City Limits - In-depth New York City News

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Mapping the Future

Mapping the Future investigates and explains the history, economics, politics and policies that shape the way land is used in the city of New York and beyond. It is supported by the Ford Foundation and the Neighborhoods First Fund.

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Must Reads

Opinion: To Reach New York’s Most Vulnerable, Vaccines Must Literally ‘Hit the Streets’

'To reach those currently experiencing homelessness, it is essential for organizations with longstanding visibility to be empowered and unrestricted to vaccinate in non-traditional settings.
By Mark Jennings
State Temporarily Waives ‘Lawsuit Requirement’ for Family Rent Supplement Program

The change will suspend a requirement for the Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) where applicants had to show proof that their landlord had filed an eviction against them in housing court for rent payments.
By Sadef Ali Kully
City’s Preliminary Budget Offers More Housing Funds, But Maintains Cuts to Some Programs

HPD would see its capital funding restored with a slight increase in the mayor’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2022.
By Sadef Ali Kully
Opinion: The $4 Billion Housing Blueprint for New York City’s Next Mayor

‘We call on the next mayor to invest… $2.5 billion for affordable housing rental and homeownership opportunities and $1.5 billion for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), and to move the city’s reporting structure away from raw production totals and into more meaningful areas, including racial equity and levels of affordability.’ Adi TalwarA New York City Housing Authority building in the Ingersoll Housing complex near Downtown Brooklyn.
By Rachel Fee
In Confronting Family Homelessness, Candidates Asked to Think Beyond Housing

Advocates believe the city won't see meaningful reductions in the number of kids who grow up partly in homeless shelters until policies target the social mobility of women of color.
By Jarrett Murphy
The Waiting Game for Pandemic Rent Relief in New York

State lawmakers are taking a third pass at amending the rent relief program to reach more people, but some housing advocates – who are calling for the cancellation of rent– have slammed the legislation as putting the burden to getting assistance on tenants’ shoulders.
By Sadef Ali Kully
What to Ask Mayoral Candidates Who Say They Can Solve NYC’s Housing Crisis

Thirteen questions for the candidates, to separate meaty plans from mere paperwork.
By Jarrett Murphy
City Council Speaker Defends His Comprehensive Planning Bill in First Public Hearing

Corey Johnson says his ‘Planning Together’ proposal will help create a more just and inclusive city planning process.
By Sadef Ali Kully

The Neighborhoods

Click on a neighborhood to get news, documents, opinions and videos about that community.

Key

Proposal Anticipated

Proposal in Approval Process

Proposal Approved

Proposal Defeated or Withdrawn

Rezoning Status

Bay Street

Bushwick

Downtown Far Rockaway

East Harlem

East New York

Flushing West

Gowanus

Inwood

Jerome Avenue

Long Island City

Southern Boulevard

Sunset Park

Two Bridges/Chinatown

Upper West Side

Mapping the Future: Opinion

Opinion: Five Myths About the Gowanus Rezoning

‘The city, public officials, and developers have all built an increasingly fevered false sense of urgency that shows just how desperate they are to ram through the rezoning while the public is sidelined by the pandemic, economic crisis, and weak sauce virtual hearings.’
By Linda La Violette, Penn Rodeen and Benjamin Shepard
Opinion: Homeless People are Worthy of Housing — It’s Time to Stop the Stigma

‘Stigmatizing and criminalizing homeless people is just another tool the real estate industry uses to maintain status quo and maximize their bottom lines. The stigmatization must stop — we need to end this prejudice and get honest about who is homeless and why.’
By Rebeka Bryan
Opinion: Top-Down Comprehensive Planning Will Further Empower Those on Top

‘Upon close examination, the speaker’s proposal falls short and leaves the door wide open for the continuation of City Planning’s top-down, developer-driven rezonings by offering them a new shroud of legitimacy: a comprehensive plan engineered by city officials that fast-tracks rezonings.’
By Tom Angotti
Opinion: City Council Should Approve Cea Weaver’s Nomination to the City Planning Commission

'Time and time again, we have seen the concerns of community members come to fruition, as rezonings have led to rampant gentrification and displacement in working class communities of color across the city.’
By Katelin Penner
Opinion: Moving Toward Just Land Use and Housing Policies in NYC

‘Across the city, the mayor and developers are pushing rezonings and development projects that attempt to rip out the fertile roots of people and place, to wholly redefine city neighborhoods for a wealthier and whiter population.’
By Cheryl Pahaham and Paul Epstein