NYC Next: Unlocking pathways to a sustainable city

Our 2026 conference covered the latest trends in building decarbonization and tackled key challenges

Original publication by Urban Green Council • August 5, 2026

On June 3, nearly 400 building professionals gathered at NYU for NYC Next: 2026 Building Trends, our fastest-selling conference to date. An impressive group of sustainability leaders took the stage to examine the benefits of decarbonization, strategies for achieving key climate goals, and the challenges that lie ahead. 

Decarbonization is essential city infrastructure

Kickstarting the day, NYC Comptroller Mark Levine joined Urban Green Board Chair Sara Kendall to discuss how decarbonization adds value to New York City’s economy. He emphasized that climate action is not a luxury, but an essential investment in the city’s future. Whether helping to reach a goal of 30 percent tree canopy city-wide, or directing pension funds into building and preserving affordable housing, these investments lower costs, improve quality of life, and protect communities from extreme weather.  

Comptroller Levine underscored that green infrastructure is as essential as sewers and water mains, urging the audience to amplify decarbonization as a more affordable, livable New York City.

Sell the benefits, deliver the carbon reduction

In session one, panelists discussed how to effectively communicate the value of decarbonization in the current political and environmental moment. Fiona Cousins (Arup) served as the moderator for this discussion. Cousins led a candid discussion on how to meet stakeholders where they are and make the benefits of low-carbon buildings impossible to ignore. 

Decarbonization may drive the project, but it does not need to lead the pitch. Hrisa Gatzoulis (Rudin) noted that tenants are often more concerned with comfort, health, safety, and building performance than with energy efficiency. Building professionals can focus on stakeholders’ needs and priorities, while positioning decarbonization as a means of achieving those project goals. 

Anthony Fiore (NYSERDA) highlighted that clean energy jobs are outpacing all other jobs. Decarbonization is increasingly important and continually driven by new technologies and demand, creating direct pathways to new jobs.

In addition to workforce growth, clean energy projects are demonstrating long-term financial value for tenants and building owners. Fiore pointed to data illustrating the close relationship between sustainable building and affordability: “The state energy plan has shown that for most folks, energy efficiency and beneficial electrification can result in $100 to $300 of monthly energy savings.” 

Dana Schneider (Empire State Realty Trust) pointed to the importance of emphasizing financial incentives to build a strong business case for decarbonization. We have tons of data that show the benefits of decarbonization in terms of long-term cost savings, avoided health costs and other metrics that are important to people. 

While the political landscape may have shifted, the underlying case for decarbonization remains strong. By connecting the work to lower costs, healthier spaces, better building performance and job creation, building professionals can still reach a broad range of stakeholders while continuing to advance meaningful carbon reductions. 

Energy insecurity is a housing crisis

According to the latest federal data, energy insecurity affects roughly one in three U.S. households, with many more at risk. In our first fireside chat, Diana Hernández, sociologist at Columbia University, author of Powerless: The People’s Struggle for Energy, and trailblazer of energy insecurity research and visibility, joined Daphany Rose Sanchez (Kinetic Communities Consulting) to unpack the human consequences of unaffordable energy and inadequate housing. Households that can’t afford their utility bills tend to cope with unsafe temperatures in ways that compromise their health. As an example, Dr. Hernández mentioned that one in five New York City residents turn their stoves on to compensate for inadequate heating. 

Energy insecurity is not only an affordability problem. It is also a housing, habitability and public health crisis. Poorly performing homes expose residents to extreme temperatures, utility debt, disconnection and displacement.

When asked why she chose to dedicate so much of her work to the study of energy insecurity, Dr. Hernández emphasized that, “Solutions are only as good as the problems we’re seeking to solve, and when that’s poorly understood, the solutions don’t serve well.” 

Sanchez asked whether decarbonization and affordability are truly in tension—and what can we do to advance both? Dr. Hernández believes that decarbonization can support greater habitability and affordability—but those outcomes are not automatic. Delivering those benefits requires practitioners to keep people at the center of the work. If decarbonization represents “caring work” for our environment and planet, Dr. Hernández stated, “It should also be about caring for our people.”  

Meeting the multifamily moment: weatherize before you electrify

Multifamily buildings play a crucial role in the decarbonization effort. According to session moderator Danielle Manley (Urban Green Council), two-thirds of all Local Law 97 properties are multifamily, and more than half were built before 1940. “Modernizing these buildings is one of the most important and complicated challenges that we have in New York right now,” Manley said. However, the central question remains: How do we get there affordably, and ensure no one gets left behind?

The panelists shared opportunities for building owners to achieve the greatest impact for the lowest cost in multifamily decarbonization today. For instance, Kelly Ziegler (Con Edison) emphasized the importance of relatively minor interventions like weatherization, which can save up to 15 percent on energy usage. 

Looking ahead to the 2030 compliance deadline, the statistics are promising– one-third of buildings are already compliant, while another 25 percent of buildings need to reduce carbon emissions by less than 20 percent. The panel suggested that small optimization measures can help multifamily buildings reach their 2030 goals. At the panel’s conclusion, Kelly Westby (SWA) emphasized that achieving key decarbonization goals is an industry-wide effort and exchanging knowledge is essential. “The most important thing that we need to do today is share…” she stated. “If we’re not learning lessons together, we’re not moving the industry forward.” 

Building toward 2030

Closing out the conference, NYC Department of Buildings Deputy Commissioner for Sustainability, Laura Popa, joined Urban Green’s CEO, Chris Halfnight, to discuss the implementation of Local Law 97. Popa and Halfnight evaluated where the law stands today and the challenges it may face when it becomes more stringent in 2030.

Popa provided some exciting updates on the DOB’s LL97 audits thus far: 94 percent of building owners who needed to file did, which includes both buildings subject to Article 320 and 321; additionally, of the 11,400 reports from buildings that need to hit specific emissions limits (Article 320), 96 percent of the buildings are in compliance with their limit.  When asked about what happens if a building owner doesn’t file, or exceeds its carbon limits, Popa emphasized a supportive enforcement approach. NYC will help get late filers or buildings that exceeded their carbon emissions to the carbon cap finish line with programs like the NYC Accelerator or pathways including the “Good Faith Effort” option. Popa ensured: “Our only goal is getting [building owners] to file. We’re not interested in fining people.” 

Moving toward 2030, Popa explained that the most effective paths to compliance are still being explored. The Department is investigating topics like energy-efficiency metrics, occupant density, useful life of equipment and more. 

Popa closed with urgency and optimism. New York City’s scale and influence on the global stage have turned Local Law 97 into a test case, and cities around the world are watching: “This is it. This is our moment,” she said, “and it’s full speed ahead.” 

Mainstreaming decarbonization 

Across every session, one message came through: decarbonization works best when it makes buildings work better for people. If we are intentional about how we decarbonize our buildings, this work can do more than cut carbon—it can improve public health, enhance tenant comfort and safety, reduce operating costs, and ultimately, cultivate a more resilient, sustainable city for all.

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