use the future as a reference
DESCRIPTION
While a New York Times editorial calls Mayor de Blasio's ambitious and sweeping affordable housing vision Housing New York: A Five-Borough, Ten-Year Plan, his "moon shot", Sallan's Nancy Anderson focuses in on his plan's energy efficiency and resiliency ideas.TRANSCRIPT
Torchlight Use The Future As A Reference
By: Nancy E. Anderson, Ph.D., Executive Director, the Sallan Foundation
Issue: Torchlight #53
Date: May, 2014
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us While a New York Times Editorial calls Mayor de Blasio’s ambitious
and sweeping affordable housing vision Housing New York: A Five-
Borough, Ten-Year Plan, his “moon shot”, I’d like to focus in on his
plan’s energy efficiency and resiliency ideas. Coincidentally, the day
after the Mayor issued his housing report President Obama released
the US National Climate Assessment and for a coastal city like New
York, here’s a finding that stands out:
“The American scientists said the rise could be anywhere from one
to four feet, and added that six feet could not be entirely ruled out.
Along much of the East Coast, the situation will be worse than the
global average because the land there is sinking”.
Although energy efficiency and resiliency ideas are not the headline
grabbers in the Mayor’s affordable housing report, they do get
sketched in and this merits both applause and scrutiny. Why? As
the Financial Times observes:
“Those most vulnerable to climate change include the elderly,
children, the poor and the sick... Others are at risk because they
live in floodplains, coastal areas, or urban areas where damage to
one piece of infrastructure, such as the electricity grid, quickly has
a knock-on effect on other essential services.”
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us Sounds a lot like the risks facing New Yorkers.
Of course, since far too many New Yorkers also face the threat of
rising rents, unaffordable housing and displacement, doubling up
or homelessness, the urgency propelling the vision of Housing
New York is undeniable. Mayor de Blasio is right, “We do have a
crisis of affordability on our hands.” My purpose is to identify
opportunities where mitigating housing risks intertwine with
mitigating climate risks and ending wasteful, costly energy sloth.
Back in February 2014, I wrote:
“At a press conference announcing his picks for senior housing
agency positions, Mayor de Blasio flagged the need for retooling
public housing to make it energy-efficient... What the Mayor’s
engagement can do is scale up new construction and rehabbing of
affordable homes to make energy efficiency and fuel economy the
new normal. He can end forever the critics’ claim that climate
friendly, energy efficient housing is a luxury American cities can’t
afford.”
Again, Mayor de Blasio is right, “Things must change.” and here’s
what he intends to do.
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us
“To help mitigate rising utility costs and preserve affordability, the
City will launch a new program to target mid-size and small
buildings — in concert with local utilities and existing subsidy
programs — to incentivize energy retrofits in exchange for
affordability commitments from building owners.” This proposal
would significantly extend energy efficiency goals beyond the
50,000 square foot threshold of the City’s energy benchmarking
and audit/retro-commissioning laws.”
At the same time, the report observes the City could tackle the
problem renters face with monthly utility bills that have risen 20%
from 2002–2011. I look forward to program details.
Housing New York calls repeatedly and accurately for planning
and funding the infrastructure new housing development will
require. While many kinds of infrastructure are entailed in new
development, especially the new dense development envisioned in
the plan, there is no mention of the electricity and natural gas
energy infrastructure and what will be done to meet new demand
reliably, cost-effectively and in a low-carbon manner. More work is
needed here to define the Administration’s position on developing
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us microgrids or fostering more combined heat and power systems
and how the state and federal government could assist in such
efforts. The City’s energy infrastructure has to be part of its
affordable housing plans.
Housing New York is acutely
aware of how little vacant land is
available in the City for new
construction and expects new
waterfront development to be part
of the picture. This will entail, as
the report stipulates, that
coordinated planning and public
investment to build resiliency for
coastal flood risks is a must. Again, the roll out of plan details may
reveal how energy systems will be made more resilient in flood-
prone areas and the ultimate success of the plan will hinge on
fostering robust, sustainable critical infrastructure upon which the
physical, economic and social resilience of our communities rests.
It is encouraging that the de Blasio Administration will establish an
“Existing Buildings Code Revision Committee” to address how to
make housing more flood and wind resistant, among other things.
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us
The linkage of housing sustainability and affordability comes to the
fore in sections of the report addressing the preservation of
affordable housing. Among its key strategies is, “Promote
Sustainability, Resiliency and Long-Term Affordability While
Helping Building Owners Reduce Operating Costs”. Yes! The
report suggests small landlords, “May benefit from training on best
practices for maintaining their residential buildings… and from
information about resources that are available to improve building
performance and operating costs”. The report also calls for creation
of an energy and water utility cost-reduction program by way of
building and equipment retrofits. It cautions, however, that too
many buildings have not undergone even simple, low cost
upgrades because owners lack technical understanding or lack the
financial means. Accordingly, “The City will create a pilot outreach
and financial assistance program to provide grants or loans, as
appropriate, to accelerate investment in energy and water
efficiency projects. The pilot program intends to target some of the
oldest and most vulnerable housing stock, including smaller and
mid-size tenement buildings.” While this is a good start, the report
does not set project participation goals or cost savings targets and
misses the chance to make use of the City’s existing energy
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us benchmarking database to help target low-performing, vulnerable
buildings larger than 50,000 square feet.
Still it’s early days. Let’s see, what the de Blasio administration —
making use of existing programs undertaken by the federal
government like the Franklin Plaza Mitchell Lama development
with 1,634 unit of affordable housing undergoing both general and
energy performance rehabilitation in concert with outstanding
local innovators like Enterprise Community Partners, Green Light
New York HDC and the New York City Energy Efficiency
Corporation, NYSERDA, Con Ed and National Grid — will do to
enable property owners to cut utility and fuel costs while
improving energy performance, thereby saving themselves and
their tenants real money.
The administration affirms that it wants to go green, so let’s judge
it on its forthcoming accomplishments. Housing New York
commits “to building sustainable affordable housing
communities”. Since the City has already adopted the well-
respected Enterprise Green Communities Criteria, which reflect a
“commitment to green and sustainable affordable housing”, for
renovation work supported by the Department of Housing
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© 2014 the Sallan Foundation, Inc. All rights reserved. http://www.sallan.org
Torchlight #53
Till Human Voices Wake Us Preservation and Development, now is the time to make these type
of standards mandatory for all new and preserved residential
buildings. Absent such requirements, the problems of affordability,
unnecessary energy consumption and carbon emissions will
remain chronic.
For right now, here’s one proposal to harness the myriad demands
for real world innovation created by Housing New York and to
stimulate real-world sustainability ideas, ideas for doing better
than we do today. Sallan calls on Mayor de Blasio to sponsor an
annual contest for the best energy performing housing. New
Yorkers love to compete and they love to be winners. The top
buildings and residents can reap symbolic awards and tangible
benefits. Let’s use the future as a reference — not the past!
Nancy Anderson is the Executive Director of the Sallan Foundation.