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SEPTEMBER 19-20, 2024

Brooklyn Greenway Initiative, together with the NYC Greenways Coalition—a collective of 40+ greenway-aligned groups focused on completion and continual enhancement of an equitable greenway network in New York City—convened the NYC Greenways Summit to learn about greenways as vital public infrastructure and the need for comprehensive planning, implementation, and upkeep of a fully developed greenway network in NYC.

 

The NYC Greenways Summit illustrated the potential for an equitable greenway network to increase mobility options, reduce emissions and improve climate resilience, introduce new open spaces, promote health and active lifestyles, and create new jobs and economic activity.

We discussed the status of NYC’s conceptual 400-mile network, showcased greenway typologies, discussed planning and implementation challenges, legislative and policy needs, and led on-greenway workshops and rides the weekend following the Summit.

 

Speakers included elected officials and government leaders, community stakeholders and civically engaged New Yorkers, and professionals working to advance an equitable greenway network in NYC.

Agenda

2024 SUMMIT AGENDA

Day 1: Thursday, September 19
Center For Architecture
536 LaGuardia Place

11:30 - 12:30 PM

Networking Reception & Refreshment

12:30 - 1:30 PM

WELCOME: Opening Remarks from Andrew Kimball, New York City Economic Development Corporation President & CEO

Introduction by Hunter Armstrong, Brooklyn Greenway Initiative

1:30 - 2:00 PM

2024 State of the NYC Greenways
A presentation by NYC Department of Transportation, NYC Parks, and NYC Economic Development Corporation

2:00 - 3:00 PM

Past, Present, and Future of the NYC Greenways Coalition

 

Emily Gallagher (Assemblymember from Brooklyn)

 

Dennis Markatos-Soriano (East Coast Greenway Alliance)

 

Moderated by EdMundo Martinez, Bronx River Alliance greenway team

3:15 - 4:00 PM

4:00 - 5:00 PM

5:00 - 7:00 PM 

Featured speaker: Sue Donoghue, NYC Parks Commissioner

Greenways and Environmental Justice

 

Annie Carforo (WE ACT for Environmental Justice)

 

Mychal Johnson (South Bronx Unite)

Kelly Vilar (Staten Island Urban Center)

Moderated by Chauncy Young, Harlem River Working Group

Networking Reception

With remarks by New York City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan

Presented by AECOM

Day 2: Friday, September 20
TransitCenter
One Whitehall Street

9:00 - 9:30 AM

Networking Breakfast

Presented by Equinor

9:30 - 10:15 AM

Featured Speaker: Ydanis Rodriguez, NYC DOT Commissioner

10:15 - 11:15 AM

Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway User Study

 

Presentation by Ellis Calvin (Regional Plan Association)

Hunter Armstrong (Brooklyn Greenway Initiative)

Tara Pham (Numina)

 

Ted Wright (NYC Dept. of Transportation)

 

Moderated by Elijah Hutchinson, Director of Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM

Getting Greenways Built

 

Mike Flynn (Sam Schwartz)

 

Ryan Matt (Trust for Public Land)

 

Lyndsey Scofield (Jersey City Division of Transportation Planning)

 

Moderated by Lauren Micir, AECOM

12:15 - 12:45 PM

Closing Remarks and 2024-25 NYC Greenway Coalition Initiatives

12:45 PM

Lunch and Refreshments

Presented by Equinor

2:00 - 2:30 PM

Field tour participants: ferry from Whitehall Terminal to St. George, Staten Island

2:30 - 5:00 PM

In The Field: Bicycle Tour of Staten Island North Shore communities and greenway study area

Led by Rose Uscianowski, Transportation Alternatives

WEEKEND EVENTS

Saturday, September 21

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Bike Tour of the Future Harlem River Greenway

Meet at Sunken Meadow Comfort Station Citi Bike dock in the Northern Section of Randall's Island to kick off this adventure to Van Cortlandt Park along the future Harlem River Greenway.

 

Organized by Harlem River Working Group and Randall's Island Park Alliance

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Flushing Bay Shoreline Cleanup

Care for your local waterway! Meet at the World's Fair Marina Banquet.

Organized by Guardians of Flushing Bay and Billion Oyster Project

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Canarsie and Jamaica Bay Greenway Bike Ride

Meet at Canarsie Park (Brooklyn), ride eight miles to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge visitors center (Broad Channel, Queens)

 

Organized by Brooklyn Greenway Initiative and East Brooklyn Bike Club

Sunday, September 22

1:00 - 2:00 PM

Yoga with Ironstrength

At Andrew Haswell Green Park, 60th St & East River waterfront (Manhattan). Join us for yoga with an incredible view! Space limited, RSVP required.

Organized by Esplanade Friends

2:00 - 4:00 PM

Walking Tour of Starlight Park: Greenways, Climate, and Development

Delve into the connection between greenways, carbon mitigation, environmental justice, green infrastructure and access to nature in an urban environment.

Organized by East Coast Greenway Alliance and Bronx River Alliance

EVENTS
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