Solution Translate forward-looking climate projections into standardized, mandatory design criteria so that all municipal capital projects are built to withstand future — not historical — climate conditions. Key challenge Municipal infrastructure projects in New York City were being designed using historical climate data that no longer reflects future conditions, leaving new and substantially renovated public assets exposed to sea level rise, extreme heat, and intensifying storms over their full useful lives. Context New York City faces compounding urban climate risks: sea levels are projected to rise significantly by mid-century, extreme heat events are intensifying, and major precipitation events are becoming more frequent and severe. Prior to Local Law 41 of 2021, no binding requirement existed to apply climate projections consistently across New York City's more than 20 capital agencies. Solution in practice The NYC Climate Resiliency Design Guidelines (CRDG), developed by the Mayor's Office of Climate Resiliency, translate future climate projections into actionable technical design criteria for city capital projects. Version 4.1 (May 2022) provides hazard-specific guidance across extreme heat, increased precipitation, sea level rise and tidal inundation, and coastal storms, differentiated by facility type. Local Law 41 of 2021 mandated a pilot Program under which more than 20 city capital agencies are designing approximately 40 projects to the CRDG standard. A full resilient design mandate is scheduled to begin on 31 December 2026. Impact / outcome About 40 projects across 20+ agencies designed to the guidelines under Local Law 41; full mandate from 31 December 2026. Next steps The NYC CRDG model — a statutory mandate, a shared technical standard, and a phased implementation Program — demonstrates how cities can systematically de-risk public capital investment through shared climate data. A coalition could work with other major cities to develop analogous mandatory design standards, particularly in fast-growing urban centers where capital investment decisions being made now will define climate exposure for 30–50 years. Organizations involved Authoring: NYC Mayor's Office of Climate & Environmental Justice Implementation partners Local Governments; Regulators & Policymakers; Data Providers; Property value chain stakeholders