During Hurricane Sandy, Quinn and Bloomberg Defend Coastal Over-Development

From Queens Crap :

We know many people are not leaving the evacuation zone, and that many of them got there in the first place thanks to developments fostered by the Bloomberg administration. At his morning's briefing, The Observer asked the mayor if it was wise to continue encouraging development in these low-lying areas, like the Williamsburg and Queens waterfront, even along the fetid Gowanus Canal, which the mayor pushed to rezone. The mayor saw no reason to change course.

"People like to live in low-lying areas on the beach, it's attractive," Mayor Bloomberg said. "People pay more, generally, to be closer to the water even though you could argue they should pay less because it's more dangerous. But people are willing to run the risk."

Even as his administration encourages development in these areas, he did not believe it was necessary to undertake major infrastructure investments that could mitigate these storm surges.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn stepped in to argue that the city has already done a considerable amount to strengthen its built environment in the face of climate change and rising sea levels.