Councilmembers back bill to issue resiliency report card for NYC infrastructure

Legislation considered by the Council’s Committee on Resiliency and Waterfront would create a resiliency report card for New York City capital projects. Photo via NYC.gov

By Rachel Vick

Councilmembers signalled their support for a new measure that would develop sustainable construction guidelines and issue a resiliency report card for new city projects during a Committee on Resiliency and Waterfront hearing Monday.

A bill introduced by Councilmember Costa Constantinides in September 2020 would establish the pilot standards for the construction or renovation of public housing, bridges, tunnels and other capital projects. The city would refer to the guidelines and grade projects based on their susceptibility to flooding, energy efficiency and on-site water management.

“As a city on a sea we’re literally on the front lines,” Constantinides said during the hearing. “We’ve made great strides in making our city more sustainable but the reality is that we must prepare for worst case scenarios.”

Constantinides said the standards would ensure New York City infrastructure weathers the intensifying climate crisis.

“Climate planning must be the cornerstone of everything we do,” he said.

The pilot program would draw on the fourth version of the Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines issued by the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency in September 2020. 

The guidelines address flood risk for buildings through 2100, said Mayor’s Office of Resiliency Director to Jainey Bavishi.

“By developing and coordinating a citywide methodology for integrating resilient design in public buildings and infrastructure, we can ensure that our public investments are durable, long-lasting and serve critical functions despite the threats posed by extreme weather and chronic climate stresses,” Bavishi said.

Bavishi said she would be “happy to discuss” first applying the standards to construction in communities disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, particularly low-income communities of color sometimes referred to as “environmental justice communities.”  

The guidelines specifically take into account the threats posed by storm surges, chronic flooding, increased rain and extreme heat. One rule, for example, would require at least half of a project to be located in the shade, covered by plants or have surfaces that can absorb or reflect sunlight, like solar panels.

The rules are essential in New York City, the third-most vulnerable city in the nation to rising sea levels and high tide flooding, said Committee Chair Justin Brannan, a Brooklyn councilmember. 

Brannan specifically cited the risk of flooding in neighborhoods near Jamaica Bay and Flushing Bay.

New York City will experience an increase in sea level rise twice the global average, according to the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

Brannan said the standards were common sense rules, but added that he worried about the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency’s ability to tackle the climate crisis with limited funding.

“We’re heading into sustained uncharted water — pun possibly intended — as far as the budget is concerned,” Brannan said. “We shouldn't have to fight to make sure that funding and the prioritization of issues and actions around climate change [is not] seen as a luxury. This needs to be an issue that remains a top priority no matter what.”