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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

Tracking the Number of People in NYC Homeless Shelters in 2022

How many people spend each night in a New York City homeless shelter?
By David Brand
As NY’s Eviction Moratorium Nears its End, Will Albany Pass ‘Good Cause’ Bill?

Hundreds of thousands of households across the state already owe back rent as a result of the pandemic, and face eviction when protections expire on Jan.
By David Brand and Daniel Parra
Hochul Takes on 421-a. Will It Be a Rebrand of the Existing Developer Tax Break?

In her State of the State plan, the governor pitched “a different kind of abatement program” to replace 421-a, which critics see as a developer-friendly policy that siphons nearly $2 billion per year from the municipal property tax pool.
By David Brand
Brooklyn Developer’s Rezoning Proposal Would Add 400-Foot Towers to Broadway Junction

The project would create about 664 housing units, two commercial towers and a new park in place of vehicle lots and low-rise buildings in an area that city officials have been eyeing for years for potential economic and real estate development.
By David Brand
City Watch: Should NYC Land Use Decisions Consider Hospital Capacity?

New Queens Councilmember Lynn Schulman wants to incorporate hospital capacity into New York City’s zoning process, following decades of medical facility closures, including several in Queens.
By David Brand
House Flippers Continue to Target East New York. Residents Blame the 2016 Rezoning

Home prices in the predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood began to tick up before then-Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to rezone 190 blocks in 2014.
By David Brand
NYC’s Waterfront Plan Maps Out Next Decade for City’s Coastlines

The nearly 300-page report is the first waterfront plan since Superstorm Sandy, and comes at the end of a year in which the city was rocked by multiple severe weather events.
By Liz Donovan
As COVID Surges Again in NYC Shelters, Advocates Renew Call for Hotel Rooms

The number of COVID-positive New Yorkers staying in city shelters or connected with outreach workers more than doubled during the first two weeks of December.
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: At Midnight, a New Year Begins—and History Gets its Hands on Bill de Blasio

“From the vantage point of future decades, his many flaws and huge mistakes—all so apparent to us who have watched his day-to-day mayoralty—are unlikely to be as visible as the major decisions he made which, in many cases, were pretty sound and made the city a better place.”
By Jarrett Murphy
Opinion: Gowanus Rezoning Shows How We Can Plan Together For a Fairer NYC

‘This plan did not start in a developer’s office, or at City Hall. It started through community planning, a series of public conversations that generated core principles for what inclusive, sustainable growth in the neighborhood would require.’
By Michelle de la Uz and Brad Lander
Opinion: Universal Rental Assistance Could Help End the Homelessness Crisis

‘Currently only 25 percent of eligible households receive the housing voucher, meaning that nearly everyone in need of aid does not receive it. The impact of fully funding vouchers would be astounding: it would help an estimated 1.1 million households in New York state alone.’
By Amie Pospisil and Frederick Shack
Opinion: Why Housing is Key to Addressing the Public Health Crisis of Racism

‘Expanding supportive and affordable housing for homeless families in New York City would immediately save lives and dramatically improve health outcomes for families of color in the long-term.’
By Nicole Branca
Opinion: NYC Needs Diverse Housing Solutions. Start By Legalizing SROs

'Single room occupancy units are one of the earliest forms of affordable housing, allowing hundreds of thousands of working-class residents to live here. And yet, New York City has limited their construction for 65 years, supposedly in the name of progress.'
By Samuel Tran