A unified building industry is key to success.New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. has witnessed dramatic successes in the design, construction and real estate industry over the past several years. Development in Times square and Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan is the southernmost part of the island of Manhattan, the main island and center of business and government of the City of New York. Lower Manhattan is generally defined as the area delineated on the north by Chambers Street, on the west by the Hudson River (North are recreating these historic districts. Unprecedented outer borough development, notably in Queens and Brooklyn Brooklyn (br  k`lĭn), borough of New York City (1990 pop. 2,300,664), 71 sq mi (184 sq km), coextensive with Kings co., SE N.Y. , is expanding the City's residential and
commercial centers, to name just a few.
Encouraging private sector development, however, is a never-ending task. The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Building Congress, its more than 300 member organizations and other industry associations and labor, are united in the need to create a City conducive con·du·cive adj. Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity. See Synonyms at favorable. to business, tourism, education and, ultimately, the safety and quality of life of its residents and employees through sensible, coordinated and ongoing capital investment. Despite recent positive activity, many elected officials, faced with tight fiscal restraints, are reluctant to authorize To empower another with the legal right to perform an action. The Constitution authorizes Congress to regulate interstate commerce. authorize v. to officially empower someone to act. (See: authority) new funding, and the building community must convince public officials of the need for ongoing infrastructure renewal, which is not an easy task. Capital investment does not yield immediate payoffs, making it less enticing. Too often, this lack of continued and dedicated funding has created emergency situations. The subway subway: see rapid transit. subway Underground railway system used to transport passengers within urban and suburban areas. The first subway line, 3. system, for example, deteriorated to such an extent in the 1970's that, 20 years and $20 billion later, we are still playing catch-up. In addition, the City's school system currently suffers from overcrowding overcrowding overcrowding of animal accommodation. Many countries now publish codes of practice which define what the appropriate volumetric allowances should be for each species of animal when they are housed indoors. Breaches of these codes is overcrowding. and dangerous physical conditions. Both fell into disrepair in the absence of dedicated investment and long-term Long-term Three or more years. In the context of accounting, more than 1 year. long-term 1. Of or relating to a gain or loss in the value of a security that has been held over a specific length of time. Compare short-term. capital strategies. Such emergency conditions cause employers to leave the region or forego relocating to the City. To prevent this, all segments of the building community - including trade labor, contractors, architects, engineers and subcontractors, and real estate managers and developers - must emphasize the wisdom of on-going infrastructure investment, public/private partnerships and dedicated sources of capital funding. Communicating this critical message requires unified and focused lobbying efforts on specific proposals, long-term capital strategies and the benefits of funding mechanisms which are free from yearly budgetary pressures. To this end, the Building Congress employs a number of consensus-building activities. Monthly forums give public officials responsible for capital budgets the opportunity to explain their priorities and budgets, while giving members the chance to discuss their concerns and recommendations. A host of networking opportunities, such as breakfast sessions with City Council members and awards dinners and luncheons, allow leaders of the design, construction and real estate community to meet on a regular basis. Program committees and task forces cover the full range of industry concerns and provide for the free exchange of ideas and updates on ongoing issues of importance, as well as specific projects and long-term priorities. Newsletters, annual reports and other timely communications also keep members informed on industry events and developments. All of these and other efforts form the core of the Building Congress' mission: to create a strong and united coalition dedicated to New York City's long-term growth and its continued status as the unofficial un·of·fi·cial adj. Of or being a drug that is not listed in the United States Pharmacopeia or the National Formulary. capital of the world. Leaders throughout the building community are encouraged to become active in setting an agenda based on the collective pursuit of jobs, development, infrastructure renewal, and sound investment in the building blocks of a prosperous economy. The New York Building Congress is a non-partisan, 77-year old public policy coalition of business, labor, professional, association and governmental organizations representing the design and construction community. Its 300 corporate, institutional and labor union labor union: see union, labor. members comprise some 100,000 individuals. |
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