Zoning for zero carbon

New zoning updates remove key barriers to building decarbonization.

On December 6, 2023, New York City Council passed a package of 17 citywide zoning changes to better enable energy efficient design, electrification, solar and battery storage across NYC. This package, known as the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality, will remove numerous barriers to decarbonization and help NYC achieve its carbon reduction goals.

Urban Green laid the foundation for these changes with our 2018 Zone Greener report, and in 2023, we helped refine and support the package through:

• Three convenings with over 60 experts to guide the NYC Department of City Planning;
• A public program to help our audience understand the impacts of the package; and
• Letters of support and public testimony before the City Planning Commission and City Council.

Further reading