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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Paul Gallay, Director of Resilient Coastal Communities Project at Columbia Climate School
2:37:10
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4 min
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Paul Gallay, Director of the Resilient Coastal Communities Project at Columbia Climate School, presented testimony on scaling up green infrastructure solutions for flood resilience in New York City. He outlined eight key recommendations for improving the city's approach to green infrastructure and nature-based solutions.
- Gallay emphasized the need to prioritize historically underserved and high-risk communities in green infrastructure deployment.
- He advocated for expanded use of real-time data tools, long-term sustained funding, and investment in education and workforce development.
- The testimony highlighted the importance of community co-design, cross-sector collaboration, and treating green infrastructure as essential climate infrastructure.
Paul Gallay
2:37:10
Thank you.
2:37:12
I'm here and hopefully you all can hear me.
2:37:15
Yes.
2:37:17
Mr.
2:37:18
Chairman and the other members of the council, thank you for this opportunity to testify.
2:37:22
I'm currently director of the Brazilian Coastal Communities Project, a partnership between the Columbia Climate School and the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, seeks to foster new collaborations between environmental justice communities, practitioners, and researchers to help develop actionable, fundable, and equitable solutions to flood risks that also deliver complementary benefits like habitat restoration, job creation and greater community cohesion and put into practice the climate schools commitment to fairness, social justice and anti racism.
2:37:59
Racism.
2:38:00
I also represented DEC in negotiations with the City of New York on the original 1992 CSO consent order and while with Riverkeeper engaged closely with the state and the city on the 12 modified order.
2:38:17
So this is this goes way back for me.
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We are advocating for eight specific initiatives.
2:38:27
We have submitted written testimony earlier today, and I'm not going to read that testimony, obviously, but I will summarize the eight recommendations for scaling up green infrastructure, which are detailed in the written testimony.
2:38:42
And attached to the written testimony is the Resilient Coastal Communities Project's 2024 Green Infrastructure Handbook, which studies the work in New York City, Hoboken, Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Merida in the Yucatan state in Mexico.
2:39:03
And we feel that these other cities offer some great examples that can be borrowed into the work that's being done by DEP and other agencies here in New York City.
2:39:14
Paul,
James F. Gennaro
2:39:17
I'm going to give you a little latitude to continue, so please continue and try to summarize, but I'm gonna give you a little latitude here.
Paul Gallay
2:39:27
Good.
2:39:28
We urge the city council to support the following eight ideas relating to natural and nature based measures, and hopefully this can be within the time that you're giving me, scale up the green infrastructure solutions such as the New York City Cloud First program.
2:39:42
And to the extent money is being taken away from the BRIC program, use the city's legal power if this process has been deficient the way this money has been taken away, you should sue and get that money back.
2:39:56
Simply stated.
2:39:58
Number two, center equity by prioritizing historically underserved and high risk communities.
2:40:03
Blood risk is not evenly distributed.
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The city must direct GI funding and technical support towards frontline neighborhoods that have historically been underserved and underrepresented.
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Three, expand use of real time data tools to drive targeted GI deployment.
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Initiatives like FloodNet have already demonstrated how low cost real time centers can radically improve storm water management.
2:40:26
More about that in the written testimony.
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Four, commit to long term sustained funding for GI implementation and maintenance, a theme that has already been examined today and so I won't continue to do so.
2:40:38
Five, invest in education and workforce development to build long term capacity.
2:40:43
New York must invest in the people who will build, maintain and innovate this infrastructure.
2:40:48
We urge the creation of training programs, curriculum integration and certification pathways to grow the local green workforce.
2:40:56
Six, center community co design in all green infrastructure and resilience planning.
2:41:02
Community trust, buy in and local expertise are essential to the long term success of these investments.
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Seven, foster cross section collaboration, cross sector collaboration and continuous innovation, harness the strengths of his academic institutions, community organizations, design professionals to advance Hopefully our green infrastructure handbook will be helpful with that.
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And finally, treat green infrastructure as essential climate infrastructure.
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This is the sum up.
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Green infrastructure and nature based solutions are core to how we must now think about flood resilience, public health, urban equity, and long term sustainability.
2:41:42
Green infrastructure must be embedded across all levels of planning, policy, and capital investment to ensure New York is not only reacting to disaster, but actively and proactively shaping a greener, safer future.
2:41:55
So thank you for the extra time.