment will
New York City’s energy plan, the Board would be the beneficiaries.”
recommend any necessary ratepayer charges local community perspectives, including envi-
for the fulfillment of its plan to the PSC. ronmental justice concerns.
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Energy Usage by Building Type in New York City Electricity Savings from
Percent of total energy in British Thermal Units (BTU) Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
1–4 family residential 7.6% 2.6% 1.7% 2.2% 0.6% 0.0% 14.7% If all 3 million New York City households replace one standard light bulb
with a CFL, the energy savings would be enough to power three Empire
Multi-family residential 7.4% 7.4% 3.0% 3.9% 1.2% 0.0% 22.0% State Buildings
Commercial 8.5% 2.8% 10.2% 4.5% 4.5% 0.9% 31.4% If all New York City households replace 75% of their standard light
bulbs with CFL bulbs, the energy savings would be enough to run all the
Industrial 2.6% 2.1% 4.0% 3.3% 1.1% 0.2% 13.0% subways and light all the stations
While the new code will include a number expanding peak load management programs;
of green elements—including rebates for and undertaking an energy awareness and
some green building features, requirements training campaign. In all three of these, the
for cool (white) roofs and energy code certi- Ini tiative 4 City will begin working immediately through
fication, and more stringent ventilation stan- Create an energy efficiency its existing institutions, but full implementa-
dards—more can be done. tion will require the coordination and funding
We will make “greening the code” a cen-
authority for New York City the Authority would provide.
tral focus of the next revision cycle, with an We will create the New York City
emphasis on implementing the city’s energy Energy Efficiency Authority responsible
efficiency strategies, streamlining the process for reaching the city’s demand 107
for incorporating new, sustainable technolo-
gies into construction, and adaptation to cli-
reduction targets.
mate change. There are currently a number of programs Initiative 5
Another area of focus will be reducing the that target demand reduction and energy effi- Prioritize five key areas
amount of cement used in concrete. Creating ciency in New York City, including NYPA and
cement is an energy-intensive process that NYSERDA at the State level and Con Edison
for targeted incentives
releases a ton of C02 for every ton of cement at the local level. But these efforts have not We will use a series of mandates,
produced. We will advocate for a different always been coordinated, and the City has not challenges, and incentives to reduce
form of concrete production that uses 30% to had the opportunity to play a more active role demand among the city’s largest
40% less cement while retaining strength. in either coordination or in shaping programs
The next three years are also an opportu- of its own, beyond participating in Public
energy consumers
nity to amend other codes influencing the Service Commission proceedings. This will With 5.2 billion square feet of space parceled
city’s energy efficiency, such as the State have to change if the city is going to achieve into almost a million buildings, reining in the
Energy Conservation Construction Code and unprecedented reductions in energy con- energy consumption of New York’s building
New York City’s Fire Code. While the State sumption. sector presents a challenge of remarkable
code is required to be amended every three To that end, we propose to create the New complexity and scale. (See table on following
years, the process is often delayed and its York City Energy Efficiency Authority which page: Key Areas for Targeted Energy Efficiency
provisions are not adequately enforced. We will direct all of New York City’s efficiency Initiatives; see case study on following page:
will strengthen enforcement of these codes and demand reduction efforts. These efforts Energy Efficiency Tools)
and push for higher standards, particularly would be funded through rate-payer based As described in the following table, our
regarding lighting requirements. We will also surcharges. This would enable the City to efforts will be focused around five key areas:
seek to integrate sustainability considerations develop a unified effort that is well-tailored institutional and governmental buildings, com-
more fully into the City’s other codes, strik- to our unique circumstances. The Authority mercial and industrial buildings, residential
ing an appropriate balance between reduc- would be charged with developing and man- buildings, new construction, and appliances
ing implementation barriers while preserving aging programs and establishing the incentive and electronics. We have focused primarily on
safety standards. structures required to reach the city’s demand upgrades to existing buildings, since they will
reduction targets as set by the New York City still form the overwhelming majority of our
Energy Planning Board. The City, NYSERDA, building stock by 2030.
Con Edison, and Keyspan would serve on the We have also singled out the largest
Authority’s board—allowing the Authority to sources of consumption for reforms, such as
marshal coordinated action among these enti- lighting and inefficient appliances. By replac-
ties and utilize their resources. ing outdated lighting systems with more
The Authority’s first task would be to under- energy-efficient models, working at the State
take the three city-wide initiatives that follow: and Federal level to steadily improve stan-
targeting five key areas for energy efficiency; dards for appliances and electronics, and
Efficiency Upgrades for large commercial & industrial buildings (>100,000 sq. ft.) $220,000
• Benchmarking & retro-commissioning or audit/retrofit (< 5-yr payback measures) (300,000 sf $120,000 2–3 yrs. 1.8%
Commercial & • Mandated by 2015; efficient buildings exempt building.)
2 Industrial • Financial incentives from NYCEEA
Upgrades & Lights
Lighting Systems brought up to energy code $4,500 $2,500 1.5–2 yrs. 2.1%
• Required for all spaces at time of renovation or change of tenancy (10,000 sf.)
New construction to Exceed Energy Code by 20%; major renovation by 15% $500,000
• Commissioning for new construction or major renovation > 100,000 sq. ft. (200,000 sf $0 3–4 yrs. 0.8%
New • Aggressive upgrades and enforcement of State energy code building.)
4 Construction
15‑20% Better
than Code Graduated Incentives for higher energy savings & environmental performance $625,000 $125,000 3–4 yrs. 0.3%
• For gold or platinum LEED equivalent with superior energy and water savings
*After incentive **Incentive by the proposed New York City Energy Efficiency Authority *** No additional cost after incentive TOTAL 12.7%–13.4%
108
Case Study
Energy Efficiency Tools leveraging renovations to enforce our energy
code more vigorously, we can achieve enor-
There are three key tools to comprehen- mous savings—in our usage and energy bills.
sively reduce energy consumption in (See table on previous page: Electricity Sav- Initiative 6
buildings: audits, retrofits and commis- ings from Compact Florescent Light Bulbs) Expand peak load management
sioning. An energy audit analyzes how For private sector change, government has
three basic tools in its arsenal: challenges,
We will seek to cut peak load by 25%
changes in equipment, fixtures and
design can reduce energy use. The requirements, and incentives. We will be able through increased enrollment in peak
implementation of those changes is
to use all three, sometimes within the same load management programs and real
targeted area. In many cases, such as the time pricing
called a retrofit and often involves the energy upgrades for large commercial and
physical upgrade of building energy industrial buildings, we will incent behavior to Reducing our daily energy usage is critical to
systems and components. Retrofits, encourage early adoption and then mandate achieving our 30% carbon reduction goal and
depending on the scope of work, can compliance by 2015. We will also challenge saving money on energy across the city.
be designed to pay for themselves the city’s leading non-profit and commercial But special measures must be taken to
through the resulting energy savings, building owners to match the City’s commit- manage electrical power usage during the
ment to cut its own energy use by 30% in 10 hottest days of the year, when air condition-
with a three to seven year typical
years. The City’s commitment will not only set ers are running on high and our power usage
payback. Retrofits can involve any is at its peak. At these times, our electric grid
an example, but also help incubate the exper-
component of the building, but usually tise required for the larger citywide transfor- is strained and our oldest and least efficient
focus on lighting and heating and mation. This, in turn, will reduce the costs of plants must run to meet the city’s demand.
cooling systems. these measures for all. These power plants guzzle 62% more fuel and
Commissioning for new buildings, Every energy-saving measure included release 140% more CO2 than newer plants.
is cost-effective, with paybacks within five They are also more expensive to run. Our new,
and retro-commissioning for existing
years or less. And by prioritizing the largest natural gas power plants cost $74 to produce
buildings, refer to a process of insuring one MWh, while our oldest plants, which were
buildings first, the maximum impact will be
that a building’s equipment is installed achieved with minimal complexity. designed in the 1960s and 1970s and run
correctly and operating at maximum on oil, cost over $250 to produce the same
efficiency. These strategies are most amount of electricity.
effective when combined with improved Peak load management programs are
maintenance. Commissioning typically one way to balance electricity supply with
pays for itself within a year; retro- demand, reduce the strain on the grid and
commissioning within two to three years.
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Real-Time Pricing Impact on Electricity Consumption* Case Study
Electricityreal time pricing
Consumption pilotTime Pricing new
in Real Pilotyork
vs. city total $ DAY AHEAD MARKET PRICE of energy Real-Time Pricing in New York
inNYC
kilowatts in megawatts
Total Consumption on August 1, 2006 Ellen Funk loads the dishwasher after dinner,
800
and then she waits until 7 am the next day to
12000
turn it on.
700
10000 “Running the dishwasher after dinner costs
600 five times as much as turning it on in the
8000 morning,” Funk said. “Why wouldn’t I wait?”
MEGAWATTS
KILOWATTS
2 pm
8 pm
5 pm
10 pm
4 pm
4 am
9 pm
6 am
11 am
5 am
7 pm
1 am
3 am
8 am
2 am
10 am
7 am
6 pm
3 pm
12 pm
9 am
11 pm
1 pm
much her electricity costs her every hour.
*on August 1, 2006
“I think everyone will buy power this way
Source: Not given in data sheet
in the next ten years,” said Lewis Kwit,
President of Energy Investment Systems
limit the use of the more expensive and often overall energy consumption by 5%. We will also (EIS), who manages the building’s energy-
$470.70
$103.84
$116.19
$200.54
$436.99
$171.77
$99.27
least efficient plants. The following initiatives challenge all other institutional, State, and conserving initiative.
could enable 25% of our peak demand to be Federal agencies located in the city to partici- Monthly bills inform 322 CPW residents of
shaved from the electric load. pate in peak load programs and increase their their daily usage trends, and color-coated
overall impact. seasonal bulletins tell them what to expect
We will seek to expand participation at various hours in the coming months.
in peak load management programs We will support expansion of real-time Peak rates—often found in the hours when
pricing across the city everyone gets home from work—represent
through smart meters about 25% of a building’s total bill. The more
In peak load management programs, custom- Currently, consumers are able to make residents conserve energy use during peak 109
ers agree to reduce their electricity load on informed choices about when to use their cell hours, the more money they save.
the hottest days—either by using less elec- phones; in peak times, they know that minutes
According to research done at Carnegie
tricity or by using alternative sources of gen- will cost more than off-peak hours and can
Mellon University and reported by The New
eration. Participants are paid for enrollment adjust their behavior accordingly. Although
York Times, American consumers would save
and/or for responding during a peak event. energy prices fluctuate just as much over the
nearly $23 billion a year if they shifted just
Already, the customers enrolled can collec- course of a day, this information is almost
7% of their usage during peak hours to less
tively reduce the city’s peak load by appoxi- entirely unavailable to the vast majority of
expensive times—the equivalent of the whole
mately 500 MW—or 4% of the peak electric New Yorkers. (See chart above: Real-Time
nation getting a free month of power every
demand in the city. Pricing Impact on Electricity Consumption; see
year. Several real time pricing pilots are
We can measure their impact because par- case study: Real-Time Pricing in New York)
happening throughout the country, including
ticipants have installed a more sophisticated If customers were able to see the costs of
projects in Illinois, Florida, and California.
metering system that allows buildings to track electricity at different times, they could make
more educated decisions about when and The program at 322 CPW not only helps
their own energy use—and sometimes the
how they use electricity throughout the day. residents save money, it also allows them
energy consumption of individual tenants—in
This is known as Real-Time Pricing (RTP). to conserve energy when utility companies
real-time. But these meters can be costly: a
Although the State initiated a residential need it most. This could mean the difference
standard meter costs around $30, while smart
RTP pilot program between 2004 and early between a brownout and a sufficient
meters range from $100 to $600.
2006, it has not provided incentives for any energy supply.
Although enrollment has increased by 7%
over each of the past three years, full partici- additional pilots since 2005. “When New York expects a power emergency,
pation is not realized due to the high cost of The City will advocate for new incentives our buildings are notified,” said Kwit. “And
smart meters and the fact that entrance is to expand RTP pilots in the city and encour- they respond.”
mostly limited to the largest electricity con- age residential participation, with the goal Last summer, there were five blackout
sumers, such as large commercial and indus- of enrolling 50% of small businesses and resi- alerts in New York. During the heat-wave in
trial buildings. dents by 2015. In addition, the City will push July 2006, when parts of Queens went dark
To overcome these challenges and allow the PSC to mandate that 100% of medium and for days, 322 Central Park West cut their
for wider enrollment in the peak load man- large non-residential customers enter RTP energy use by 42% and sold the unused
agement programs, the City will urge the PSC programs over the same time frame. capacity for $3,000.
to approve Con Edison’s plan to install smart “The people in our building feel really good
meters in every building by 2014. about the program,” said Funk. “It’s been a
The City will work with NYPA and Con big success.”
Edison on installing smart meters in all
City-owned buildings before 2014. This
could result in a 4% decrease in City govern-
ment’s peak energy usage, while reducing
1,350
8,100 70
8000
950 60
GAS TURBINE
LESS THAN MORE THAN 40
CYCLE GAS
30 YEARS 30 YEARS
COMBINED
4000 500
TURBINE
OLD OLD
30
2000 20
0 NJ*
0 10
*footnote TK
Percentage of in-city power supply 0
*Based on 2006 capacity factors
Gas Steam Oil Steam Oil Gas 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
and reported heat rates for all CCGT Gas Turbine
Turbine Turbine Turbine
in-city plants Price is wholesale, does not include delivery, surcharges,
Note: Based on 2006 capacity factors and reported heat rates for all in-city24%
plants 27% 20% 20% 10%
Source: NYCEDC power plant database; ICF Consulting; or taxes.
Source: Energy Velocity
Extrapolation based on NYISO Reliability Needs Asessement, October 2005 Source:ConEd, Keyspan, NYSERDA, EIA (DOE) website, team analysis
We will make energy usage in buildings and enable us to retire 1,000 to 2,100 MW of
more transparent by encouraging building capacity. Between now and 2015, the City
owners to file an Environmental Protection will mostly rely on conventional, clean
Ini tiative 7 Agency Portfolio Manager survey, a web- energy sources to increase supply, but we
Launch an energy awareness based energy usage breakdown for buildings. will work to set the stage for renewable
This will enable us to analyze consumption energies such as solar, wind, and tidal power
and training campaign patterns, and adapt our efficiency strategies to play a larger role in the future. (See charts
We will increase the impact of our to have the maximum impact. above: Average Energy Consumed to Produce
energy efficiency efforts through Finally, we will establish a process to mea- 1kWh of Electricity and Average Greenhouse
110 a coordinated energy education, sure and verify the progress of each demand Gas Emissions of City Power Plants)
reduction initiative to establish credibility,
awareness, and training campaign facilitate consensus about the most cost-effec-
The cost savings of efficiency strategies tive procedures, and fine-tune our policies to
are clear. In many cases, the programs and achieve greater effectiveness over time.
opportunities already exist. But unless the
public and building professionals appreciate Initiative 8
the urgency, are informed about the choices
Facilitate repowering and
ahead, and understand the savings they can
construct power plants and
Expand the city’s
achieve, we will not meet our goal.
As a result, the New York City Energy dedicated transmission lines
Efficiency Authority will undertake exten- clean power supply We will facilitate the construction
sive education, training, and quality control
Flattening consumption will not happen of 2,000 to 3,000 MW of supply
programs to promote energy efficiency. The
City will begin to undertake these efforts overnight. Despite our efficiency efforts, capacity by repowering old plants,
through a series of partnerships until the by 2015 we will need at least 900 MW of constructing new ones, and building
new generating capacity just to keep up
Authority is established.
with rising demand and expected power
dedicated transmission lines
Education: In partnership with schools, mar- plant retirements. Achieving clean and reliable energy will
keting professionals, and non-profit organiza- But to achieve New York’s environmental require upgrading, expanding, and replacing
tions, we will develop customized awareness goals and lower our energy bills, we must much of our current energy supply. Between
campaigns tailored to specific sectors of the go beyond merely closing the gap between now and 2015, the City will pursue three strat-
public, including the press, schoolchildren, supply and demand. To accelerate the retire- egies to increase supply from cleaner power
and those in the building trades. ment of the city’s oldest, most polluting plants. (See chart above: Electricity Prices
Training: The effectiveness of each strategy power plants and address environmental Across the Region; see case study on facing
will depend on its proper implementation. justice issues, we must generate enough page: East River Repowering)
That’s why we will also create training pro- supply to compensate for that loss of power. First, we can maximize existing power
grams for building operators, builders, design- In addition, we must also increase supply plant sites, either by building additional gen-
ers, retailers, and energy service providers to to make our prices more competitive with eration facilities within the existing site or
ensure that building practices reflect the most the region. modernizing the plant’s technology. This pro-
energy-efficient strategies. To accelerate the retirement of the older, cess, known as “repowering” can increase
less efficient plants we will build 2,000 to efficiency up to 40% and significantly reduce
Quality Control: Building owners must be con- 3,000 MW of new electric capacity by as greenhouse gas emissions. Replacing old tur-
fident that they will receive the expected energy early as 2015. The new, efficient plants will bines will also improve local air quality. The
savings. That’s why we will establish a certification displace generation from older plants, help City will explore opportunities to facilitate
process for energy auditors, commissioning drive down prices in the wholesale market, in-city repowering that offers significant addi-
agents, and contractors performing retrofits.
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Source: Con Edison
tional capacity and achieves immediate local can result in substantial cost savings; new
air quality improvements. projects that integrate Clean DG can earn back
Our second option is to build new plants their investment in three to five years, while
on new sites. New construction costs about existing buildings can cover costs in approxi-
the same or less than repowering, but land mately five to eight years.
is limited and construction costs in New York But this technology is not always com-
City remain high compared to the surrounding patible with our existing grid. As a result,
region. Con Edison sometimes limits the amount
Our final option is to build power plants out- of DG that can be connected. Applications
Case Study
side city limits that are completely dedicated that meet the reliability requirements estab-
East River Repowering
to providing electricity to the New York City lished by the PSC must still undergo a lengthy
grid. By controlling the types of plants con- 11-step connection process that can take In April 2005, Con Edison completed
structed and connecting those plants directly months to complete. Lastly, permit applica- a massive repowering project involving
to the city grid, we can ensure that we do not tions to the City have also caused delays for a complex choreography of equipment,
import energy from dirtier sources such as Clean DG projects. experts and energy—steam, to be exact.
conventional coal plants. The City will work with Con Edison and rel- The company’s East River steam generating
All three of these options will provide evant agencies to reduce the financial, techni- facility, for years the target of community
a cleaner energy supply that is also cheaper cal, and procedural barriers related to inter- criticism about the high level of emissions,
to run. Through the New York City Energy connection in order to achieve, at minimum, underwent an extensive program of
Planning Board described above, we will help 800 MW of Clean DG by 2030. operational enhancements, equipment
facilitate the issuance of long-term contracts We will work with Con Edison to expand the upgrades, and reduced oil burning in favor
to encourage new plants that are sensitive amount of Clean DG that can be safely con- of clean natural gas.
to communities. nected to the grid. As a result, the facility now is one of the
We will also work actively with a broad This spring, Con Edison will be filing with the cleanest power generating facilities in
range of community stakeholders to advo- PSC for a change in the rates that they charge New York State. 111
cate for the re-enactment of Article X, which customers. The City will use this opportunity
Steam—which can be used in some cases
established a single streamlined process for to advocate that Con Edison study the capac-
instead of electricity—is an efficient way to
reviewing all permitting and siting issues for ity of individual networks to handle more DG
cool a building. Steam cooling in New York
power plants. without impacting network reliability and
is especially valuable because Con Edison’s
power quality. During the same rate case,
nine central steam plants currently replace
the City will also ask Con Edison to study new
the need for 375 MW of electricity, which
technologies that would increase the amount
helps to reduce the city’s peak demand on
of Clean DG that can be safely connected to
the hottest summer days.
the grid.
Ini tiative 9 In addition, to improve communications The East River repowering helped expand
the city’s steam supply, enabling the plant
Expand Clean Distributed between Con Edison and prospective devel-
to produce 25% more steam per hour.
opers of Clean DG, the City will push for Con
Generation (“Clean DG”) Edison to develop an on-line interconnection But while repowerings lower emissions
We will increase the amount of application tracker that clearly shows what and increase efficiency, they come at a high
Clean DG by 800 MW stage interconnection applications are in and cost. All of the new equipment must be
sends automatic alerts when delays occur. installed within the existing parameters
Not all power generation has to occur at cen-
of the building, while the old equipment
tral power plants. Mini-power plants located
continues operating.
close to or at the site of use, referred to as We will promote opportunities to
To solve these challenges, most of the
distributed generation (DG), currently con- develop district energy at appropriate large machinery—including two dual-fuel
tribute 180 MW to our supply. Clean DG uses
clean fuels, such as natural gas, and is a more
sites in New York City combustion turbines and two heat-recovery
efficient form of energy production because In 2005, Con Edison analyzed the projected steam generators—had to be constructed
the energy travels a shorter distance to its energy needs of the Hudson Yards Redevel- off-site, shipped to the plant on a barge,
destination, retaining up to 8% more energy. opment Area. It found that extending the and then lifted over the FDR Drive and
Clean DG can be even more efficient when it existing steam infrastructure used for heat- lowered into the building through openings
utilizes the waste heat from electrical genera- ing in Manhattan below 96th Street to reach in the roof and walls.
tion to create hot water, heating, and cooling the Hudson Yards area would be prohibitively We will encourage additional repowerings,
for buildings, so it is often called Combined expensive—but district energy may be a especially at Con Edison’s steam plant
Heat and Power (CHP). CHP can be done on a viable alternative. on Hudson Avenue in Brooklyn. We will
building level or developed as a “mini-grid” for At the City’s urging, Con Edison is currently also support the expansion of steam as
multiple buildings within a small area, known overseeing a more extensive analysis of the a power source for the city by expanding
as “district energy.” economic and technical feasibility for a dis- the existing discount program to steam.
As a result, Clean DG can produce twice trict energy project in the Hudson Yards area.
as much energy for the same amount of fuel If the study finds that district energy is feasi-
used by older conventional power plants. This ble, the City will seek to implement a district
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Case Study
Tidal Power in New York City
A thin sliver of the East River between Queens “It’s the depth and strength of the current If the project is successful, the East River
and Roosevelt Island looks just as it did a year in New York’s waterways that makes them could become home to 300 turbines, providing
ago. But there’s an important difference under turbine-friendly,” said Mollie Gardner, a 10 MW of renewable energy for New York City,
the river’s surface. Today, turbines in the geologist who works with Verdant Power. enough to power up to 8,000 homes. That
water’s depths are testing the river’s ability “The water is perfect.” power could displace the equivalent of 68,000
to harness the tide, creating a powerful kind Not only is the water itself perfect—it’s barrels of oil, or 430 million cubic feet of
of energy. perfectly situated. Because our rivers are near natural gas per year.
Last December, Verdant Power built and underground transmission lines, the turbine- “We’re making such wonderful breakthroughs
installed two of six planned underwater generated power could easily be plugged into in harnessing water for energy with the least
turbines eight feet below the surface of the the existing power grid, allowing for the tidal amount of environmental impact,” said Trey
East River as part of the Roosevelt Island Tidal energy to be sent swiftly to waiting customers. Taylor, Co-Founder and President of Verdant
Energy project (RITE). The turbines look like RITE turbines in the East River have already Power. “And what excites me is that it’s all
windmills, and as the tide goes in and out, generated more than 10,000 kilowatt hours taking place here in New York City.”
they capture some of its energy, converting of tidal power for a supermarket and parking
it directly into electricity. garage just yards away from the pilot site
Tidal power is predictable and reliable, off the Roosevelt Island waterfront.
flowing with the everyday force of the moon A third of the $6 million budget went to
on New York City’s rivers. The density of the sonar radar equipment to study the project’s
water means that fewer turbines are necessary effect on its surrounding environment and
to produce the same amount of electricity ensure nearby fish and swooping birds won’t
as wind turbines. be harmed.
113
We will work with the State to eliminate useful energy from its organic waste streams facility in Hunts Point, including more exact
and minimize the methane and CO2 emissions costs of a potential organics recovery facility.
barriers to increasing the use of solar associated with waste. To do so, the City will issue an RFP to target
energy in the city the short list of firms identified in the feasibil-
To further promote solar energy, the City We will pilot one or more technologies ity analysis, and set specific operational and
economic parameters for a facility.
will work with the State Legislature and the for producing energy from solid waste
PSC to reduce two existing barriers: the
amount of solar that can be connected to The City’s recently approved Solid Waste Man- We will end methane emissions from
agement Plan (SWMP) called for the evalu-
the grid, currently capped at 8.1 MW, and the
ation of alternative waste technologies for
sewage treatment plants and expand
amount of excess power that can be sold back
to the grid, currently limited to 10 KW of resi- converting organic waste into usable energy. the use of digester gas
dential power. Out of 43 technologies studied, two offered When wastewater is processed in a sewage
superior environmental performance and treatment plant, it produces digester gas,
Methane and organic waste cost-effectiveness—anaerobic digestion and which contains methane and CO2. Currently,
Our garbage and sewage offer both potential thermal processing. We will launch pilot proj- roughly 60% of New York City’s digester gas
and perils. If used productively, organic waste ects to test both of these technologies for is collected and used to create energy via
or biomass can provide a plentiful source of broader application. fuel cells, most of which is used to power the
energy, producing as much as 450 MW—or The City is also pursuing a pilot in the Hunts sewage treatment plant itself, another 25% is
the equivalent of a medium-sized power plant. Point Food Distribution Center. In 2004, the flared, and the remaining 15%—the equivalent
Handled improperly, it can add significantly to City commissioned a study to investigate the of 165,000 tons of CO2—escapes. Over the
our greenhouse gas emissions through the feasibility of on-site organic waste recovery next three years, the City will end all methane
production of methane—which is 21 times as at the Food Distribution Center in the Hunts emissions from sewage processing, and will
potent a greenhouse gas as CO2. Point neighborhood of the Bronx. The study work to expand the use of digester gas for
New York City’s three main sources of concluded that it is feasible to site an anaero- energy production.
methane include its current solid waste, its bic digestion facility that would provide a rea-
former landfills, located within the city, and sonably priced organics recovery option. The
its sewage treatment plants. Currently, some facility would create jobs for the Hunts Point
of this methane is captured and either community, generate a renewable energy
flared—burned and converted into less potent source and a marketable compost product,
CO2 —or used to create energy. But much of it and reduce exports of waste to out-of-state
still escapes into the atmosphere. disposal facilities with associated truck emis-
That’s why New York City will work to maxi- sions. The City will work with stakeholders
mize the safe, cost-effective extraction of to learn more about the potential for such a
TRANSMISSION
SUBSTATION
CUSTOMERS
AREA
Power plant TRANSFORMERS SUBSTATION
CUSTOMERS
connection to
energy sources
outside the city AREA
We will study the expansion of gas cult to identify the problem and restore We will advocate before the PSC and
capture and energy production from power. These problems were illustrated through the upcoming Con Edison electric
most clearly during the 2006 power outages rate case for the implementation of the 53 rec-
existing landfills in western Queens when Con Edison could ommendations contained in the City’s report.
Beginning in the 1970s, some of the meth- not easily assess the scope of the outages. These recommendations include:
ane from Fresh Kills has been processed and Calls from customers became the primary • Expanding the installation of advanced
marketed as natural gas, generating revenue way to assess the extent of the damage. meters, which will improve Con Edison’s
for the City. Since the original gas collec- In addition, upgrading our infrastructure ability to instantly identify the number of
tion system was installed, new technologies —especially the underground cables—can customers affected by a power outage
114 have emerged, the cost of natural gas has be time consuming, costly, and difficult. • Accelerating repairs to failure-prone com-
skyrocketed, and the City has committed to Finding locations to site substations in grow- ponents of the grid and strengthening
a greenhouse gas reduction target of 30%. ing neighborhoods is a difficult challenge. In oversight of contractors
Given these changes, the City will initiate a order to improve reliability, we must adapt
• Completing the implementation of all
study to explore the feasibility of generating our grid to the demands of the 21st century,
recommendations from the 1999 black-
more energy from its landfill gas, and it will improving communications between cus-
out, while evaluating similarities with the
review the standards regarding methane cap- tomers and the utility, making our grid more
Queens blackout for additional lessons
ture and flaring at the city’s existing landfills transparent so that problems can be identi-
on how to improve grid reliability
every five years to see whether they should fied more easily, and improving its ability to
be amended to support the City’s greenhouse respond to new pressures and incorporate
gas reduction goal. new technologies.
Initiative 13
ENERGY provide cleaner, more reliable power by upgrading our energy infrastructure
Multi-Utility Tunnel
Telephone
Electric
Water
Sewer
Transportation
Air
Air Quality
Achieve the cleanest air quality
of any big U.S. city
Air Quality
Credit: © Rob Howard/Corbis
Achieve the
cleanest air quality
of any big U.S. city
Trucks begin entering the Hunts Point Not so long ago, incinerators, indus-
neighborhood hours before sunrise. They trial factories, and the rise of traffic and
arrive by the hundreds under expressways, diesel fuels lent most images of our city
over highways. a blurred, gray edge. The pollution from
these sources hurt our city’s air quality—and
By sunset, more than 15,000 trucks have
had harmful consequences for the health of
driven through the peninsula, virtually all
New Yorkers.
powered by diesel fuel. The trucks rattle
That has changed. Over the past two
down alternate routes, of 10 slipping down
side streets, past houses and apartment decades, Federal, State, and local govern- 119
ments have recognized the need for action.
buildings, as they search out the Produce
In addition to the Federal Clean Air Act,
Market, the Fulton Fish Center, the meat
the City has lobbied—and, when neces-
market.
sary, litigated—all levels of government to
Fifteen million people eat food distributed strengthen these standards. Within the five
through the center every day. Facilities like boroughs, local programs and legislation—
the Produce Market were built in the 1960s, such as the retrofit program for City school
when the demand for produce was signifi- buses and Metropolitan Transportation
cantly less. Now there is not enough storage Authority (MTA) buses, the City’s purchase
space to meet the need. The trucks help of hybrid and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
solve this problem. Up to 1,000 act as vehicles, and new construction standards—
refrigerators every day, engines gunning for have all combined to give New York its clean-
hours to keep the cool air pumping into the est air in half a century.
back so the produce can stay fresh in its Still, the improvements that have occurred
stacked boxes. citywide are not felt equally among our
Trucks are a fraction of the traffic through neighborhoods. In some communities, the
the South Bronx. More than 77,000 vehicles impacts of exposure to local air emissions
pass through the neighborhood daily, have likely contributed to higher asthma
spewing exhaust and gasoline fumes. The rates and other diseases. Citywide, air qual-
area is served by only one bus route and the ity fails to meet all of the Federal standards,
nearest subway can be a significant walk. in large part because of air pollutants that
But with the work of the Hunt’s Point Task travel here from other states.
Force, the opportunity for change is The New York City metropolitan area has
beginning to be realized. not yet fully attained Federal air quality stan-
dards for two of six ambient air pollutants
designated by the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency (EPA): ozone, and soot (PM 2.5).
This puts us behind all but one of the largest
cities in America.
Despite our progress, there is more to
be done.
View over Central Park
HEATING FUEL
20%
29% POWER PLANTS
ROAD
55% NON-LOCAL 45% LOCAL
EMISSIONS EMISSIONS OFF-ROAD
15% INDUSTRIAL
10% MISCELLANEOUS
15% 11%
In the 37 years since the passage of the Second, we have also learned what we or walk near heavily trafficked streets. And
Clean Air Act, our understanding and aware- do not control. More than 50% of New York’s we are learning that those are the highest
ness of pollution has continued to increase. PM 2.5 originates outside the city. Some pol- risk zones.
As our knowledge has evolved, the focus of air lution drifts in from other states, mostly from Recent studies have begun to measure
quality efforts has shifted. Three main consid- mid-western power plants and factories; more local pollution exposure correlated with health
erations have shaped our approach to improv- is expelled from airplanes. The wind catches impacts of the surrounding communities. This
ing air quality in every neighborhood. exhaust from the west and carries it into the is the next front of air quality science. It is also
First, it is becoming clearer where the real city. Depending on the time of year, up to 70% an area where the City can have an enormous
dangers lie. Although the EPA tracks six crite- of particulate matter measured in the city impact. When the issue is solving regional
120 ria pollutants, among the most dangerous is comes from somewhere else. ambient air quality, the impact on any neigh-
PM 2.5—more commonly known as soot. Its Some of these polluters can be held borhood is uncertain. But when the focus
small size lets it drift deeper into the lungs, accountable. In 2003, the City joined several is on local exposure and community health,
where it can cause inflammation and other states and municipalities in a successful law- there are various opportunities to decrease
damage. According to the EPA, exceedances suit challenging the EPA’s plans to change reg- environmental disparities.
of the PM 2.5 standard cause up to 15,000 ulations to enable older, more polluting facili- In the South Bronx, where asthma rates
premature deaths annually. Estimates from ties to increase air pollution emissions, which are particularly high, the City has worked with
the City’s Department of Health and Mental would have impacted New York City’s air qual- local communities to begin installing a net-
Hygiene show that a 10% decrease of current ity. The City also joined a number of states in a work of parks. We are exploring an alternative
levels in New York City would result in hun- public nuisance action designed to force the fuel station for drivers, a program to retrofit
dreds fewer deaths annually. five largest United States power plant CO2 pol- and upgrade trucks, and conversion of entire
PM 2.5 is a by-product of burning fuel in luters to reduce their emissions. fleets to Compressed Natural Gas, which has
trucks and buses, factories and power plants, Finally, it is clear we need to re-examine the 90% lower carbon monoxide and particulate
and boilers. Other criteria pollutants—sulfur methods we use for measuring pollutants to matter emissions than diesel. And there’s a lot
dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO X), and more accurately reflect their local impact. more we can do.
volatile organic compounds (VOC)—form The EPA began addressing regional air The findings of these local exposure stud-
additional PM 2.5 through chemical reactions. pollution issues as part of a broad, interstate ies are compelling. We must build on these
In fact, according to the State’s Department approach. The EPA and DEC deliberately efforts to gain an accurate understanding of
of Environmental Conservation (DEC), some- placed most monitoring systems away from the air quality variations across New York City.
where between 45% and 60% of PM 2.5 levels highways, power plants, and heavily-traf- Meanwhile, we can begin moving forward
in New York City comes from sulfate trans- ficked roads so that their emissions wouldn’t on policies designed to reduce our biggest
formed in the atmosphere from SO2 emis- skew the results. The intent was not to record known polluting sources—diesel fuels, gaso-
sions. (See charts above: PM 2.5 Emissions in the output of an individual smoke stack, line exhaust, building heating oil, and aging
New York City) but to understand how that smoke affected power plants with outmoded technology—
the region. while promoting natural solutions like trees.
Today, the EPA still largely measures its We will also support an air quality plan
success by looking at overall area concentra- being developed by New York State to meet
tions; the cumulative pollution gathered over Federal standards. This plan will be released
a given region. But implicit in that decision is in 2008.
the acknowledgement that the closer one gets
to an actual polluter, the greater the exposure
to that pollution. In cities like New York, where
roads, power plants and highways are inter-
woven through communities, the ambient
measurements are inadequate indicators of
actual exposure. Virtually all of us live, work,
AIR QUALITY We must achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America
with over 1 Million Residents
PM 2.5 in U.S. Cities* PM 2.5 Air Quality Improvement Plan
100
CATEGORY of emission sources PM 2.5 emission improvement
80
On-road Vehicles 9%
TONS PER SQUARE MILE
60 Off-road Vehicles 7%
(MARICOPA COUNTY)
(HARRIS COUNTY)
(BEXAR COUNTY)
(COOK COUNTY)
PHILADELPHIA
SAN ANTONIO
LOS ANGELES
SAN DIEGO
20
HOUSTON
CHICAGO
PHOENIX
DALLAS
total 40%
0
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
Calculations based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2001
National Emissions Inventory
Our Plan over a third of emissions. As described in our But we have an opportunity to do even
energy plan, we must tackle old, outdated more. In addition to improving air quality
We must continue pressuring the states power plants and exchange them for modern, across the city, we can begin understanding
and Federal government to reduce air emis- more efficient models; we must also switch to how air quality impacts the health of New York-
sions nationwide. But even as we seek to cleaner burning fuels and remove polluting ers in every neighborhood. That’s why we will
hold others more accountable, we can begin boilers from schools, prioritizing sites where launch the largest local air quality study ever
targeting the sources in New York City even children suffer from higher rates of asthma in the United States and develop an approach
more aggressively. (See charts above: PM 2.5 and other diseases. for tracking local emission levels. By advanc-
in U.S. Cities and PM 2.5 Air Quality Improve- And finally, we must increase natural ing efforts to understand the real scope of the
ment Plan) areas within the city to act as filters to fur- problem, we can direct our resources to the 121
Based on current emissions levels, we ther improve air quality. Trees, plantings, and areas of greatest need.
will need to reduce our local PM 2.5 by 39% landscaping serve multiple environmental Through these strategies, we will acceler-
per square mile to achieve the cleanest air and aesthetic ends—improving water quality, ate air quality improvements so that every
of any big city in America. But as other cities reducing carbon emissions, and enhancing New Yorker can depend on the promise that
take steps to improve, we must keep pace. quality of life in neighborhoods. they are breathing the cleanest air of any big
That means we must be continually re-evalu- city in America.
ating our goal and benchmarking it against
other cities.
We have chosen PM 2.5 as our standard Our plan for air quality:
because of its significant impacts—and
because we lag behind our peer cities in Reduce road vehicle emissions
stemming its release into the air. But other 1 Capture the air quality benefits of our transportation plan
pollutants such as SO2, NOX, and VOCs also 2 Improve fuel efficiency of private cars
contribute to our PM 2.5 levels, so achieving
3 Reduce emissions from taxis, black cars, and for-hire vehicles
further reductions in those emissions will also
be essential. 4 Replace, retrofit, and refuel diesel trucks
In order to achieve this goal, we have 5 Decrease school bus emissions
developed a four-pronged strategy. Transpor-
Reduce other transportation emissions
tation accounts for more than 50% of our cri-
teria pollutant emissions. That’s why we will 6 Retrofit ferries and promote use of cleaner fuels
reduce emissions from cars, trucks, and buses 7 Seek to partner with the Port Authority to reduce emissions from Port facilities
by promoting fuel efficiency, cleaner fuels, 8 Reduce emissions from construction vehicles
and cleaner or upgraded engines. We will also
increase the use of exhaust filters and reduce Reduce emissions from buildings
the added pollution caused by congested 9 Capture the air quality benefits of our energy plan
streets and idling. 1 0 Promote the use of cleaner burning heating fuels
Second, we will apply similar strategies to
off-road vehicles, including ferries, construc- Pursue natural solutions to improve air quality
tion equipment, and planes. By partnering 1 1 Capture the benefits of our open space plan
with the Port Authority, the MTA, New Jersey 1 2 Reforest targeted areas of our parkland
Transit, and private operators, we can achieve
1 3 Increase tree plantings on lots
substantial reductions across all transporta-
tion sectors. Understand the scope of the challenge
Third, the electricity and heating fuels used 1 4 Launch collaborative local air quality study
to power and heat our buildings accounts for
of harmful emissions by promoting the on the cleanest, most efficient vehicles and potential challenges of this technology.
Through this pilot, we will establish a permit-
use of mass transit In a five-year pilot program, the City will waive ting process for hydrogen refueling and vehi-
its portion of the New York State sales tax on cle operation within the city and partner with
The most effective way to use less fuel is the purchase of the cleanest and most effi- the New York City Fire Department to develop
to reduce the number of cars on the road. cient vehicles, including hybrids, according to safety standards for operating and refueling.
But this has not been easy over the past 25 the highest performance ratings in criteria set By testing and refining these procedures, we
years. Although our subway system improved by the EPA. will be able to accelerate a broader transi-
dramatically, the percentage of drivers has On average, qualifying vehicles attain tion to hydrogen as soon as the technology
remained essentially unchanged. It is clear roughly twice the fuel efficiency and reduce becomes more readily available.
that improvements to mass transit will not air emissions by half. If 10% of the city’s gas The fueling station will be owned and oper-
be enough to achieve a significant mode shift vehicles were efficient hybrids, it would ated by Shell Hydrogen, a division of the Shell
among New York drivers, an imperative for our reduce our citywide CO2 emissions by 1%, Group. Two sites in the Bronx and Staten
economy and public health. Without interven- and by 2030, if market trends accelerate, this Island are currently under consideration to
tion, traffic conditions will continue to deterio- will result in more than a 3% PM 2.5 emissions be the first hydrogen fueling location in the
rate. By 2030, rush hour could last 12 hours reduction citywide. city. To fund the $820,000 project, the City
every day.
has applied to the New York State Energy
That’s why we will seek to implement con-
Research and Development Authority
gestion pricing, a system that charges driv-
(NYSERDA) for a grant.
ers to enter a city’s central business district.
AIR QUALITY We must achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America
In addition to hydrogen, we are carefully
tracking the development of plug-in hybrid Days in London and Surrounding Areas with Excessive PM 10 Levels
technology. A plug-in hybrid functions like
a regular hybrid, but its battery can be 2003 2010
charged by plugging into a standard outlet,
instead of relying exclusively on the car’s
gasoline-fueled engine. Drivers can run on the
electric mode to achieve 100 miles per gallon,
consuming significantly less petroleum and
emitting fewer air pollutants and greenhouse
gases.
Initiative 3
35
40
50
0
capped at 15ppm
60 ***Diesel Oxidation Catalysts are devices HC (hydrocarbons) to H2O (water) and CO2.
that use a chemical process to break DOCs are often used when equipment is too
down pollutants in the exhaust stream
40 30% MAX old to accept the modern retrofits, and range
20% MIN into less harmful components
****Diesel Particulate Filters, devices that from $2,000 to $5,000 each. A DPF includes
20
13% MAX
5% MIN
collect and trap particulate matter the DOC converter but also incorporates
10% from the exhaust stream so it is not
5% a ceramic honeycomb-like structure to cap-
released into the air
0 ture additional diesel soot or small particles.
B5 (Blend of 95% Ultra Low Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel** That means that it can capture a substan-
Sulfur Diesel with 5% Biodiesel) tially higher amount of PM 2.5, but can be
Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel with
B20 (Blend of 80% Ultra DOCs*** three times as expensive. The cost of a DPF
Low Sulfur Diesel with 20%
Biodiesel) Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel with ranges from $10,000 to $15,000, depending
DPFs**** Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
on the type and age of the vehicle on which it
is installed.
In conjunction with Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
We will work with the Taxi and This commitment would result in the entire (ULSD), it is possible to reduce PM 2.5 emis-
black car fleet being converted to cleaner
Limousine Commission (TLC) and the vehicles within five years, with a 50% decrease
sions from a single truck by 85% to 90% using
these strategies.
taxicab industry to double the taxi in CO2e emissions from this sector, or 0.8% of
fleet’s efficiency the city’s overall CO2e emissions, while also
We will introduce biodiesel into
improving air quality.
The dominant taxi vehicle today achieves only
In addition, TLC will begin working with the the City’s truck fleet, go beyond
10 to 15 miles per gallon (mpg). More fuel-
efficient vehicles are used in limited numbers
community car services, vehicle owners, and compliance with local laws, and
today, including hybrid-electrics and even a
lenders to improve awareness of the public further reduce emissions
124 lithium-ion battery powered vehicle. These
benefits and cost savings of running clean
In 2005, the City Council required the retrofit
vehicles with good gas mileage over old vehi-
vehicles are in the first years of use and ques- or replacement of most heavy-duty City high-
cles with poor gas mileage. This will help us
tions regarding their durability as 24-hour, way vehicles with the “best available retrofit
work towards a goal of reducing CO2e emis-
seven-day-a-week vehicles have yet to be fully technology” and the use of ULSD by 2012.
sions from these fleets by 50% by 2017.
answered. We will aim to double the efficiency (See chart: Diesel Fuel Emission Reductions in
of new taxis by 2012. Achieving the stated Particulate Matter)
goal will require aggressive work on the part The City is in the process of retrofitting its
of the TLC to push the automotive industry heavy duty vehicles to achieve and exceed
and the taxicab industry towards answering compliance thresholds. While compliance can
these questions and ensuring that the vehicles be reached through the use of DOCs or DPFs,
Initiati ve 4
used as taxicabs meet the high safety, service, some agencies are going above and beyond
and sustainability standards of New Yorkers. Replace, retrofit, and refuel the requirement with purchases of new com-
This Plan could result in the entire fleet diesel trucks pressed natural gas (CNG) trucks. For exam-
being converted to more fuel-efficient vehicles
within eight to 10 years.
We will reduce diesel emissions through ple, the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will
purchase 10 new CNG trucks in 2007. Simi-
City investment and incentives larly, the Department of Parks & Recreation
We will work with stakeholders to A substantial amount of the pollution from on- (DPR) purchased 20 CNG sedans this fiscal
double the fuel efficiency of black cars road vehicles is concentrated in one mode; year and plans to purchase 20 more in the
according to a 2002 study, 25% to 50% of the next fiscal year.
and for-hire vehicles city’s local overall criteria pollutant emissions With alternative fuels, we will go beyond
In addition, we will work with the TLC to set can be traced to heavy duty diesel-trucks. the legislative requirements and explore
new standards for additions to the fleet. By Significantly reducing emissions from diesel even more ambitious options. Biodiesel is an
2010, we will require that new cars achieve vehicles requires either buying new trucks alternative diesel fuel that is produced from
double the fuel efficiency of today’s non-hybrid or employing a range of alternate strategies animal fats or vegetable oils (including recy-
vehicles. The city’s black car industry includes to improve performance. With the new Fed- cled restaurant oils). It can be used alone, but
generally late-model luxury sedans that serve eral diesel regulations that went into effect is more commonly mixed with regular diesel.
a largely corporate clientele through long- in 2007, all new trucks will release 90% fewer B5 fuel combines 5% biodiesel with 95% regu-
term contracts. After several years of use, emissions. But diesel vehicles tend to oper- lar diesel, while B20 mixes 20% biodiesel with
many of these cars are transitioned to use ate for many years; as a result, immediate air 80% diesel.
as community car service vehicles. There quality benefits will require improving the per- Biodiesel has significantly lower emissions
are more than 25,000 for-hire vehicles in the formance of older vehicles. Strategies include than petroleum diesel. DSNY and DPR have
city, and many are recycled black cars or law retrofitting trucks with diesel oxidation cata- already established B5 biodiesel fueling sta-
enforcement vehicles. Therefore, cleaner lysts (DOC) or diesel particulate filters (DPF), tions for their heavy duty vehicles. During the
black cars today means cleaner community upgrading engines, using cleaner fuels, and summer, DPR uses B20 when the fuel is not at
car service vehicles tomorrow. reducing idling. risk of gelling from the cold weather.
AIR QUALITY We must achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America
The City will introduce biodiesel throughout grams by the end of 2007. It is time for New CASE STUDY
its heavy-duty vehicle fleet. For example, in York State to join them. FedEx
spring 2007, the City’s Department of Transpor- For 36 years, a battalion of diesel-powered
tation (DOT) will begin using B5 biodiesel. The We will improve compliance FedEx trucks have made their way through
City will gradually increase the percentage of of existing anti-idling laws through our city’s streets.
B20 biodiesel as the higher mixtures are proven
to work under different conditions and there is
a targeted educational campaign That began to change, though, in 2004,
an adequate and reasonably priced supply. Idling releases pollutants into the air, when FedEx began delivering cleaner air as
increases engine operating costs for fleets, part of a City initiative to reduce emis-
We will accelerate emissions and shortens engine life. The best anti-idling sions from private fleets. Since then, the
strategies include a mixture of incentives for
reductions of private fleets through retrofits, laws and enforcement of those laws,
company has rolled out 48 low-emission,
existing CMAQ programs hybrid electric trucks in New York City.
and education. The CMAQ-funded program
In addition to the City’s efforts to improve the and the proposed State incentive mentioned Emblazoned with FedEx’s ubiquitous logo,
environmental performance of its own fleet, above will play a significant role in reducing the environmentally-friendly vehicles
we will also work to reduce emissions from emissions from truck idling. But there is even decrease particulate emissions by 96%
private fleets. Private delivery fleets log thou- more we can do locally. and travel 57% farther on a gallon of fuel,
sands of miles a year on New York roadways. Anti-idling technologies are already reducing fuel costs by over a third.
Since 2000, we have worked with NYSERDA explored and implemented when feasible,
including cold plating (allowing the vehicle to The project began when FedEx applied
to manage a Federal CMAQ-funded initiative
that helps private sector companies and non- stay refrigerated when the engine is turned for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality
profit entities retrofit their vehicles or switch off for short periods of time). The City is evalu- (CMAQ) funds administered by the City’s
to alternative fuels. Program participants can ating these technologies as solutions for our Department of Transportation and New
convert to either CNG or hybrid vehicles or local refrigerated delivery and long-distance York State Energy Research and Develop-
retrofit their diesel vehicles. To date, the City trucking fleets. Once the most effective strat- ment Authority (NYSERDA). The funds,
has reached approximately 90 trucks, spend- egies have been identified, we will use CMAQ
which are targeted to fleets that will
125
ing roughly $4 million. And we will do more. funding to incentivize owners to incorporate
the technologies. see the greatest emissions and fuel
(See case study: FedEx)
New York also limits the amount of time a reductions, allowed FedEx to purchase
Over the next five years, we will signifi-
cantly expand this program through $20 mil- vehicle can idle. New York City has a three- newly-designed vehicles that blended
lion in CMAQ funding. Depending on the type minute idling limit that targets all vehicles, conventional and electric technology.
of upgrade and the vehicle, this will allow us including trucks and buses. New York State “New York City is a dynamic economy
to possibly reach more than 450 trucks. established an anti-idling law in 1990 that set
with many trucks on its streets essential
a five-minute idling limit for heavy-duty diesel
vehicles, excluding marine vehicles. to keep commerce moving,” said John
We will work with stakeholders To achieve the widest compliance, the City Formissano, FedEx’s Vice President of
and the State to create incentives will partner with community organizations Global Vehicles. “It is important that we
for the adoption of vehicle emission and businesses to launch a series of public continue to develop innovative solutions
control and efficiency strategies service announcements, signage, and other to reduce vehicle emissions.”
marketing strategies in 2008 to educate the
To achieve our air quality goal, we need Indeed, if 10,000 hybrid electric vehicles
public on the anti-idling laws and the envi-
to reduce emissions from an even greater ronmental and economic benefits of reduced were on the road rather than current
number of diesel vehicles. The City will work idling. In addition, the city and its partners will standard vehicles, annual smog-causing
with the State and other stakeholders to employ a more targeted outreach to drivers, emissions would be reduced by 1,700
create a fund to support costs for retrofits business owners, fleet operators, and unions. tons—the equivalent of taking all
and anti-idling technologies for at least 1,200 A similar program launched by Toronto cost passenger cars off our roads for 25
more vehicles in the city over five years. $100,000 to $300,000 and, in some specific days. Carbon dioxide emissions would
California has developed a program that locations, resulted in more than a 60% reduc-
can serve as a strong model for New York be reduced by 83,000 tons—the same
tion in idling.
State. The California Carl Moyer Program as planting two million trees. And diesel
offers over $140 million a year to fund retrofits fuel usage would be cut by 7.2 million
to diesel trucks. Over the first six years, the gallons, which requires one million barrels
fund has resulted in retrofits of about 7,000 of crude oil to produce.
vehicles and emission reductions of 14 tons
of NOX and over one ton of PM per day. In
addition, this program has lead to wide-scale
adoption of tailpipe controls and the use of
lower carbon fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel
or natural gas. Another state with a similar
programs is Texas, while Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania will be unveiling rebate pro-
AIR QUALITY We must achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America
Comparison of Heating Fuel Emissions
Percentage Reduction in Particulate Matter Emissions Relative
to No. 2 heating oil (2000–2500 parts per million Sulfur)
100
CLEANER
88%
80%
80
% EMISSIONS
SULFUR
DIRTIER
–43%
technologies to reduce construction- – 60
related emissions *B20 is a blend of 80% No.2 Low Sulfur
Heating Oil with 20% Biodiesel
Construction equipment significantly impacts
local emissions, accounting for as much as
13% of NOX and 30% of PM from off-road vehi-
cles. In 2003, Local Law 77 required that City
construction projects use the best available
technologies on-site to reduce emissions,
such as DPFs, DOCs, and emerging plug-in
technologies that allow vehicles to run on Initiati ve 9 Initiative 10
electricity instead of combusting fuel. More
than 800 City-owned vehicles are subject to
Capture the air quality benefits Promote the use of cleaner
the law, along with an additional 115 pieces of our energy plan burning heating fuels
of leased equipment. Upgrades by City con- We will reduce energy-related emis- We will pursue multiple strategies to
tractors will also impact emissions in private sions by cutting energy consumption reduce heating fuel usage and enforce
development projects, as the contractors use
and cleaning our energy supply stricter emission standards in buildings 127
these new tools for other projects.
The City will accelerate compliance with the As described in the energy chapter, there are Our energy strategy aims to reduce green-
law by requiring a consultant to work with all currently 23 large power plants in New York house gas emissions from heating fuel by 17%
City agencies on implementation. That includes City; the oldest was constructed in 1951. By through promoting efficiency and improving
cataloguing every piece of relevant equipment, 2030, more than 50% of our power plants will building insulation. This will also lead to sig-
analyzing possible technologies, and develop- be more than 70 years old. These older plants nificant reduction in SO2, NOX, and PM 2.5
ing standards for construction sites. The con- can use as much as 50% more fuel than new emissions. But we can reduce these emis-
sultant will help agencies navigate this process technologies such as combined cycle gas sions further by improving the environmental
and avoid duplication of effort. turbines (CCGT). In addition, the fuel in older performance of the fuels we use. (See chart
In addition, in City Requests-for-Proposals plants tends to be dirtier than the natural gas above: Comparison of Heating Fuel Emissions)
and the resulting contracts, we will go beyond used in newer plants or the biodeiesel recently Heating oil is classified into six types, num-
Local Law 77 and require certain on-road vehi- piloted by NYPA. bered one through six, based on its boiling
cles involved with City projects, such as trucks As part of our comprehensive energy plan, temperature, composition, and purpose.
that remove debris, to meet the same stan- we will aggressively improve the energy effi- The higher numbers are heavier, more vis-
dards. City contractors will be able to meet the ciency of our buildings to reduce electricity cous, and tend to emit more pollutants when
terms of the contracts either through retrofits and heating fuel consumption. We will also burned. They are also the least expensive.
or through new vehicle purchases. facilitate the repowering, replacement, and Fuel oils No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 tend to burn
retirement of the out-of-date turbines of older more cleanly and are more costly to purchase.
plants through long-term contracts for new, Each of these fuels can have higher or lower
Reduce emissions clean energy supply. Finally, we will expand
clean on-site generation and incorporate
concentrations of sulfur, which also impacts
the pollution they produce.
from buildings more renewable energy. All three strategies Currently, buildings have the option of using
reduce the emissions of pollutants and, at the either a standard home heating oil—No. 2 fuel
Buildings and industry are responsible for
same time, they cut CO2. with 2,000 sulfur parts per million (ppm)—or a
roughly 55% of our PM 2.5 emissions.
heavier No. 6 fuel. Other cleaner fuel options
Improvements in efficiency, as targeted for
exist, including natural gas bio-diesel, and
our energy and carbon goals, will result in a
cleaner grades of heating oil.
15% reduction in PM 2.5 for this sector, for a
reduction of approximately 6% of overall city
PM 2.5 emissions. Further reductions in
these sectors will require the use of cleaner
fuels. The switch to more natural gas burn-
ing power plants or biodiesel blends along
with the clean fuel initiatives outlined below
will result in an additional 17% reduction
in PM 2.5.
30%
28%
30
15% 40% American cities. Approximately half those
35%
25%
24%
25 20% 45% trees are located within City-owned parks
40%
25% 50% and along our streets; the other half are
45%
19%
19%
PERCENT
20 30% >50%
50% largely located on private property. By 2030,
16%
PHILADELPHIA, PA
WASHINGTON, DC
WILMINGTON, DE
BALTIMORE, MD
10
pursue three main strategies.
SEATTLE, WA
ATLANTA, GA
BOSTON, MA
AUSTIN, TX
Initiative 11
AIR QUALITY We must achieve the cleanest air of any big city in America
Asthma Hospitalizations
Children age 0 to 14 years, 2004
national average
12
10
Understand the
Initiative 13 6
The existing air quality monitoring network
Increase tree plantings on lots is designed to track concentrations of the
4
We will clean our air while we safeguard EPA’s six criteria pollutants over large geo- 3.1
graphic areas. This is helpful for identifying
MANHATTAN
our water quality
NEW YORK
BROOKLYN
2
QUEENS
STATEN
broad trends, but does not let us understand
ISLAND
BRONX
CITY
To increase our tree canopy cover, we must the exposure New Yorkers experience every 0
increase coverage beyond our parks and side- day in their neighborhoods. Source: Centers for Disease Control; NYS Department of Health;
analyzed by NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
walks. That will require more trees on public That’s because there are only 24 monitors
and private lots, including parking lots, pri- for the entire city—and they are located
vate housing, institutional properties such as on roof tops, away from the traffic, people,
schools and university campuses, and City- and sidewalks. As a result, we cannot focus
owned land. our reduction efforts on the areas of great-
est need—or track our successes with any schools in the South Bronx have been corre-
precision. lated with hourly truck traffic on nearby high-
We will capture the benefits of our ways, and students with asthma had more
To develop a comprehensive plan that will
water quality strategy protect the health of New Yorkers in every symptoms on high traffic pollution days.
According to the Department of City Planning, neighborhood, we must develop new tools This research has employed a variety of
parking lots comprise almost 2,000 acres or to understand the real nature of the chal- cost-effective approaches that we can adapt
approximately 1% of the city’s land area. The lenge we face. for understanding air quality in all 188 neigh-
dark asphalt pavement contributes to the borhoods. Strategies will include periodic
heating of the urban area on hot, sunny days, monitoring at a range of sites and developing
which accelerates the formation of ground- statistical models that correlate the impact of 129
level ozone. In addition, the hard, smooth sur- traffic and land-use patterns with air quality.
faces contribute to rain runoff that inundates The study findings will establish priority
sewer systems during storms. Currently, 10% Initiati ve 14 neighborhoods for improvement and provide
baseline data to track the impact of develop-
of the land area of parking facilities in New
Launch collaborative local ment, policy, and transit changes over the
York City is covered by tree canopy.
The proposed zoning regulations will air quality study coming decades.
require perimeter landscaping of commercial We will monitor and model
and community facility parking lots over 6,000 neighborhood-level air quality
square feet as well as street tree planting
across New York City
on the adjacent sidewalks. Parking lots over
12,000 square feet would also be required to Over the next 12 months, the City will work Conclusion
provide a specified number of canopy trees in with experts in the academic, medical, and pri-
These initiatives are designed to provide
planting islands within each lot. This change vate sectors to develop one of the largest local
everyone in our city with healthier air to
will not only support cleaner air, it will also air quality studies ever in the United States.
breathe. We should expect no less than the
mitigate the visual impact of large asphalt lots Starting in 2008, the City will begin to study,
cleanest air of any big city in America, given
while more effectively managing storm water monitor, model, map, and track local pollution
the track record we have set in becoming the
runoff and the urban heat island effect. and local adverse impact across New York City,
country’s safest large city.
with an emphasis on traffic-related emissions.
By working to reduce emissions both
We will partner with stakeholders to (See chart above: Asthma Hospitalizations)
nationally and locally, we can surpass the air
help plant one million trees by 2017 This enhanced monitoring system in New York quality of the nation’s other largest cities,
will: including Los Angeles, San Antonio, Phoenix,
The City will work with community, non-profit, San Diego, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia, and
• Measure the variation in air quality across
and corporate partners on a 10-year goal to Houston.
all neighborhoods over time
plant trees on private residential, institutional, But these cities will not stop trying to
and vacant land properties in order to achieve • Assess the impact of development, infra-
structure changes, traffic changes, and achieve cleaner air for their citizens—and we
our goal to plant one million trees. The City won’t either. That’s why we will pioneer a pro-
and its partners will focus on areas whose traffic mitigation measures in our com-
munities cess to track changing pollution levels in every
natural environments have borne the brunt New York neighborhood. As our knowledge
of past City policies, and neighborhoods with • Provide guidance for future efforts to
improves, we will be able to target our efforts
few green spaces. improve neighborhood air quality
more precisely, and calibrate them to achieve
Although a study of this scale is almost the greatest gains for public health and envi-
unprecedented, our effort will build on recent ronmental justice.
successful projects to track local emissions.
For example, exposure to certain pollutants at
Climate Change
Climate Change
Reduce global warming
emissions by more than 30%
Climate Change
Credit: Mario Tama
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
2004
90
80
70
40
30
NEW ZEALAND
SWITZERLAND
IRELAND
ICELAND
NORWAY
10
0
*New York City data is for 2005
This Plan is an attempt to sustain our city’s Scientists have now proven that human activities are
success and our momentum forward; to increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the
sustain what we love about New York and earth’s atmosphere—and these gases are raising global tem-
want to pass on. peratures. The warming of the earth is causing longer heat waves,
In it we have sought to solve a series of rising sea levels, and more violent storms. (See chart above:
distinct challenges; how to generate enough Greenhouse Gas Emissions)
housing in a way that doesn’t simply accom-
Average temperatures across the world could soar eight
modate population growth, but helps shape
degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century. But the problem
the city we want to become; how to balance
that need against the open space that every isn’t only global—we are already feeling the effects in our city. 133
neighborhood deserves, while our supply In Lower Manhattan, the water at the Battery has risen more
of land remains limited. We have proposed a than a foot during the last century; as a result, what’s called a
plan to unleash the most dramatic expansion “hundred-year flood” is actually likely to occur every 80 years. In
of our transit system in over half a century and the future, such floods could become twice or even four times as
shift people out of their cars; outlined frequent. Violent storms could threaten our homes and we are not
strategies to secure the reliability of the
yet prepared: a Category 3 hurricane can produce winds of 111 to
energy and water networks underpinning our
130 miles per hour, but our current building code only requires
city and plans to empower every community
through cleaner air, land, and waterways. windows to withstand gusts of 110 miles an hour. As a coastal
city, New York is especially vulnerable to all of these forces.
These efforts will require substantial
investments—but each will provide an even And without action the impacts will continue to intensify. In
greater return. Improving our energy New York, we could experience days hotter than 90 degrees
infrastructure and lowering demand will between 11% and 24% of the year. The heat would drive up energy
reduce our energy costs by billions of dollars consumption for cooling, making the problem worse, threatening
over the next decade. Protecting our watershed the health of all New Yorkers—especially the elderly—and even
will avoid a multi-billion-dollar investment in increase the number of disease-bearing insects who emerge in
new water filtration plants. Improving transit
warmer, wetter weather.
and reducing congestion will cut down the
There are things that can be done now: We can amend the
$13 billion cost to our economy from traffic
delays. And the action required to execute building code, work to protect our infrastructure—we could even
these initiatives—constructing new transit consider a storm surge barrier across the Narrows. But the mas-
lines, retrofitting old buildings, deploying sive changes that scientists predict under extreme scenarios
new technology—will create thousands of would still place much of the city underwater—and beyond the
well-paying jobs. reach of any protective measures.
Each solution serves multiple ends; transit- No city can change these forces alone, but collective effort can.
oriented development can help address And New York can help lead the way. (See chart on following page:
our need for housing and reduce traffic Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategy)
congestion; modernizing our energy supply
system can reduce air pollution; greening
our open spaces can protect the quality
of the water in our harbor.
But collectively these initiatives all address
our greatest challenge: climate change.
East River Park,
Manhattan
90
80 1 AVOIDED SPRAWL
15.6 MIL TONS/YR The result will be an
annual reduction
2
MILLIONS OF METRIC TONS OF CO 2 e
70 CLEAN POWER
AS US UA L”
“B US IN ES S
of 33.6 million metric
10.6 MIL TONS/YR
60
30% 50 PL AN YC 20
3 EFFICIENT BUILDINGS
16.4 MIL TONS/YR tons—and an
30
40 4 SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
6.1 MIL TONS/YR additional 15.6 million
30
metric tons avoided
20
by accommodating
10
900,000 people
0
in New York City
2005 2030
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
134
30
15 20
UNITED STATES
5.9
SAN DIEGO
5
NEW YORK
W/O PLAN
TORONTO
LONDON
TREND
2005
2005
2005
2030
2030
PLAN
WITH
CITY
0 0
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning
and Sustainability electricity buildings fuels road vehicles
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
ELECTRICITY BUILDINGS FUELS ROAD VEHICLES
source: NYC Mayor’s Office of long-term planning and sustainability
15 Our Plan Among American cities, New York is the metric tons per year, simply by giving more
most environmentally efficient. Per capita, people the option to settle in our city.
There is no silver bullet12.3 to deal with cli- New Yorkers produce less than a third of the
MILLIONS OF METRIC TONS OF CO2E
12 11.2
mate change.10.5Greenhouse gas emissions are In spite of our inherent efficiency, we can
CO2e generated by the average American.
caused9.7 by a variety of sources; there are mil- do better. And we must.
(See chart above: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
9 lions of cars, boilers, and light bulbs contrib- Instead we are doing worse. From 2000 to
7.9 Per Capita)
uting to our emissions. By necessity, any solu- 2005, New York’s greenhouse gas emis-
This efficiency results from our city’s funda-
tion must be multi-faceted as well. sions increased almost 5%. Almost half of this
6 mental design. Dense neighborhoods provide
As a result, our strategy to help stem cli- growth can be traced to the rising energy con-
WASHINGTON D.C.
mate change is the sum of all of the initiatives sumption of every New Yorker in the form of
LOS ANGELES
3
enabling us to run many errands on foot or
cell phones, computers, and air conditioners; 135
in this plan.
CHICAGO
In our transportation plan, we described the rest is due to new construction. If these
system allows the majority of commuters to
0 shifting people from their cars onto an trends continue, by 2030, the city’s CO 2e
travel by mass transit.
expanded mass transit system because our production will increase 27% over our 2005
We tend to inhabit smaller spaces than
economy will stall if we can’t clear the roads. emissions.
our suburban counterparts, with fewer lights
But a transit trip also uses far less energy than Efficiency efforts often focus on automo-
and appliances, and less area to heat and
an auto trip, producing less carbon dioxide. biles and power plants. But in New York, we
cool. Many of these apartments share walls,
In our energy plan, we proposed investing must add a third critical category: buildings.
reducing the need for heat even more. With
in repowered or new power plants, because With 950,000 structures containing 5.2 billion
many buildings dating from prior to World
they will cost less to operate and improve our square feet, buildings account for 69% of our
War II, and thus constructed before the era of
air quality. But these new plants will also burn emissions, compared to 32% nationally. Energy
cheap energy, many of the city’s older build-
far less fossil fuel and release fewer green- turns on our lights and televisions, runs our
ings have natural daylight and ventilation built
house gases. heating systems in the winter, and cools us in
into their design.
In our open space, air quality, and water the summer. It also powers proliferating num-
And as New York attracts more residents, it
quality plans, we committed to planting more bers of air conditioners and other appliances.
reduces the burden that population places on
trees to cool our sidewalks and beautify our (See chart above: Projected Emissions and
the global environment in the form of sprawl,
neighborhoods; these efforts, too, will reduce Targeted Reductions)
which consumes land, energy, and water at a
greenhouse gas emissions, because trees— When buildings are discussed, standards
truly gluttonous pace.
especially within the concrete landscape of a for new construction are generally the focus.
On average, each New Yorker generates
city street—cool the air and sequester carbon New York has emerged as a leader in green
7.1 metric tons of CO2e, compared to 24.5
dioxide. design, with some of the most sustainable
metric tons from an average American life-
PLANYC will reduce our city’s greenhouse skyscrapers and affordable housing develop-
style. That means that making the city a more
gas emissions by 30% simply by extending and ments in the country—and we must continue
appealing place to live—through affordable
enhancing the inherent strength of New York these efforts. But 85% of the buildings we will
housing, easily accessible parks, or cleaner
City itself. have in 2030 already exist today.
air and waterways—radically reduces environ-
That’s why our energy plan focuses on
Cities can make the difference. mental impacts.
reducing consumption in the city’s large exist-
Cities have always been incubators of ideas, And by investing in the maintenance of the
ing building stock. We have also outlined strat-
gathering together concentrations of diverse infrastructure that supports urban life—the
egies to ensure that the energy we do use is
people to produce genuine innovation. But water system, the roadways, the subways,
cleaner and more efficient than our supply
today they matter more urgently than ever and our power grid—we ensure that this effi-
today, addressing the second major category
before—because of climate change. cient lifestyle can continue to be sustained
of CO2 emissions: power.
Although the word “environment” may not for generations.
Transportation is the final significant cul-
evoke the dense buildings and sidewalks of If New York can absorb 900,000 more
prit, accounting for 23% of our emissions.
cities, these very qualities make urban centers people by 2030, it will avoid future increases
Of that, 70% comes from private vehicles—
the most sustainable places on earth. in global warming emissions by 15.6 million
even though they account for only 55% of all New York City will lead the way. Municipal MUNICIP
trips in the city. By contrast, mass transit is government accounts for approximately 6.5% MUNICIP
responsible for only 11.5% of our transporta- of the city’s overall emissions, concentrated 17% SCHOOL
tion emissions, meaning car trips are, on aver- mainly in buildings, wastewater treatment, DSNY LO
age, five times more carbon intensive than a and transportation. Since 2001, the City has 4% STREETL
subway ride. managed to keep its emissions constant,
WATER A
The most effective strategy is simply to despite an annual 2% rise in electricity use. 7%
reduce the number of vehicles on the road. A Actions the City has already taken, such as 1% 64%
simultaneous expansion around of our tran- local laws requiring energy efficiency in new 9%
sit system combined with congestion pricing buildings, new purchases of energy-using
would help achieve the city’s first major mode equipment, and more efficient City fleets,
shift in decades. But we must also address would keep our emissions stable for the next
the trucks and automobiles that we do have; decade. But that won’t be enough. (See chart
making them more fuel-efficient, and ensuring above: New York City Municipal Greenhouse
that they burn cleaner fuels. Gas Emissions) Total: 3.8 million metric tons
The graph on page 134 shows how we will That’s why our energy plan has set an NYCmunicipal
Source: Mayor’sbuildings
Office of Long-Term Planning
and Sustainability
Municipal vehicle fleet
reduce our CO2 emissions. Around 50% of our ambitious, accelerated goal to reduce emis-
reductions will come from efficiencies in build- sions from City government operations by 30% school buses
ings; 32% from improved power generation; by 2017. dsny long-haul transport
and 18% from transportation. We also recognize that New York City streetlights/traffic signals
water and sewer
cannot stop climate change by itself. While
These initiatives will achieve our 30% goal,
there is no substitute for Federal action, all Note: Figures total to 102% due to carbon absorption
but ultimately that won’t be enough. Scien- by waste and independent rounding
levels of government have a role to play in Source: NYC Mayor’s Office of Long-Term Planning
tists agree that far deeper cuts—on the order
confronting climate change and its potential and Sustainability
of 60% to 80%—will be necessary by mid-cen-
136 tury if we are to stabilize global temperatures.
impacts.
Broader solutions—such as a cap and trade
That is why we must aggressively track
system, which would allow industries to buy Our plan for climate
emerging technologies and encourage their
and sell carbon credits, or a carbon tax, which change adaptation:
adoption. For example, the rooftops of New 1 Create an intergovernmental Task Force
would tax all fuels, cars and power plants on
York City, if covered with solar panels, could to protect our city’s vital infrastructure
the basis of their carbon intensity—cannot
produce nearly 18% of the city’s energy needs
feasibly be implemented at the city level. They 2 Work with vulnerable neighborhoods
during daytime hours. We have not depended
must be State, regional, or national efforts— to develop site-specific strategies
on the widespread use of solar energy in this
and we will advocate for their adoption. 3 Launch a citywide strategic planning
plan because its costs today are too high for
general use; we have tried to rely only on These measures will help slow the pace of cli- process for climate change adaptation
technologies feasible today. But near-term mate change, and—if other cities, states, and
advances promise to reduce the cost of solar nations around the world act in concert—we
panels dramatically; we are also actively accel- can stabilize our environment by mid-century.
erating this process by incorporating solar
But climate change is already underway. Adapting to climate change
energy into City buildings and reducing some
Worldwide, more than 256 billion tons of We will embark on a broad effort to adapt
of the legislative barriers to expansion. Once
carbon dioxide have already been released our city to the unavoidable climate shifts
these renewable energy strategies become
into the atmosphere during the past 10 years, ahead. This will include measures to fortify
economically viable, we must be ready to pro-
and the impacts will continue being felt for our critical infrastructure, working in con-
mote adoption on the widest possible scale.
decades. We also cannot depend on the junction with City, State, and Federal agen-
Improvements in batteries, biofuel-burn-
actions of others. cies and authorities; update our flood plain
ing engines, wind power, and fuel cells for
That is why, even as we work to stem the maps to protect areas most prone or vulner-
vehicles; higher-efficiency electricity transmis-
rise of global warming, we must also prepare able to flooding; and work with at-risk neigh-
sion lines; building materials that weigh less
for the changes that are already inevitable. borhoods across the city to develop site-
and insulate more; and new types of appli-
ances and lighting that consume less electric- specific plans. In addition to these targeted
ity: all would help us achieve, and exceed, our initiatives, we must also embrace a broader
30% goal. perspective, tracking the emerging data on
These additional savings must be used to climate change and its potential impacts on
surpass our target, not substitute for the mea- our city. (See case study on facing page: New
sures envisioned in this plan. Our 30% goal is York City Disaster Planning; see map on facing
only a starting point toward the greater cuts page: New York City Flood Evacuation Zones)
that will be required after 2030. That means
we cannot rely on technology in the future
to replace the initiatives we propose for the
near-term; we will need those additional
savings later.
Hurricane Level
Category 1 or higher
category 2 or higher
category 3 or 4
Encourage homeownership
Create homes for almost Ensure that all New Yorkers Clean up all contaminated land Open 90% of our waterways Develop critical backup systems
a million more New Yorkers, live within a 10-minute in New York City. for recreation by reducing for our aging water network
while making housing more walk of a park. water pollution and preserving to ensure long-term reliability.
affordable and sustainable. our natural areas.
Initiative housing open space brownfields water water congestion state of energy air quality climate
quality network good repair change
additional cleanups
Provide incentives to lower costs
of remediation
Encourage greater community involvement in brownfield redevelopment
Encourage the State to release
community-based redevelopment grants
Provide incentives to participate in
Brownfields Opportunity Area (BOA) planning
Launch outreach effort to educate commu-
nities about brownfield redevelopment
IDENTIFY remaining sites for cleanups
Create database of historic uses across New
York City to identify potential brownfields
Limit liability of property owners who seek
to redevelop brownfields
Continue Implementing INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES
Develop and implement
Long–Term Control Plans 143
Expand wet weather capacity
at treatment plants
PURSUE PROVEN solutions TO PREVENT WATER FROM ENTERING SYSTEM
Increase use of High Level Storm Sewers
(HLSS)
Capture the benefits of our open space plan
water quality
EXPAND TRACK AND ANALYZE NEW best management practices (BMPS) ON A BROAD SCALE
Form interagency BMP Task Force
Protect wetlands
Improve travel times Reach a full “state of good repair” Provide cleaner, more reliable power Achieve the cleanest air Reduce global warming
by adding transit capacity on New York City’s roads, subways, for every New Yorker by upgrading of any big city in America. emissions by more than 30%
for millions more residents, and rails for the first time in history. our energy infrastructure.
visitors and workers
PLANYC
water water state of climate
Initiative housing open space brownfields quality Network congestion good repair energy air quality change
Promote cycling
in New York City
Create an energy efficiency authority
for New York City
Prioritize five key areas for targeted
incentives
Expand Peak Load Management
Create homes for almost Ensure that all New Yorkers Clean up all contaminated land Open 90% of our waterways Develop critical backup systems
a million more New Yorkers, live within a 10-minute in New York City. for recreation by reducing for our aging water network
while making housing more walk of a park. water pollution and preserving to ensure long-term reliability.
affordable and sustainable. our natural areas.
Initiative housing open space brownfields water water congestion state of energy air quality climate
quality network good repair change
Improve travel times Reach a full “state of good repair” Provide cleaner, more reliable power Achieve the cleanest air Reduce global warming
by adding transit capacity on New York City’s roads, subways, for every New Yorker by upgrading of any big city in America. emissions by more than 30%
for millions more residents, and rails for the first time in history. our energy infrastructure.
visitors and workers
PLANYC
Implementation One of the biggest challenges to long-term planning
in government is that the terms of elected leaders rarely
extend into the long term. It means that time will be up
before the job is finished, which in some cases limits the
desire or ability to embark on multi-year efforts. But we
rarely appreciate the extent to which long-term challenges
require near-term action to solve or avoid them. As a result,
this plan requires fast implementation.
DOB NYC Department of Buildings NYCEEA nyc energy efficiency authority
The Bloomberg Administration has made a significant
DCAS NYC Department of Citywide (proposed) commitment to the fulfillment of this plan, including budget
Administrative Services nys dec nys Department of Environmental allocations and a commitment to expand the Office of Long-
DCP NYC Department of City Planning Conservatioin
nyserda New York State Energy Research Term Planning and Sustainability. But its implementation
DEP NYC Department of
Environmental Protection DEP and Development Authority will require action by many leaders—in City government,
panynj Port Authority
DOE NYC Department of Education
of New York and New Jersey in the City Council and the State Legislature, and in the
DOF NYC Department of Finance public authorities that serve the city. Here we outline the
nys psc nys Public Service Commission
DOHMH NYC Department of Health and Mental
Hygiene oltps NYC mayor’s Office of Long-Term responsibilities, critical steps, milestones, and City budget
Planning and Sustainability
dot NYC Department of Transportation
oer NYC Office of Environmental
commitments as a guide to how this plan will be imple-
dpr NYC Department of Parks & Recreation Remediation (proposed) mented.
DSNY NYC Department of Sanitation sca nyc School Construction Authority
edc NYC Economic Development Corporation smart sustainable mobility and regional
transportation fund (proposed)
hpd NYC Department of Housing
Preservation and Development tbta Triborough Bridge AND TUNNEL Authority
146 mta Metropolitan TransPORTATION Authority tlc NYC Taxi and Limousine Commmission
Sub-initiative implementation NON-CITY Milestones for completion by end of new york City funding, other
lead agency ACTION (IN $ millions, nominal) funding
NEEDED TO sources
PROGRESS Capital Operating
2009 2015 (FY ’08-’17) (FY ’08)
strategies to reach new income brackets Plan to build 165,000 units of affordable programs to promote affordable housing
housing - -
1 1 Encourage homeownership
Continue to develop programs to encourage HPD Complete Mayor’s New Housing Market- Promote home ownership opportunities
homeownership, emphasizing affordable Place plan to build 165,000 units of where appropriate
apartments over single-family homes affordable housing - -
1 2 Preserve the existing stock of affordable housing throughout New York City
Continue to develop programs HPD Complete Mayor’s new housing Pursue new opportunities to continue
to preserve the existing affordable marketplace plan to build 165,000 units programs to promote affordable housing
housing that so many New Yorkers of affordable housing - -
depend upon today
147
MAKE EXISTING SITES AVAILABLE TO MORE NEW YORKERS
1 Open schoolyards across the city as public playgrounds
Open schoolyards as playgrounds DPR/DOE Open all Category 1 sites not requiring Open all school yards in priority Private donors
in every neighborhood capital improvements neighborhoods
117.2 3.5
Convert asphalt sites into multi-use DPR Complete development of all proposed Maintain transformed fields
turf fields multi-purpose fields for continued use
42.1 -
Expand Greenstreets program DPR Complete 240 greenstreets Complete 640 greenstreets Private donors
15.0 0.6
PLANYC
Sub-initiative implementation NON-CITY Milestones for completion by end of new york City funding, other
lead agency ACTION (IN $ millions, nominal) funding
NEEDED TO sources
PROGRESS 2009 2015 Capital Operating
(FY ’08-’17) (FY ’08)
148
ENCOURAGE GREATER COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN BROWNFIELD REDEVELOPMENT
7 Encourage the State to release community-based redevelopment grants
Advocate for the State to reform the NYS DEC/OLTPS State law Allocate funds to all previous BOA Promote additional BOA applications and State
Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) program awardees; advocate for new process to support community organizations who
and release planning grant funds to streamline state grants to BOAs want to plan brownfield redevelopment - -
community groups
Complete Long-Term Control Plans for all DEP Submit Waterbody/Watershed (WB/WS) Integrate WB/WS plans into the 14
14 New York City Watersheds, as required Plans for 18 waterbodies NYS DECD, watershed specific Long-Term Control
by law detailing strategies for CSO reduction Plans (LTCPs) and submit draft city - -
wide LTCP
4 Capture the benefits of our open space plan (See the open space initiatives on page 147 for more information)
5 Expand the Bluebelt program
Expand Bluebelt in Staten Island and other DEP Begin expanding Bluebelt to other parts Create bluebelt strategies in Udalls’
boroughs, where possible of Staten Island Cove and Brookville Boulevard West,
Springfield Lake, and Baisley Pond - -
EXPAND TRACK AND ANALYZE new best management practices (BMPs) ON A BROAD SCALE
6 Form an interagency BMP Task Force
Make the reduction of CSO volumes and DEP Launch NYC Complete Comprehensive BMP plan Continue to implement BMPs citywide
other environmental issues a priority for BMP and associated budget
all relevant City agencies Inter-Agency - -
Task Force
Introduce 20 cubic meters of ribbed DEP Complete pilot and plan for additional Continue to foster natural ecology
mussel beds mollusk habitats of city waterways
- -
Plant trees with improved pit designs DEP / DPR Complete pilot Continue practices to improve the ability
for tree pits to capture stormwater
- -
Create vegetated ditches (swales) DEP/DOT Complete pilot and identify additional Continue practices to capture
along parkways appropriate locations stormwater runoff from streets
- -
1 0 Protect wetlands
Assess the vulnerability of existing DPR/DEP/OLTPS Complete wetlands study Implement policy recommendations
wetlands and identify additional policies and draft policy
to protect and manage them - -
2 Construct an ultraviolet disinfection plant for the Catskill and Delaware systems
water NETWORK
Construct an ultraviolet disinfection facility DEP Begin construction of UV Open UV disinfection plant
to destroy disease-causing organisms in disinfection plant
our upstate watershed - -
PLANYC
Sub-initiative implementation NON-CITY Milestones for completion by end of new york City funding, other
lead agency ACTION (IN $ millions, nominal) funding
NEEDED TO sources
PROGRESS 2009 2015 Capital Operating
(FY ’08-’17) (FY ’08)
Initiate and expand Bus Rapid Transit MTA/DOT Open five BRT routes Open ten BRT routes (5 additional ones) SMART Fund
Dedicate Bus/High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) MTA/DOT MTA operation Operate bus service lanes SMART Fund
lanes on the East River bridges on all three bridges
46.4 1.2
9 Promote cycling
Complete the 1,800-mile DOT Complete 200 new directional miles of Complete 820 directional miles of bike SMART Fund
bike master plan bike routes routes (inclusive of 2009 commitment)
6.2 8.1
Facilitate cycling DOT Install 400 new CITYRACKS per year; Continue installation of 400
improve and update maps annually new CITYRACKS per year and map
improvements - -
Develop an integrated traffic DOT Consolidate TMC Implement ITS on all regional highways
management system for our
regional transportation network 57.3 4.0
- 5.3
Explore High Occupancy Truck Toll NYS DOT/DOT Study Complete study
(HOTT) Lanes
- -
Invest in bridge and tunnel upgrades DOT State law Complete scheduled 10-year bridge
capital plan on schedule
- 50.0 SMART Fund
PLANYC
Sub-initiative implementation NON-CITY Milestones for completion by end of new york City funding, other
lead agency ACTION (IN $ millions, nominal) funding
NEEDED TO sources
PROGRESS 2009 2015 Capital Operating
(FY ’08-’17) (FY ’08)
Expand participation in Peak Load PSC/Con Edison PSC to Ensure Con Edison begins deployment of Achieve 1,000 MW of Energy
Management Programs through mandate advanced meters with plan for greater peak load management efficiency
smart meters deployment deployment surcharges
of advanced - - on electricity
meters bill and NYISO
incentive
programs
Support expansion of real-time pricing NYSERDA/NYCEEA Establish appropriate rate Achieve enrollment of 50% of small
across the city and incentive structures businesses and residents by 2015
- -
Support the construction of the city’s first Solar One/EDC Begin construction of the city’s first Complete construction and operate
carbon-neutral building, primarily powered carbon-neutral building environmental education programs
by solar electricity 3.0 -
Increase use of solar energy in City EDC/ DCAS/OLTPS Release RFP Select solar developer to install solar Continue to increase the amount of solar NYSERDA/US
buildings through creative financing for solar panels; enter into long-term solar power electricity generated on City buildings Department of
developer purchase agreement - - Energy
Work with the State to eliminate PSC PSC regulatory Increase/remove solar cap in NYC and Achieve competitive solar market
barriers to increasing the use of solar amendments increase net-metering opportunities in New York City
energy in the city on solar cap; statewide - -
State statute
Pilot one or more technologies for produc- EDC/DSNY Begin designing at least one pilot alter- Complete pilots of alternative waste
ing energy from solid waste native waste technology facility technologies and evaluate policies to
implement successful technologies - -
on a larger scale
End methane emissions from sewage DEP Analyze End methane emissions from waste
treatment plants and expand the use opportunities water treatment plants
energy
amendment - 1.6
Work with the MTA, the Port Authority, and MTA/PANYNJ/OLTPS Interagency Release assessment of policy options
the State Department of Transportation cooperation and begin implementation
to promote hybrid and other clean vehicles - -
Pilot new technologies and fuels, including DOT, OLTPS NYSERDA Have an operational hydrogen station in Complete demonstration NYSERDA/Shell
hydrogen and plug-in hybrid vehicles funding New York City Hydrogen
- -
PLANYC
Sub-initiative implementation NON-CITY Milestones for completion by end of new york City funding, other
lead agency ACTION (IN $ millions, nominal) funding
NEEDED TO sources
PROGRESS 2009 2015 Capital Operating
(FY ’08-’17) (FY ’08)
Work with the Taxi and Limousine TLC Work toward completing new standards Complete conversion of all taxis Private fleet
Commission (TLC) and the taxicab industry for taxis to more fuel efficient vehicles owners
to double the taxi fleet’s efficiency - -
Work with stakeholders to double the fuel TLC Work toward completing new standards Complete conversion of all for-hire Private fleet
efficiency of black cars and for-hire vehicles for for-hire vehicles by 2010 vehicles to more fuel efficient vehicles owners
- -
Accelerate emissions reductions DOT Upgrade additional vehicles Complete upgrades of approximately CMAQ
of private fleets through existing 450 more vehicles; request additional
CMAQ programs CMAQ funds - -
Work with stakeholders and the State to NYS DEC/OLTPS Creation of Draft proposed parameters of fund Seek to retrofit over 12,000 vehicles State
create incentives for the adoption of vehicle State fund
emission control and efficiency strategies - -
Improve compliance of existing anti-idling OLTPS Launch anti-idling campaign Launch additional anti-idling campaigns Partnership
laws through a targeted educational
campaign - -
Work with private ferries to reduce their DOT/NYSERDA Local law Install DOCs in ferries; pass legislation CMAQ
emissions promoting the use of ULSD
- -
7 Seek to partner with the Port Authority to reduce emissions from Port facilities
Seek to work with the Port Authority to PANYNJ/OLTPS Partnership Begin creating a plan Complete and implement plan PANYNJ
reduce emissions from the Port’s marine with PANYNJ
vehicles, port facilities, and airports - -
Reduce emissions from boilers in 100 city DOE/SCA/OLTPS State funding Begin replacing boilers Replace 80 school boilers that burn State
public schools No. 6 oil to cleaner burning boilers
285.0 -
- -
Amend the building code to address the OLTPS Code updates Create a Task Force to evaluate neces- Implement climate adaptation strategies
impacts of climate change sary changes to the Building Code into the Building Code
- -
PLANYC
This Plan is the result of an enormous collaborative effort on the
part of government agencies, civic organizations, academic experts,
community groups, consultants, interns, representatives of organized
labor and the private sector, elected officials and thousands of
New Yorkers. Although it is impossible to acknowledge each individually,
we wish to thank all those who contributed their ideas, their time, their
expertise, and above all, their passion for New York City.
156