For my final project I would like to go further in depth on my midterm project about creating a sustainable city in New York City. One of the things I struggled with in that paper was deciding whether or not I wanted to go into detail on a few changes, or address many possible changes. I ended up electing to go with the latter option, and my paper ended up being more of a review on various sustainable measures that have been taken by various cities around the world. Thus, I feel that the extended length of this project will give me the space to go further in-depth on sustainability in transportation, construction, urban planning and in politics. However, it will also allow me to expand and explain more specifically why these changes fit in New York City.
In addition to looking further into the topics I discussed in my midterm paper. I would like to address New York specific problems as well. These include looking at the light pollution from all the signs in Times Square and also the pollution caused by millions of tourists who travel to visit Times Square. Other potential topics include researching the city’s new subway upgrade project and more facts about the relationship between the subways and the environment i.e. how much carbon is saved by someone taking a subway rather than a taxi and how detrimental are subway delays to sustainable efforts. Overall, these questions and more will contribute to a much more concrete plan and overview of New York’s sustainable future.
