NYC Building Code Gets Sandy-Inspired Rewrite

"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."