by Chris Jones, Vice President for Research, RPA
Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood next to Bill Clinton on Wednesday as the former president announced his ground breaking Climate Initiative at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit - an initiative that dovetailed nicely with Bloomberg's own PlaNYC to reduce energy use and tackle climate change.
The involvement of stars like former President Clinton is a sign of the extraordinary urgency and symbolism that fighting climate change has taken on.
But for Bloomberg's own PlaNYC to succeed, he will need the support of less heralded folks than Clinton or the CEO of Deutsche Bank. He will need the support of the suburban legislators, council people, mayors and civic leaders whose names are seldom in the national media.
The Mayor's considerable communication skills will be tested in the weeks ahead as he and his civic allies seek to convince these more suburban constituents. The challenge is magnified by the sheer scope of the initiative - 127 separate recommendations dealing with land use, transportation, energy, housing, air and water quality, open space and climate change. In some quarters there are also long-standing suspicions that inclusive-sounding initiatives like this are really vehicles for narrower interests, such as wealthy Manhattanites or single-issue environmentalists.
Part of the response to these concerns is the breadth and diversity of the coalition that has formed to support the initiative. RPA has helped form the Campaign for New York's Future (www.campaignfornewyork.org), which includes more than 80 organizations from the business, labor, public health, and environmental justice communities, national environmental organizations, community networks, regional planning groups, transportation advocates, and religious leaders. Many have been vociferous opponents of the City, and this Mayor, in the past, and few would give unqualified support for every recommendation. What unites them now is the chance to seize a unique opportunity to advance common goals for a more a livable city and region. In fact, this coalition can claim some ownership of the plan, having nurtured the ideas, advised the Mayor's planning team, and now working collaboratively on implementation.
But with some notable exceptions, the response outside of the city's boundaries can best be described as varying shades of disinterest or wariness. This is understandable. It is, after all, a plan meant primarily for current and future residents of the five boroughs. But while it cannot be mistaken for a regional plan, PlaNYC clearly has implications for the entire metropolitan region. To the credit of the Mayor and his team, the plan approaches the future challenges of the city as those of regional systems.
A good part of the reason for the plan's regional perspective is political, since major parts of the plan cannot be implemented without the support of the Governor and state legislature. In this instance, however, political considerations mirror a substantive reality. A long-term vision for sustainability has to be regional in order to succeed. The city can't accommodate the growth it expects without expanding suburban labor markets connected to the city with improved transportation. Air and water flow freely across municipal boundaries, and as the 2003 Northeast blackout demonstrated, improved energy reliability and conservation in one part of the region should be of interest to everyone.
For Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Connecticut, the particular benefits of this plan are substantial. PlaNYC's recommended actions would reduce soot produced in the city by 40%. That means cleaner air, less asthma and better health for the towns, cities and counties surrounding New York City as well. Reduction in the amount of sewage discharged into Long Island Sound and the Hudson River Estuary means cleaner water and shorelines for all of the jurisdictions along these waterways. More reliable electricity and water supply systems create more opportunities for shared back-up systems. The proposal to charge drivers $8 (less bridge and tunnel tolls) to enter the Manhattan Central Business District will speed the trip for those who choose to drive, and fund transit improvements for those who do not. And of the funding proposed for transportation, a major portion would go to projects serving areas outside of the five boroughs, including Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access and third track, Metro-North access to Penn Station, and New Jersey Transit's new passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson.
Of course, the costs will be shared as well, and there are bound to be negotiations over a fair allocation of both costs and benefits. As important, there also needs to be recognition of a growing number of plans and actions by county executives, municipal leaders and citizen groups in other parts of the region to combat climate change, foster smart growth and improve quality of life. In fact, while other jurisdictions can learn a great deal from the PlaNYC initiative, New York City can similarly learn from suburban successes with transit-oriented development, open space preservation and other policies. There is clearly an immediate need to act on the proposals put forth by the Mayor. There is also an opportunity to use this as a catalyst for a richer regional dialogue.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg stood next to Bill Clinton on Wednesday as the former president announced his ground breaking Climate Initiative at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit - an initiative that dovetailed nicely with Bloomberg's own PlaNYC to reduce energy use and tackle climate change.
The involvement of stars like former President Clinton is a sign of the extraordinary urgency and symbolism that fighting climate change has taken on.
But for Bloomberg's own PlaNYC to succeed, he will need the support of less heralded folks than Clinton or the CEO of Deutsche Bank. He will need the support of the suburban legislators, council people, mayors and civic leaders whose names are seldom in the national media.
The Mayor's considerable communication skills will be tested in the weeks ahead as he and his civic allies seek to convince these more suburban constituents. The challenge is magnified by the sheer scope of the initiative - 127 separate recommendations dealing with land use, transportation, energy, housing, air and water quality, open space and climate change. In some quarters there are also long-standing suspicions that inclusive-sounding initiatives like this are really vehicles for narrower interests, such as wealthy Manhattanites or single-issue environmentalists.
Part of the response to these concerns is the breadth and diversity of the coalition that has formed to support the initiative. RPA has helped form the Campaign for New York's Future (www.campaignfornewyork.org), which includes more than 80 organizations from the business, labor, public health, and environmental justice communities, national environmental organizations, community networks, regional planning groups, transportation advocates, and religious leaders. Many have been vociferous opponents of the City, and this Mayor, in the past, and few would give unqualified support for every recommendation. What unites them now is the chance to seize a unique opportunity to advance common goals for a more a livable city and region. In fact, this coalition can claim some ownership of the plan, having nurtured the ideas, advised the Mayor's planning team, and now working collaboratively on implementation.
But with some notable exceptions, the response outside of the city's boundaries can best be described as varying shades of disinterest or wariness. This is understandable. It is, after all, a plan meant primarily for current and future residents of the five boroughs. But while it cannot be mistaken for a regional plan, PlaNYC clearly has implications for the entire metropolitan region. To the credit of the Mayor and his team, the plan approaches the future challenges of the city as those of regional systems.
A good part of the reason for the plan's regional perspective is political, since major parts of the plan cannot be implemented without the support of the Governor and state legislature. In this instance, however, political considerations mirror a substantive reality. A long-term vision for sustainability has to be regional in order to succeed. The city can't accommodate the growth it expects without expanding suburban labor markets connected to the city with improved transportation. Air and water flow freely across municipal boundaries, and as the 2003 Northeast blackout demonstrated, improved energy reliability and conservation in one part of the region should be of interest to everyone.
For Long Island, the Hudson Valley, New Jersey and Connecticut, the particular benefits of this plan are substantial. PlaNYC's recommended actions would reduce soot produced in the city by 40%. That means cleaner air, less asthma and better health for the towns, cities and counties surrounding New York City as well. Reduction in the amount of sewage discharged into Long Island Sound and the Hudson River Estuary means cleaner water and shorelines for all of the jurisdictions along these waterways. More reliable electricity and water supply systems create more opportunities for shared back-up systems. The proposal to charge drivers $8 (less bridge and tunnel tolls) to enter the Manhattan Central Business District will speed the trip for those who choose to drive, and fund transit improvements for those who do not. And of the funding proposed for transportation, a major portion would go to projects serving areas outside of the five boroughs, including Long Island Rail Road's East Side Access and third track, Metro-North access to Penn Station, and New Jersey Transit's new passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson.
Of course, the costs will be shared as well, and there are bound to be negotiations over a fair allocation of both costs and benefits. As important, there also needs to be recognition of a growing number of plans and actions by county executives, municipal leaders and citizen groups in other parts of the region to combat climate change, foster smart growth and improve quality of life. In fact, while other jurisdictions can learn a great deal from the PlaNYC initiative, New York City can similarly learn from suburban successes with transit-oriented development, open space preservation and other policies. There is clearly an immediate need to act on the proposals put forth by the Mayor. There is also an opportunity to use this as a catalyst for a richer regional dialogue.
@RegionalPlan
Leave a comment