Bloomberg Launches Urban Technology Innovation Center

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg this week launched the city's new Urban Technology Innovation Center, a partnership between the mayor's office, local businesses and academic institutions. It is partly funded by the city - with $250,000 from the New York City Economic Development Corporation - and partly by three universities.

The UTIC claims three key objectives. First, it wants to boost the level of green technology development and innovation in the city of New York. Second, it will "promote best-practices sharing among building management stakeholders," according to the EDC website. That's something that Bloomberg should be able to help with, given his long reign over the city and his strong ties to the local business community.

Finally, the UTIC will try to draw more talent and entrepreneurs to New York to help boost the local green industry. New York is gaining something of a reputation as an alternative to Silicon Valley for small web start-ups, and UTIC appears to have a vision of the city as a green development hub as well. 

"We will never meet the ambitious carbon reduction goals in PlaNYC unless we reduce the emissions from New York’s one million existing buildings," said Mayor Bloomberg in a prepared statement. "By bringing together New York City’s business innovators, academics and building owners, the NYC Urban Technology Innovation Center will capitalize on some of our city’s greatest strengths, creating jobs and helping realize our vision of a greener, greater New York."

SprayFoam.com asks the SPF industry to inquire with the center to make sure the benefits of spray foam insulation are properly represented.