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Panel Discussion

Climate Change, Energy, and the Environment

Blue Skies Ahead: Designing Next Generation Buyout Programs

Sunday, April 26, 2026

11:30 AM - 12:15 PM CT

Location: HPCC, Room 410AB

CM: .75

Division Endorsement: Transportation Planning Division

Moderator and Speaker(s)

Paul Onyx Lozito, AICP (he/him/his)

Deputy Executive Director
NYC Mayors Office of Climate and Environmental Justice
BRONX, New York

Speaker(s)

Adam F. Lubinsky, AICP

Managing Principal
WXY Studio
New York, New York
Bahij Chancey, AICP (he/him/his)

Managing Director
WXY Studio
Brooklyn, New York

Slides

As climate risks intensify, municipalities face growing pressure to design buyout programs that move beyond post-disaster recovery and toward long-term resilience. New York City's innovative effort to create a permanent, voluntary, "blue sky" buyout program is one of the first of its kind in a major urban setting.

Learn how planners can:

Translate lessons from past programs (e.g., NY Rising, Build It Back) into durable frameworks;

Integrate equity, affordability, and community engagement into relocation and land acquisition strategies;

Align funding streams across federal, state, and local programs;

Develop planning tools for valuation, relocation assistance, and post-acquisition land management.

The presentation highlights how planners can apply practical methods - such as data-driven site prioritization, interagency coordination models, and community-centered engagement - to design programs that meet both resilience and housing needs. Emphasizing inclusivity, presenters examine how buyouts can reduce displacement burdens, expand relocation options, and ensure that environmental justice communities are meaningfully included.
Closed Captioning

Learning Objectives:

Leave with actionable strategies to build or adapt buyout programs in your own region, ensuring communities facing sea level rise, flooding, or extreme weather can plan for safe, equitable futures.
Identify key design elements of a permanent, voluntary, “blue sky” buyout program tailored for dense urban environments.
Evaluate strategies for aligning funding streams, property valuation, and relocation support to ensure equitable, human-centered buyout programs.