Meet, Greet and Solve Problems: Meetings with City Council Members

This summer, AIANY leadership is meeting with a number of New York City Council Members who represent a variety of neighborhoods and interests. The summer tour kicked off last week with meetings with Council Member Margaret Chin, chair of the Committee on Aging, and Council Member Jumaane Williams, chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. In addition to offering the expertise of our members in assisting the Council Members to advance their initiatives, we educate them on our political priorities that are coming to the Council floor in the coming months.

During these casual discussions, AIANY has the opportunity to advocate for increased funding and oversight of the NYC Department of Buildings, explain the benefits of NYC Department of City Planning’s Zoning for Quality and Affordability proposal, and brainstorm solutions to address the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission’s backlog, among other concerns affecting the city’s built environment.

AIANY, occasionally joined by one of the other city AIA chapters, will continue to hold meetings with Council Members throughout August to foster important relationships and spread the word that we are available as a resource for the city.

Pulse Points

• The NYC Department of Transportation will begin work on a $100 Million Vision Zero redesign of Queens Boulevard. The plan includes safer crosswalks for pedestrians and bike lanes.
• On 07.30.15, Mayor de Blasio, who set a goal to reduce New York City’s emissions 80% by 2050, made a statement in support of President Obama and the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.
• AIANY representatives met with Robert Atterbury, special assistant at Congressman Jerrold Nadler’s Manhattan office on 07.30.15. The group discussed the importance of ambitious federal energy efficiency targets, the National Design Services Act, the Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2015, and upcoming AIANY activities in NYC.
• AIANY is participating in monthly meetings with the other AIA chapters in NYC to discuss joint policy positions and future collaboration. July’s meeting took place on Staten Island.
• Urban Green Council and AIANY held State of the Art: Lighting Design & Controls on 08.03.15. The program will be available on the Center for Architecture’s Vimeo page.

Emma Pattiz is the AIANY Policy Coordinator. For more information on AIANY policy initiatives and programs, please contact her at epattiz@aiany.org.