Residence Manhattan, NY | Name Rohit Aggarwala | |
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Born 1971 Manhattan, NY Occupation Principal Advisor to the Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change of the United Nations Secretary GeneralProfessor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University Organization Bloomberg Associates Columbia UniversityBloomberg Philanthropies Books Progressive Censoring: Theory, Methods, and Applications | ||
Dr. Rohit T. Aggarwala, also known as Rit, is an American environmental policy advisor, transportation planner, and historian. He is currently the Chief Policy Officer at Sidewalk Labs.
Contents
- Early Career and Education
- Director of New York Citys Office of Long Term Planning and Sustainability
- Special Advisor to the C40 Chair
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Bloomberg Associates
- Columbia University
- Awards and honors
- Selected publications
- Articles
- Interviews
- References
Aggarwala is best known for his work as the Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability for New York City from 2006 until June 2010. In this role, he led the development and implementation of PlaNYC, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s long-term sustainability plan for New York City.
“PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York”, a long range plan for New York City’s continued growth through the year 2030. While maintaining the support of both the business and environmental communities, PlaNYC has led New York City to a 19% reduction in its overall carbon footprint since 2005. Mayor Bloomberg called him "the brains behind PlaNYC."
He serves on several boards, including that of the Regional Plan Association (RPA); the Urban Green Council; the advisory boards of the Eno Transportation Foundation and New World Capital. He is co-chair of the RPA’s Fourth Regional Plan, and was recently appointed to the Transportation Reinvention Commission of New York’s M.T.A.
In early 2013, he was briefly rumored to be a potential candidate to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Early Career and Education
Before joining the Bloomberg administration, Aggarwala was an associate at McKinsey & Company.
Aggarwala was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, New York and Rome. Aggarwala holds a B.A., M.B.A., and Ph.D from Columbia University, as well as a Master’s degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Director of New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability
Aggarwala’s accomplishments spearheading PlaNYC include the drafting and passage of the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, a comprehensive package of legislation requiring energy efficiency improvements in existing large buildings; rules requiring hybrid taxis, which despite a Federal lawsuit have resulted in 25 percent of the yellow taxi fleet converting to hybrid vehicles; the establishment and report of the Green Codes Task Force; and the creation of the first-of-its-kind New York City Panel on Climate Change, which developed official climate change forecasts for New York City. He also played a leading role in the proposal to bring congestion pricing to Manhattan in 2007, which was a PlaNYC initiative.
Special Advisor to the C40 Chair
From 2010 to 2013, Aggarwala served as a Special Advisor to the Chair of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a network of the world’s megacities taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Aggarwala served as Environmental Donations Director for the Bloomberg Philanthropies during which time it made a $50 million grant to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Initiative.
Bloomberg Associates
Prior to joining Sidewalk Labs Aggarwala was the leader of the sustainability practice at Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consulting firm that serves city governments.
Columbia University
Aggarwala is an adjunct Professor Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. In the past, he has also taught at Stanford University.