In 2030, it is projected that 80% of the world population will be located in urban settings. This prediction has major global implications for mitigation and sustainability initiatives in the world. Our main focus must turn to how urban populations and settings affect the environment. While the world adapts to these new and emerging trends, New York City can serve as a model city, which is both hospitable and environmentally friendly. Developing nations, whose primary objectives is to facilitate development and growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can look to New York City as a model of a urban setting that can both sustain growth and maintain mitigation initiatives simultaneously.
It is important to note the global perspective of sustainability in today’s world. Mitigation and adaptation initiatives are interdependent and policies in one nation have ramifications for those in nearby nations. Take for instance, the recent volcano eruption under a glacier in Iceland. Aviation authorities were forced to close airspace, as well as shut down airports in Britain, France, and other parts of Europe. This was due to a high-altitude cloud of ash that drifted south and east from an erupting volcano in Iceland. Nearby nations, including Britain, effectively became no-fly zones for a period of time, affecting both economic and environmental stability in the region. This particular example illustrates how emissions in one or several regions can affect the climate of nearby nations.
New York City, as a whole, emits fewer carbon dioxide emissions than many rural areas, which is due in part to the fact that New York City is more densely populated.
The goal of the meta group is to investigate sustainability initiatives in New York City, Tokyo, and Mexico city. We seek to compare initiatives to those in New York City and offer proposals for improvement.
PlaNYC is a design for the sustainability of New York City proposed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. It details his hopes for the city’s improvement over the next twenty-f
ive years. His plan is to set priorities on the restructuring of New York City’s infrastructure. One of the most controversial aspects of the plan is the mayor’s call for congestion pricing, which means enacting a fee of $8.00 on all cars entering midtown Manhattan during peak hours on weekdays.
This page will contain information on what New York City is currently doing to become a more sustainable city in terms of power sources, housing, transportation, water, and industry. While the links below contain the full analysis of our research on PlanNYC, we have included some selected data to present below to highlight some key points of each area of analysis.
Click this image to the left to view the actual PlaNYC brochure.
Special:
Sources:
World Development Report 2010
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
PlaNYC report
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0104652.html
http://www.socialexplorer.com
http://www.mta.info/index.html
http://www.rita.dot.gov/
