New York City Housing Authority
At a Glance
Industry
Public Housing Authority
Project Types
Commercial Energy Efficiency, Goals/Targets, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy
Year
2023
Location
New York, NY
Summary
Henry Kanengiser conducted a gap analysis of the ways that sustainability has been incorporated into NYCHA’s PACT portfolio.
Goals
NYCHA is facing two interrelated challenges: over $78 billion in capital needs of its housing portfolio, and the challenges of climate change that already affect its buildings and residents. NYCHA’s PACT program – a public-private partnership to finance capital improvements at its developments – is helping to meet these capital needs. However, the program has struggled to meaningfully integrate sustainability initiatives. NYCHA enlisted Henry to identify and bridge gaps in this work.
Solutions
Based on stakeholder engagement, site visits, and extensive document review, Henry identified key gaps in the current implementation of sustainability at NYCHA and provided detailed recommendations to better align the PACT redevelopment process with NYCHA’s sustainability priorities.
- Gaps are grouped into six themes that span the management, operational and informational aspects of the way these two departments work together in addressing the climate crisis while solving long-standing quality of life issues in NYCHA homes.
- Recommendations are based on the same six themes and start by focusing on developing specific and measurable Sustainability goals for PACT development Several recommendations target gaps in communication and coordination early in the PACT development process where deeper collaboration can foster sustainable site plans.
Potential Impact
This work provides valuable management consulting services to two departments with limited capacity for this type of work.
- This project is a crucial first step to create future opportunities for collaboration between the Real Estate Development and Sustainability departments.
- It also details several targeted actions both departments should take to better tackle the climate crisis related to waste management, resiliency, solar and energy efficiency initiatives.
- Finally, this gap analysis is clear research that can justify internal funding requests for both teams.