The housing-oriented component of Mayor Eric Adams’ City of Yes proposal could serve the double purpose of making housing more affordable and reducing GHG emissions and car dependency.
The New York League of Conservation Voters (NYCLV) is calling on conservation-minded New Yorkers to support the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative, arguing that “This zoning proposal will make substantial progress towards addressing NYC’s current housing crisis, and though its name may not suggest it, COY for Housing Opportunity will also bring the city closer to achieving its ambitious climate goals.”
For NYLCV, the proposed zoning reforms serve the double purpose of increasing housing affordability and reducing vehicle miles driven (VMT) and GHG emissions. “And by ingraining walking and public transit use into daily life, TOD promotes cleaner, healthier lifestyles, benefiting New Yorkers and protecting the environment.”
The initiative will help reduce carbon emissions by encouraging transit-oriented development and reducing parking requirements, according to NYLCV. “Other components of the plan, such as town center zoning (which would work alongside TOD to uplift mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly communities) and residential conversions of non-residential buildings (which would further densify urban cores) will also support the city by creating livelier communities less reliant on pollutive modes of transportation.”
Read the full story: City of Yes for Housing Opportunity Will Protect New York’s Environment
Will New York ‘City of Yes’ Proposal Make an Impact?
Some housing experts say the rezoning plan is not nearly ambitious enough to make a dent in the city’s housing crisis.
Staten Island Resists ‘City of Yes’ Zoning Reforms
One year after New York City approved major zoning changes, some residents continue to fight increased density.
NYC Zoning Reform: Where Will It Have an Impact?
The zoning reform package dubbed ‘City of Yes’ will likely yield uneven results, with many of the lowest-density neighborhoods exempted from new regulations.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Voters across the country reject data centers
Dozens of communities voted on measures to restrict the buildout of data centers.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority