NYC Building Code Gets Sandy-Inspired Rewrite

Last week, Mayor Bloomberg proposed sweeping changes to New York City's building code to better prepare the city's built environment for the increasing threats of rising seas and extreme storms that Hurricane Sandy made clear.

1 minute read

June 16, 2013, 9:00 AM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Thursday proposed major changes to New York City’s building code, saying Hurricane Sandy showed that both commercial and residential properties needed additional safeguards against severe weather," reports Mireya Navarro. "Mr. Bloomberg unveiled the work of a task force whose recommendations, once put in place, would make the city a leader in the national effort to overhaul codes so that buildings would be more resilient to natural disasters."

"For now, at least, the city will not require extensive improvements to existing commercial and residential properties," adds Navarro. "Officials emphasized that the new rules would largely affect new construction and sizable renovations on existing buildings."

"Vicki Arroyo, executive director of the Georgetown Climate Center in Washington, a group that assists cities in adapting to climate change, said that taken as a whole, the proposals were the most significant in the nation."

FULL STORY: Bloomberg Seeks to Redo Building Code in Sandy’s Wake

Thursday, June 13, 2013 in The New York Times

Architecture Land Use New York New York City Hurricane Sandy Building Code Building Resiliency View More

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.