The waterfront is central to nearly every political issue across New York City. From housing, small business, water-based recreation, industry and maritime, 30% of New York City’s parks, subway stations and ferry landings, and of course, the threat to is all: climate change.
Now is the time for New York City to embrace its greatest asset, the waterfront. There is no single solution or opportunity; rather, a series of strategies are required to address both climate and economic challenges.
Waterfront Alliance developed the roadmap for how to embrace the waterfront as a signature priority for the next administration.
Our four-pillar plan starts with Waterfront Leadership, which is focused on bringing key waterfront plans to the finish line. For example, the Comprehensive Waterfront Plan which is the 10-year plan for the city’s waterfront. The next Mayor will take us through to the end of third Comprehensive Plan and set the City up for its fourth iteration. Other key plans include the Five Borough Climate Adaptation Plan, which is being coupled with City’s long-term sustainability plan, PlaNYC.
The second pillar is centered on Climate and Social Resilience, particularly increasing staff capacity at key climate offices like the Department of Environmental Protection, Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, Office of Emergency Management, and Department of Parks and Recreation. Many of these offices lead or support the City’s key climate and social resilience programs: Cloudburst Management, Resilient Acquisitions, and Bluebelts. Perhaps of particular importance is the need to work with the State to secure funding for climate and social resilience. Federal funding is taking a considerable hit and it’s critical for the next Mayor to work with the Governor to keep programs active and growing. Lastly, disaster preparedness and climate education must be a cornerstone in all the City’s climate and social resilience work. Disaster preparedness information must be concise, multilingual, and easily accessible. Climate change should be a part of the New York City education curriculum for all grades, and waterfronts are the best classroom for students to learn about New York City’s rich ecological and harbor history.
Our third pillar, Maritime, Ports, and the Working Waterfront is all about sustainable ports and working waterfronts that move more people, goods, and supplies. The next Mayor must be a leader who maximizes the potential of the maritime industry, preserves New York City’s few remaining industrial waterfront lands, and invests in workforce opportunities to sustain the projected growth of port facilities and green careers along the waterfront. Some great ideas have been put into motion, like the launch of the Blue Highways program. The program should be expanded given the growth of e-commerce. By activating working piers, the City can take trucks off the road, increase freight by barge closer to a final destination, and reduce emissions in Environmental Justice communities. Other initiatives include re-prioritizing port projects that support the implementation of offshore wind projects, creating pathways to jobs for sectors throughout the working waterfront, and growing the NYC Ferry service to transit deserts.
Finally, the last pillar is Public Waterfront Access, which has been the bread and butter of Waterfront Alliance’s advocacy for the last 17 years. Opening waterfront access for recreation and education spaces for New Yorkers in every borough is essential to the health and wellbeing of all New Yorkers. Waterfront Alliance’s Activating New York City-Owned Waterfront Sites for Recreation and Access report lays a foundation for priority sites the City can collaborate on with frontline communities. Waterfront access should also be prioritized in all New York City greenway expansion projects and plans. And, of course, the operations and maintenance budget for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation must be increased to accommodate for their nearly 80-year-old waterfront facilities, far exceeding what many of the facilities were designed for.
In summary, New York City’s next mayor must finally elevate the city’s vast waterfronts by reversing decades of disinvestment, supporting and protecting the maritime economy, opening water-based recreation to millions, and most importantly, protecting New York City from climate change impacts. For more information, check out the full The 2025 Waterfront and Resilience Platform for the Next Mayor of New York City.
In the coming weeks, Waterfront Alliance will be launching our First 100 Days Priorities, which will focus on the most important and quickly implementable priorities for the new mayoral administration.
