Cities

Public Comments to OIRA on Proposed Guidance for Assessing Changes in Environmental and Ecosystem Services in Benefit-Cost Analysis

The Guarini Center, together with the New York University Wild Animal Welfare Program (WAW), submitted comments to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) on its Proposed Guidance for Assessing Changes in Environmental and Ecosystem Services in Benefit-Cost Analysis. In the comments, the Guarini Center and WAW urge OIRA …

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Brief as Amicus Curiae in Support of Defendant in Cal. Restaurant Ass’n v. Berkeley

The Guarini Center has submitted an amicus curiae brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of the City of Berkeley’s pending petition for rehearing en banc in California Restaurant Association v. City of Berkeley. CRA v. Berkeley concerns a restaurant trade group’s challenge to Berkeley’s 2019 ordinance restricting the installation of natural gas …

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Impact Fees in New York City? Legal Authority, Constraints, and Potential Options

New York City, like many other cities, faces numerous practical, political, and legal challenges in raising the revenue it needs to support its growing population. Against this backdrop are ongoing concerns about how the City will finance the additional public services and infrastructure necessitated by new development, as well as the costs it incurs in …

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Global Sustainable Cities: City Governments and Our Environmental Future

Over half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and this share is expected to increase in the coming decades. With growing urbanization, cities and their residents face substantial environmental challenges such as higher temperatures, droughts, wildfires, and increased flooding. In response to these pressing challenges, some cities have begun to develop local environmental …

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Breaking Down Urban Organics: Lessons from San Francisco’s Organics Program and Implications for New York City

The current efforts of the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to reduce the volume of organics sent to landfills focus on encouraging people to voluntarily separate their organics from recyclables and other waste. Most notably, in August 2022, DSNY announced that it will offer curbside organics collection throughout Queens between October and December …

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Equitable Electrification: Could City and State Policies Aggravate Energy Insecurity?

Progressive cities and states have begun enacting policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, one of the leading sources of such emissions in the United States. The same jurisdictions have also generally committed to pursuing decarbonization equitably, without exacerbating the disadvantages faced by historically marginalized communities. Electrification is currently a favored policy for decarbonizing …

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Beyond Gas Bans: Alternative Pathways to Reduce Building Emissions in Light of State Preemption Laws

At the federal level, opportunities to advance emissions reductions from buildings have expanded due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to speed the nation’s transition to carbon-free energy sources. However, many municipalities have seen their powers to steer building decarbonization curtailed in recent years. Notably, between 2020 and 2021, 20 states …

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Equitable Electrification: Could City and State Policies Aggravate Energy Insecurity?

Progressive cities and states have begun enacting policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings, one of the leading sources of such emissions in the United States. The same jurisdictions have also generally committed to pursuing decarbonization equitably, without exacerbating the disadvantages faced by historically marginalized communities. Electrification is currently a favored policy for decarbonizing …

Equitable Electrification: Could City and State Policies Aggravate Energy Insecurity? Read More »

Impact Fees in NYC? A Summary of Potential Sources of Legal Authority, Constraints, and Options

New development offers a variety of potential social and economic benefits for New York City. At the same time, new development puts additional pressure on the local environment, including on critical physical and social infrastructure, much of which is already overburdened and in need of upgrades. In this context, some have called upon the City …

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