New York City's 10 Keys to Sustainability Success Detailed in New ICLEI Case Study

Case study on PlaNYC serves as a roadmap to help other cities achieve greater sustainability by replicating New York's innovative planning process and adopting its 10 keys to success

NEW YORK, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new case study released today provides an unprecedented in-depth look at how the City of New York developed its renowned sustainability plan, PlaNYC, and how this planning process laid the groundwork for New York's emergence as a leading sustainable city.

ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA developed "The Process Behind PlaNYC" in collaboration with the City of New York's Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability. The case study, available at www.icleiusa.org/planyc, shares the lessons learned from PlaNYC to help other cities, towns, and counties meet their sustainability challenges and goals through similar action-oriented plans.

"In developing PlaNYC, we asked the tough questions, conducted a thorough analysis of the issues affecting the long-term health of the city, and considered all possible solutions," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "To achieve our overarching mission of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent, we set ambitious but achievable goals—and since then, we have made real progress toward creating a greener, greater City for all New Yorkers, and for generations to come."

"Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated tremendous leadership and forward-thinking with PlaNYC, and the proof is in the City's outstanding and measurable progress toward achieving its long-term climate and sustainability goals," said Martin Chavez, ICLEI USA Executive Director and former three-term mayor of Albuquerque, NM. "Other local governments have been eager to follow New York's lead and learn their keys to success, and our case study provides them with a detailed narrative of how New York built its plan."

PlaNYC, which was released three years ago on Earth Day 2007, contains 10 major goals and 127 initiatives that address how to accommodate one million more people in an already dense city, while at the same time reducing the City's greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent and improving its infrastructure.

"Developing and implementing a sustainability plan is a challenging task that requires patience and perseverance," said Rohit Aggarwala, Director of the Mayor's Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for the City of New York. "With strong leadership from the Mayor, committed departmental commissioners and staff, support from the public, and an openness to innovation we have been able to make demonstrated progress toward achieving the goals in PlaNYC."

Contact Don Knapp to set up interviews with ICLEI and City of New York staff. A media toolkit is also available: http://www.icleiusa.org/library/documents/PlaNYC%20Media%20Toolkit.zip

ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability is a membership association of 600 local governments in the United States and more than 1,200 worldwide, committed to advancing climate protection and sustainable development.  For more information visit www.icleiusa.org.

SOURCE ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA