Jersey City, like many other cities on the East Coast, was hit particularly hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The city also faces regular rainstorms that cause street flooding and sewage system overflows. Tree coverage is a critical component of flood management, but Jersey City’s tree canopy is not large enough to be effective. As one of seven cities taking part in the Prepared Together program, the city is engaging citizens to increase green infrastructure and strengthen resilience efforts. Through the program, the city is creating a Citizen Forestry program that will help expand the urban canopy by planting more trees and creating small-scale infrastructure, including rain gardens that alleviate flooding and allow for rainwater runoff.
Jersey City now has a new community engagement platform called, “Serve Jersey City”, which helps volunteers actively connect with service opportunities.
Jersey City has been a member of the Cities of Service coalition since 2015, when Mayor Steven Fulop signed the Declaration of Service.
Mayor Steven M. Fulop
A native of New Jersey, Mayor Steven M. Fulop was elected to office in 2013 and has made Jersey City one of the greenest towns in the nation. Prior to becoming mayor, he served eight years as a councilman and three years in the United States Marine Corps. In the private sector, Mayor Fulop worked for Goldman Sachs and Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.