Our Mission
The CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities seeks to create awareness and understanding of the connections between the everyday lives of urban citizens and their natural world, leading to the discovery and use of cities like New York as a learning laboratory to create a sustainable future for cities worldwide.

Sustainability for People
The Institute works to connect New Yorkers and the public to its projects by extensive public programming and educational outreach. Serving as a facilitator, we aim to bring researchers, policy makers, and sustainability practitioners together through public events, to better connect people to the environmental issues they face.

Creating New Knowledge
The core projects of the Institute, focusing on climate change and energy use, consumption of resources, and cities by the coast, hone in on central issues of societal concern. The Institute brings together scientists, researchers, educators and students at the forefront of study in these areas to create cutting edge primary research for publication, presentation, policy development and teaching use. All resulting products are available to students, educators, and the public through our website and office.

Changing The Way People Think About The Environment
People tend to think of the built environment as void of nature. But when we begin to understand the importance of the eco-systems that support our urban existence, nature in the city comes to life. It is with this in mind that we aim to educate, empower, and encourage New Yorkers to become curious about the nature of their city and cities worldwide.