There is an incredible talent pool of big-idea thinkers in the media and advertising world in New York. We should create a New York idea factory to be able to go out there and pump ideas into businesses that are so overwhelmed with this notion that the way to make money is cutting costs.

Ed Weiner, CEO, Hudson Media Services

Retrofitting city-owned buildings for clean energy would create jobs and might allow those buildings to become energy self-sufficient, with solar panels and small wind turbines. That would encourage solar manufacturers and others to locate in New York.

Carol Murphy, executive director, Alliance for Clean Energy New York Inc.

The continued funding of NYC & Company to promote the city’s tourism and visitation can help that segment of the city weather this downturn.

John A. Fox, vice president, PKF Consulting

Reinstate tax incentives for converting commercial space to residential use in lower Manhattan. The program—credited for revitalizing the financial district in the first part of this decade—would take commercial space off the market and boost slumping rents.

Barry Gosin, CEO, Newmark Knight Frank

We need to create job banks where people can go online or into some virtual space and have an opportunity to be better plugged into people who can provide emotional and practical support while they’re job hunting.

Marian Salzman, chief marketing officer, Porter Novelli

Switching to electric cars and biofuels will take time while post recession resurging global demand jacks gasoline prices beyond household budgets. Have rail in place for 2015-20 by starting now using historical rights of way to maintain worker mobility en mass. Supplement with buses and refocus development to Transit centric towns.

Daniel Peterson, PE
Transportation Prof, Columbia Univ

We need to commit to training the work force for the clean energy sector, from solar panel installers to software developers to manufacturers.

Tria Case, executive director, Center for Sustainable Energy at Bronx Community College

The city should encourage cheap, low-cost incubator space with high capacity … for telecom [and] information-based firms in which they would have a turnkey computer and high-bandwidth capability. We should also do as much as possible to encourage self-employment by changing our zoning codes to encourage combined live-work spaces.

Mitchell Moss, professor, New York University

While we need to look at a multi-pronged approach at rebuilding our economy, we must never lose focus of the creation and preservation of workforce housing. We must work closely with the city, state and federal government to craft innovative ways to ensure that we retain our commitment to housing that is available to all.

Stephen Ross, CEO, Related Cos.

To bolster the hospitality industry, we should increase international marketing. We don’t have enough advertising overseas compared to other destinations. We can increase support of NYC & Company, or we could open marketing offices abroad.

Kevin Smith, general manager, New Yorker Hotel

The cost of doing business in NY is very high and lowering it would encourage more people to bring companies her which would ultimatley generate more taxes, jobs and therefore stimulate the economy.

We need to either revive and/or reform the commercial mortgage-backed securities market since this is the first big year where a number of the CMBS mature. We need to be able to have replacements for the securities coming due.

Mary Ann Tighe, CEO for the New York Tristate region, CB Richard Ellis

Wall Street can’t be stigmatized as a source of the problem; the talent that we have in the city is going to provide the solution. This is a time for public-private partnerships in the real sense and to bring such a partnership to the national level.

Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO, Partnership for New York City

Three votes and cheers for this idea.

Building lab space for large biotech firms is good, but the city or state needs to create a fund to provide early-stage capital for private biotech companies.

Nathan Tinker, executive director, New York Biotechnology Association

For forty years, the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting has pushed New York as the ideal backdrop for movies and television. We should promote video gaming in the same way we have helped the film industry—by hiring city liaisons and offering tax breaks.

Eric Zimmerman, co-founder and chief designer, Gamelab

Provide financing for commercial mortgages to avoid a crisis in commercial properties similar to the one which has struck the residential market.

Steven Spinola, president, Real Estate Board of New York