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.
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