In Fall 2019, the Office of Sustainability surveyed the NYU community in NYC on transportation. The survey received over 16,500 responses for an overall response rate of 23%. It is estimated that, during a typical year, 94% of the NYU community uses mass transit or self-powered modes of commuting, with the subway and walking accounting for 68% of commutes. Since 2009, bike commuting has grown seven-fold.

Key findings and next steps that can help improve the sustainability of transportation at NYU are in the table below, or read the full report.

Key Finding  Next Step
Safety concerns deter cycling Disseminate more bike safety information and examine ways to encourage bike infrastructure improvement around NYU locations
More bike parking is desired Bike parking spaces nearly doubled in Manhattan and Brooklyn; re-evaluate bike parking needs after full return to campus
Lack of awareness of NYU's transit programs & benefits Assist respective unit-owners in publicizing transit benefits/programs
Building occupancy varies greatly between weekdays/weekends Work with schools/units in updating building schedules to reflect actual occupancy
Significant local air travel Encourage policies that discourage NYU-sponsored flights within the Northeast
Bar graph describing "Modes of transit." See expandable for long description.

Figure 1

Modes of transit

94% of all commutes involved public or self-powered modes of transportation.

Bar graph showing mode share change since 2009. See expandable for long description.

Figure 2

Change in mode share since 2009

Since 2009, biking has increased over seven-fold, which can be attributed in large part to the introduction of Citi Bike.

Map describing zip codes in the immediate tri-state area from which NYU community members not living in NYU housing departed to come to NYU. See expanable for long description.

Figure 3

Where NYU commuters depart from

The largest density of community members not living in NYU housing are coming from zip codes surrounding Washington Square and downtown Brooklyn.

Bar graph showing flight frequency by destination region. See expanable for long description.

Figure 4

Flight frequency by region

NYU traveled an estimated 176 million flight miles in 2019. Over 20% of all NYU flights are within Eastern North America.