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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

The City Touts Progress on Street Homeless Outreach. Critics Say It’s More of the Same

The mayor says his focus on clearing unsheltered New Yorkers out of public spaces is part of a necessary strategy to connect a hard-to-reach population with city services.
By Jeanmarie Evelly
Opinion: Supportive Housing Can Help Break the Cycle Between Homelessness and Incarceration

"Deeply affordable housing with supportive services for this population has a proven track record of success and hits all the Adams administration's goals of efficiency, smart government, addressing problems at their root, and getting things done."
By Patricia Hernandez, Bea De la Torre, JoAnne Page and Cynthia Stuart
Eric Adams’ Revised Housing Budget ‘Just Not Enough,’ Despite Boost for Shelter Beds

"Coming out of this pandemic, addressing our affordable housing and homeless crisis is something that the mayor should be meeting with some urgency and a major expansion of resources," said Rachel Fee, executive director of New York Housing Conference.
By Jeanmarie Evelly
Newark Council Votes to Strike Controversial Law Banning Homeless Families with NYC Rent Subsidies

The voucher program, known as Special One-Time Assistance (SOTA), covers a year of rent for New Yorkers with a steady income who move out of city shelters—and usually out of NYC altogether.
By David Brand
Community Land Trusts Would Get First Dibs at Buying Properties Under Revised Council Bill

The Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA) has the backing of organizations that preserve affordable housing, but has encountered criticism from the real estate industry and skepticism from city housing officials. Jeanmarie EvellyA for sale sign on a building in Brooklyn.
By David Brand
La ciudad está expulsando a las personas sin hogar de las calles y el metro ¿A dónde irán?

El gobierno de Adams ha promocionado los Safe Havens (Refugios Seguros) como una alternativa para aquellos que prefieren dormir al aire libre que en un refugio tradicional para personas sin hogar.
By David Brand
Council Housing Chair Proposes Steeper Fees for Building Owners With Repeat Heat Outages

Bronx Councilmember Pierina Sanchez introduced a bill Thursday that would more than double reinspection fees for landlords who accrue multiple hazard violations within a 12-month period.
By David Brand
NYC’s Long-Understaffed Voucher Discrimination Unit Now Has Zero Employees

Advocates say the limited enforcement undermines the effectiveness of the city’s own rental assistance vouchers, putting New Yorkers at risk of homelessness or extending the amount of time they remain in shelters even if they have the means to pay.
By David Brand

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: To Protect Chinatown and the LES, Pass the Two Bridges Community Plan

"It’s easy to cast all opposition to developments as NIMBY, but this ignores crucial racial and economic differences between neighborhoods and disparities in who has the power to decide the future of their communities."
By Chris Walters
Opinion: We Need More Housing–Not More Cops–to Make Our Subways Safer

"If we are truly invested in preventing and eventually ending this horrific blight of hatred and violence against people who are homeless, we must work to end homelessness itself. This can be accomplished in two phases: immediately offering stabilization beds to New Yorkers living on the street, and providing permanent affordable housing."
By Alicia Singham Goodwin and Brandon West
Opinion: Coercion and Institutionalization Won’t Fix NY’s Mental Health Crisis

"We must reject policies that single out, scapegoat, and sweep away the rights of our neighbors with mental illness."
By Harvey Rosenthal
Opinion: 421-a Has Benefited Tens of Thousands of New Yorkers. That’s Why We Should Pass Hochul’s Replacement.

“The governor’s bill maintains many of the core aspects of 421-a that have been vital to our city’s economic success and is a positive first step.”
By Brett Gottlieb
Opinion: Demanding Greater Accountability in Wake of Fatal Bronx Fire

'The incident has sparked a national conversation about housing injustice and raised a critical question that we must all ask ourselves: Why must it take a high death toll to acknowledge the dangers of substandard housing?’
By Siya Hegde