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Newport News highlights Bloomberg sustainable cities partnership, early projects and resident engagement plan
Summary
City staff and a Bloomberg-funded I-team updated council on the city’s participation in the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative, early grant applications, a $150,000 in-kind solar installation pending council approval, and community workshops focused on flooding, air quality and housing affordability.
At a City Council work session Tuesday, March 11, Newport News staff and members of a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded I-team updated the council on the city’s participation in the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities (BASC) Initiative and on early project planning and grant applications.
The presentation outlined that Newport News was selected as one of 25 cities to join BASC and that Bloomberg Philanthropies has funded an I-team embedded with city staff since November 2024. Daniel Collins, I-team director, said, “Newport News was 1 of 25 cities selected to join this initiative, the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities Initiative or BASC.” He described BASC as a three-year effort to “build cleaner, more resilient, and economically thriving communities” through data analysis, human-centered design and grant support.
City staff and the I-team said the effort is concentrating initial work in neighborhoods facing economic barriers and environmental stress—issues the presenters listed as urban flooding, air quality (including coal dust), transit mobility, and the affordability of housing and energy. Collins said the team has begun community visioning and design workshops, including at Brooks Crossing, and that community-based organizations are being invited into recurring meetings.
The I-team described several early items staff plan to bring to council or to pursue through grant applications: an in-kind contribution for a $150,000 solar installation in the Southeast community that staff said will be brought to council for formal approval; consultant services donated to update the city’s sustainability roadmap (the current version dates to 2013) to be more community-focused; recent grant applications for green infrastructure to address flooding; and a planned, smaller feasibility study concerning fugitive coal dust after the city did not receive a larger $20 million study award. Collins said the team is also helping city offices increase grant application capacity and provide technical assistance to improve competitiveness.
Owen Miller, chief strategy officer, emphasized interdepartmental coordination, noting the I-team’s collaboration with the newly formed offices of sustainability, innovation and neighborhood services. The presentation said the I-team is completing recruitment for a data analytics manager and that BASC partners present for the week include the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation, PolicyLink, and the Sustainable Cities Fund; the Natural Resources Defense Council and other delivery partners were listed as program partners though not present that day.
Council members asked procedural and placement questions about where strategy and any resulting programs will be housed; City Manager Alan said the budget adopted last year included the staff capacity to start these functions and that responsibilities will be migrated into specialized areas as they build out. Collins closed by asking council for connections to residents and community organizations to help shape outreach and said the team would continue workshops and interviews as it moves from discovery into prototyping.
The presentation did not include any binding council votes on program adoption; staff said the solar installation and the in-kind consultant contributions will be presented to council for formal approval at a future meeting.
