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A Year After Ida Floods, New York’s $27M Immigrant Relief Fund Doled Out Less Than $2M

The Ida relief fund for “Excluded New Yorkers” was set up by the city and state for people who suffered damages from the historic flooding but didn’t qualify for aid administered by FEMA because of their immigration status. But a year later, just a fraction of the funding has been used, and only 330 out of 554 have received a cash payout.
Here’s How NYC Tenants Can Test Their Drinking Water

The discovery of arsenic in the water supply at NYCHA’s Jacob Riis Houses is a scary reminder of how little control most people have over their taps. While most of the water in New York City apartment buildings is perfectly potable, older plumbing can leach toxins, especially lead, during the final stretch from street to sink.
NYC Looks to Tackle Extreme Heat via City Streets and Urban Forests

A federally funded pilot program and a study in parks both seek mitigation strategies for urban heat islands—areas that experience higher temperatures due to heat-absorbing infrastructure and lack of access to features like greenery and bodies of water.
Comptroller Proposes Roadmap to Legalize NYC’s Basement Apartments

Brad Lander’s Basement Resident Protection Law would create a “basement board” to oversee the conversions and ensure residents of these apartments—called accessory dwelling units or ADUs—have access to tenants' rights and basic safety protections. It comes a year after rains from Hurricane Ida killed 11 New Yorkers in basement units.
Opinion: Transit Riders Won Congestion Pricing. We Deserve To See It Happen

"With years of work, riders pried congestion pricing from a recalcitrant Albany. We intend to see the program fully and fairly rolled out next year. When congestion pricing is implemented, drivers will pay their equitable share to access the most heavily trafficked and transit adjacent neighborhoods in the United States."
City’s Heat-Vulnerable Neighborhoods Need More Cooling Centers, Comptroller Says

Queens had the fewest number of cooling centers based on population density with only five for every 100,000 people, while Manhattan had seven, an analysis by City Comptroller Brad Lander's office found. East Flatbush was the neighborhood with the worst access to cooling centers based on vulnerability.
Thousands of Formerly Flooded Homes Sold Last Year in New York: Report

In 2021 alone, New Yorkers purchased 7,645 homes with prior flood damages that totaled more than $23.5 million. The state's current flood disclosure law contains a loophole that "stacks the deck against buyers," a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council found.
Some Rikers Detainees Had No Air Conditioning During Heat Wave, Lawmakers Say

In the week before the recent heatwave, Department of Correction officials testified at a hearing that nearly 200 individuals incarcerated at the jail with conditions that are exacerbated by heat were still without air conditioning.

City Limits uses investigative journalism through the prism of New York City to identify urban problems, examine their causes, explore solutions, and equip communities to take action.

Founded in 1976 in the midst of New York’s fiscal crisis, City Limits exists to inform democracy and equip citizens to create a more just city. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by foundation support, ad sponsorship and donations from readers.

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