Rohit Aggarwala

Rohit Aggarwala
Born 1971
Manhattan, NY
Residence Manhattan, NY
Occupation

Principal Advisor to the Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change of the United Nations Secretary General

Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
Organization

Bloomberg Associates Columbia University

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Dr. Rohit T. Aggarwala, also known as Rit, is an American environmental policy advisor, transportation planner, and historian. He currently leads the sustainability practice at Bloomberg Associates[1] and is the Advisor to the Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change of the United Nations Secretary General. Aggarwala teaches and conducts research as a Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.[2]

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.[3] 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.[1][4] Mayor Bloomberg called him "the brains behind PlaNYC."[5]

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.[2] 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.[6]

In early 2013, he was briefly rumored to be a potential candidate to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.[7]

Early Career and Education

Before joining the Bloomberg administration, Aggarwala was a management consultant at McKinsey & Company from 2002 to 2006 where he primarily served clients in the transportation and logistics industry in the United States and Europe.[8] He also served as Special Assistant to the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration during the Clinton Administration.[9]

Aggarwala was born in New York City and grew up in White Plains, New York and Rome.[10] Rit 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.[8]

Director of New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability

From 2006 to 2010, Aggarwala served as the Director of New York City’s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability where he was charged with developing and implementing New York City’s long-term sustainability plan known as PlaNYC, a 25-year roadmap comprising 127 separate initiatives across six major areas of concern, including land, water, transportation, energy, air, and climate change.[11]

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.[12]

Special Advisor to the C40 Chair

Since 2010, Aggarwala has served as the 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.[13] He currently serves as Special Advisor to Mayor Eduardo Paes and Michael Bloomberg in their capacities as Chair and President of the Board of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, respectively.[14]

Bloomberg Philanthropies

From 2010 to 2013 Aggarwala served as Mayor Bloomberg’s philanthropic advisor on environmental issues, during which time developed a $140 million philanthropic program to reduce America’s reliance on coal, promote a clean, safe, and abundant domestic natural gas supply, and encourage clean energy and efficiency, as well as protect the world’s oceans from overfishing. This included a $50 million grant to the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Initiative.[15]

Bloomberg Associates

Aggarwala leads the sustainability practice at Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consulting firm that serves city governments.[1]

Columbia University

Aggarwala is a Professor of Professional Practice in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs as of 2013.[2] In the past, he has also taught at Stanford University.

Awards and Honors

Selected Publications

Articles

Interviews

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rohit T. Aggarwala - Principal, Sustainability". Bloomberg Associates.
  2. 1 2 3 "Rohit Aggarwala". Columbia University.
  3. ↑ Mayor Bloomberg Announces Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability Rohit T. Aggarwala Stepping Down in June, News from the Blue Room http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2010a%2Fpr141-10.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1, accessed 2013-05-21
  4. ↑ "Groups Embrace PLANYC 2030". Environmental Defense Fund.
  5. ↑ "Chair of the C40". C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
  6. ↑ "MTA Establishes Transportation Reinvention Commission". Metropolitan Transit Authority. June 24, 2014.
  7. ↑ Eilperin, Juliet (January 16, 2013). "Salazar departure leaves ‘green’ posts vacant". The Washington Post.
  8. 1 2 Rohit T. Aggarwala, Eno Center for Transportation, http://www.enotrans.org/profile/rohit-t-rit-aggarwala accessed 2013-21-05
  9. ↑ Rohit Aggarwala, Special Advisor to the Chair, GreenBiz.com http://www.greenbiz.com/speaker/rohit-aggarwala accessed 2013-21-05
  10. ↑ Annie Karni, “Planner behind Bloomberg’s PlaNYC,” New York Observer, May 29, 2007 http://www.nysun.com/new-york/planner-behind-bloombergs-planyc/55342/
  11. ↑ Interview with Rohit Aggarwala, NYC Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability, Opportunity Green, http://www.opportunitygreen.com/green-business-blog/2009/11/02/interview-with-rohit-aggarwala-nyc-director-of-long-term-planning-and-sustainability/, accessed 2013-05-21
  12. ↑ Mayor Bloomberg Announces Director of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability Rohit T. Aggarwala Stepping Down in June, News from the Blue Room, http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/menuitem.c0935b9a57bb4ef3daf2f1c701c789a0/index.jsp?pageID=mayor_press_release&catID=1194&doc_name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nyc.gov%2Fhtml%2Fom%2Fhtml%2F2010a%2Fpr141-10.html&cc=unused1978&rc=1194&ndi=1, accessed 2013-05-21
  13. ↑ About C40, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group http://c40.org/about, accessed 2013-05-21
  14. ↑ C40 Leadership, http://c40.org/c40chair, accessed 2013-05-15
  15. ↑ Shogren, Elizabeth (July 21, 2011). "Mayor Bloomberg Donates $50 Million To Sierra Club". NPR.
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