New York Unveils Design Guidelines for Climate Resiliency

New guidelines out of Mayor de Blasio's office call for building bioswales and permeable roads, as well as using green roofs, reflective surfaces, and other climate-resilient features on new city facilities. Released last month, the proposed guidelines are being piloted by the mayor's Office of Recovery and Resiliency before being finalized.

Acknowledging New York's unique vulnerability to extreme weather, the document also reflects a shifting orientation to planning for the impacts of climate change:

Building regulations have relied on historical data for temperatures or storm surges, but now New York will look ahead to future projections across four areas of climate risk: storm level surges, sea-level rise, higher temperatures, and escalating peak precipitation.

Although structured as recommendations rather than requirements, the guidelines will apply to "all of the city government’s capital projects, from libraries to bridges," the Architectural Record reports.