Sustainability Magazine November 2024 | Page 76

SUSTAINABLE CITIES

Looking at the bright lights of Times Square and listening to the revving vehicles and honking horns in snarled-up New York City , it is tough to associate it with sustainability .

As the most densely populated city in the US , with planes flying into and out from two huge airports carrying countless millions of tourists , the Big Apple appears to be as green as a red apple . But that is only part of the city ’ s sustainability story .
Enter NYC ’ s Economic Development Corporation , whose President and CEO Andrew Kimball spoke at BizClik ’ s Sustainability LIVE Climate Week NYC in September .
His presentation about New York City ’ s Harbor of the Future was spellbinding : a tour-de-force of virtual fly-throughs , vision , sensitive regeneration and a significant nod to the past . But more of this later .
Green Economy Action Plan First , we come to the city ’ s overarching Green Economy Action Plan , which hangs its hat , coat and entire wardrobe on this statement : “ New York City ’ s green economy will host nearly 400,000 jobs by 2040 , becoming the anchor of a prosperous , equitable and just future for New Yorkers .”
The GEAP is a New York-sized vision to reset the economy to give New Yorkers access to the jobs of the future , while contributing to the slowing of climate change and making NYC more resilient to global economic and climate shockwaves .
Andrew Kimball , President and CEO , NYC Economic Development Corporation
76 November 2024