Planning for Countering Climate Change: Lessons from the Recent Plan of New York City - PlaNYC 2030

Despite a growth in the number of cities currently planning with an eye toward countering climate change and its effects, few actually promote a comprehensive planning approach aiming at countering climate change impacts. The aim of this paper is to assess and to gain insight from the emerging approach to planning that aims at countering climate change. This paper analyses and draws insight from the recent plan of New York City (NYC), PlaNYC 2030 , through a thorough examination and analysis of the major components of the plan. This paper concludes that planning has a strong role to play in countering the impacts of climate change at the city level. Apparently, climate change and its resulting uncertainties challenge the concepts, procedures, and scope of conventional approaches to planning, and create a need to rethink and revise current planning methods. PlaNYC, an economic development and infrastructure-oriented plan, has deficient and inadequate adaptation measures. Therefore, it failed in its contribution to protect NYC and its communities in facing Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Since the plan did not have adequate public participation, PlaNYC failed in understanding the urban-community vulnerability map of NYC and in addressing the critical needs of various communities in facing Sandy. Eventually, planners should take on a leadership role and assume more control in fighting climate change on the city level. Planning has the power to protect cities and save lives of people.