Outgoing NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has released a new $90 billion dollar resiliency plan that will expand on an existing pilot program using the city’s own climate-based design guidelines as a precept.

The plan calls for a total of 40 new projects overseen by 23 different capital agencies within a five-year timeframe that will culminate in a strengthened bulwark against the deadly effects of climate change with a particular focus on New York’s oft-neglected “environmental justice areas.”  

City entities as diverse as NYCHA and the FDNY will receive between $1 and $3 billion apiece for projects which are the precursors to the soon-to-be-implemented Local Law 41, according to the mayor’s office. 

“Climate change is happening now and we have the guide we need to ensure our public infrastructure is protected in New York City,” Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “Roads, hospitals, public housing, and buildings need to be designed with the impact of extreme weather in mind, and the NYC Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines will make sure that happens.”

In addition to the environmental upgrades, new infrastructure projects include a host of renovations to existing roads, bridges, schools, and other public facilities as well as a new detention center for Manhattan and added affordable housing developments in The Bronx, and Gowanus, Brooklyn.

New York City has spent a whopping $14 billion in federal funding since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, although many resilience initiatives have been stalled or, in some cases, stymied by the overwhelming effects of storm damage exasperated by the climate.

“Every violent storm that hits our region is another reminder that we must build better, stronger, and for the future,” New York Building Congress CEO Carlo A. Scissura said. “This initiative is crucial because it guarantees that capital projects are all held to the same standards.” 

Incoming Mayor Eric Adams has said he will continue the fight with his own 20-point plan. The de Blasio term officially ends on December 31st. The entire announcement can be read here.