by Brianna Crandall — June 7, 2013—Setting the pace for other cities around the country, a diverse group of New York City leaders in green building, real estate, labor, design and construction released on May 29 a post-Hurricane Sandy “Green Building Roadmap for NYC’s Next Mayor.” The roadmap outlines tangible steps the incoming mayor can take in key policy areas to make new and existing buildings sustainable (see highlights below).
This is reportedly the first time that the group, an impressive collection of organizations, has united around an issue. Participating entities include the Urban Green Council (the New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council); property services union SEIU 32BJ; Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY); American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY); American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers New York Chapter (ASHRAE-NY); Building Owners & Managers Association of Greater New York (BOMA/NY); and New York Building Congress.
The group was established to create a cohesive, authoritative voice that stresses the importance of sustainability and gives the new mayor an implementable plan. The roadmap drew unconventional cross-sector support because stakeholders understand the significance of New York’s building policy: it impacts employee performance and health, the city’s leadership status, and the environment.
The recommendations are grouped by three areas of practice: Health, Economy, and Leadership and Policies. The first, most fundamental recommendation is to appoint a Deputy Mayor for Infrastructure and Sustainability and to require green building experience for commissioners or the first deputy commissioner at key city agencies. This appointment will create the necessary staffing space to implement the other recommendations in the roadmap, says the group.
“We spend most of our time indoors, and as we saw with Sandy, our buildings can both protect us and create dangerous situations,” said Russell Unger, executive director of Urban Green Council, the organization that led the roadmap creation. “As extreme weather events persist and climate change mitigation becomes essential, our next mayor must have a sound, aggressive plan for building sustainability.”
Recommendation highlights:
HEALTH
- Make schools greener through a number of code, design, budgetary and programmatic changes
- Improve indoor and outdoor air quality by reducing pollution from boilers
ECONOMY
- Simplify and improve processes and standards around regulation, permits and historic preservation
- Increase partnerships and engagement between the private sector, city agencies and utility companies
- Require tailored trainings for contractors and building personnel
- Promote high school, undergraduate and adult education programs in energy retrofits to fill need for green jobs
- Improve the city’s energy infrastructure
LEADERSHIP AND POLICIES
- Implement recommendations from the Building Resiliency Task Force and Green Codes Task Force to mitigate climate change
- Develop policies specifically for small buildings (under 50,000 square feet)
- Adopt policies that reflect the latest thinking on the future of sustainability
- Construct 50 energy-efficient buildings (various models) by 2018
- Ensure Department of Buildings has needed staff and resources to implement green initiatives
