organizations, government agencies and local residents in New York to discuss the city's future development and conservation plans.The meetings, appropriately named "PlaNYC 2030," focused on a variety of topics ranging from community development and transportation to parks and waterways. During the town-hall style meeting participants listened to an overview of the city's effort, presented by Director Rohit Aggarwala, outlining Mayor Bloomberg's vision and the Office's Mission (created December 2006) and presenting its diverse Advisory Board. In addition, PlaNYC outlined ten focus areas for a sustainable future:
- Housing
- Congestion
- Open Spaces
- Energy
- Transportation
- Water
- Air Quality
- Brownfields
- Waterways
- Climate Change
During breakout sessions with participants, the dialog quickly shifted to creating solutions for our communities and local environment. Many of the topics connected directly to our waterways and coasts, including the potential for increasing water-based transportation to reduce traffic, the impacts of climate change on sea-level rise and green roofs and sustainable design incentive 
programs to reduce stormwater and energy/water usage.
The event proved very successful for creating a dialog on the issue, but many were also skeptical of its long-term reality. Kevin Powell (of MTV fame, now a journalist and Brooklyn resident) pointed out during the feedback session, "We need the Mayor to step up and make the Office of Sustainability a permanent office to ensure that the recommendations of these meetings are carried out over then next twenty-three years."
The comment was well received by participants and left the author thinking "what will it take to make this amazing collaborative initiative one that produces on-the-ground results and not just another report?"
Only time (well about 23 years) will tell....JB
Photos: Disappearing Wetlands, Alex McLean
Governors Island Swim, NYC Economic Development Corporation
PlaNYC Homepage
www.nyc.gov/2030
PlaNYC Waterways Page http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/about/greenyc_waterways.shtml
Mayors Vision and Advisory Board
http://www.nyc.gov/html/planyc2030/html/about/call-to-action.shtml
Advisory Board Members
Hon. Daniel L. Doctoroff, Chair Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding
Hon. Christine C. Quinn, Speaker, New York City Council
Carlton Brown, Principal and COO, Full Spectrum NY, LLC
Marcia Bystryn, Executive Director, New York League of Conservation Voters
Robert Fox, Partner, Cook + Fox Architects
Ester Fuchs, Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Andrew H. Darrell, Regional Director, Environmental Defense
Hon. James F. Gennaro, Council Member and Chair, Committee on Environmental Protection Ashok Gupta, Air & Energy Program Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
Michael Northrop, Program Director, Sustainable Development Program, Rockefeller Brothers Ed Ott, Executive Director, NYC Central Labor Council
Elizabeth C. Girardi Schoen, Senior Director, Global Environment, Health, and Safety, Pfizer Peggy M. Shepard, Executive Director and Co-Founder, West Harlem Environmental Action Steven Spinola, President, Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY)
Daniel R. Tishman, Chairman and CEO, Tishman Construction Corporation K
athryn Wylde, President and CEO, Partnership for New York City
Robert D. Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association
Elizabeth C. Yeampierre, Executive Director, United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset Park
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