Did you know that the Green Codes Task Force has made 111 recommendations to improve the building code, but only 29 have been enacted?
Even though buildings generate the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in NYC, policy proposals to curb emission levels have yet to be broadly adopted, finds the AIA New York Chapter (AIANY) in its report, A Platform for the Future of the City.
Implementing these sustainable code recommendations will encourage building practices that are energy efficient and environmentally sound. These green measures include code modifications:
- Don’t exempt existing buildings from green codes.
- Limit after-hours retail lighting.
- Reduce CO2 emissions due to traditional and specialized concrete.
- Limit harmful emissions from paints and glues.
- Analyze strategies to reduce stormwater runoff from existing developments.
AIANY also expressed concern that because the prominence of the Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability (OLTPS) is at the discretion of the mayor, its role in government is not assured.
To ensure the office has adequate resources to carry out its mission, the report recommends that the OLTPS director be elevated to a commissioner, which will strengthen the city’s role in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. Funding the office will also be critical to long-term planning initiatives, such as PlaNYC.
In addition to green codes, the platform identifies challenges and proposes solutions that include job-creating suggestions for affordable housing design, economic development of major projects, strategic suggestions for waterfront areas, and ideas on how to make the city healthier.
