New Builds NYC

New Builds NYC is a web portal launched in 2034 in conjunction with DEBUG to better protect NYC residents from misregulated building developments. As part of the approval process, all potential builds must be submitted through this site. Once submitted, our computational model will assess building metrics and publish them for public and committee review. The public can use these metrics to reach out to their committee members and inform their vote. Elected committee members then vote on which projects will advance based on these metrics.

Prior to the implementation of New Builds NYC, there was no requirement for assessing a future build's impact on the local community. New Builds NYC sought to change that, and has been implemented in policy as the first tool of its kind required for project approval.

New Builds NYC collects public data from NYC Open Data, P.L.U.T.O., and other historical data sources to create the most up-to-date analysis metrics. Metrics include average loss of daily summer shade, average loss of daily winter sunlight, change in average building age, and anticipated rent increase. Developers upload their proposed 3D building design files and which are then imported into our model. Our tools use this to calculate these metric results using a combination of Grasshopper and Rhino.

In response to the tragic events of 2029, NYC Mayor Hughes commissioned the development of New Builds NYC and the creation of DEBUG, the Department of Equitable Built Urban Growth. Computational modeling professionals from Columbia GSAPP and NYU CUSP were contracted to complete the project.

As a NYC resident, New Builds NYC gives you the power to know and have a say in what is being built in your neighborhood. Updated daily, this site includes potential future build metrics and visualizations, background information, and committee member current positions. With this information, you are empowered to selectively choose your DEBUG representatives and contact them should you disagree with their position.

New Builds NYC harnesses location technology to keep individuals updated on future builds in their area. This technology allows us to notify you when a new build is proposed in your area, and send a notification when you pass by a future potential build. To opt out of notifications, please contact us at help@nbnyc.gov.

We make every effort to ensure the highest confidentiality and security for your data. In this context, we take all necessary technical and organizational measures to ensure our network, infrastructure and information systems are protected. People only have access to your personal data if it is absolutely necessary. Personal data is treated with strict professional discretion in compliance with all technical requirements to ensure confidentiality. In addition, we want to prevent unauthorized people from accessing, processing, modifying or destroying your data.

In the case of data breaches, which may entail risks to your privacy, both you and the Commission for the Protection of Privacy are notified in accordance with our legal obligations. In such an eventuality, we will make every effort to resolve the breach as quickly as possible and to limit the consequences.

Right of Access

Would you like to know if you are registered in our database and what data we have about you? Do you want to know how we collected your data? To get answer to these questions and more, you can exercise your "right of access". In accordance with the GDPR, you have the right to ask us:

If you are included in our database
What we do with your data
Which categories of data we have about you
Which recipients or categories of recipients we can transfer your personal data to
About the shelf life of your data
To confirm the existence of your rights (see below)
About the source of your data (if you have not shared your data yourself)
To confirm the existence of an automatic profile about you, the logic behind it, its meaning and consequences
If the information has been transmitted outside the European Economic Area, and which safeguard measures have been taken pursuant to the GDPR

Right to Data Portability

You also have the right to the portability of personal data that concerns you and that you have communicated directly to us.

Right to Object

In the case of a dispute regarding the processing of your data, you may request the limitation of the processing of your data. In this case, we will not use your data until the dispute has been resolved.

Right to be Forgotten

You also have the right to request that your data are completely removed from our database in the cases listed by law (illegal treatment, treatment useless for the purposes pursued, if you have consented to the treatment and you withdraw this consent - among others).