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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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Mapping the Future

City Limits' Housing and Development Bulletin. News and Tools for New Yorkers to Navigate the Housing Crunch

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Must Reads

How the NYC Mayoral Candidates’ Housing Platforms Stack Up

‘If NYC’s leadership can commit to ending traffic deaths—not just to the tools they’ll use to achieve it but to the actual goal—then they should be able to do the same on the housing issues that shape our lives,’ housing advocates ANHD said in their analysis of the candidates’ written policies.
By Ese Olumhense
Will New York Make Good on Pledge to Convert Hotels into Affordable Homes?

The Assembly's Housing Committee is scheduled to vote on a measure Tuesday morning that would unlock $100 million in state funds to purchase unused hotels and convert them into affordable housing, what advocates say would serve as a template for future commercial-to-residential conversions.
By David Brand
Opinion: Use NYC’s Public Pension Funds to Supercharge Affordable Housing Production and Preservation

'The next mayor and comptroller can speed New York City’s recovery by working with public employee pension funds to increase investment in affordable housing, as they have in response to previous economic distress.’ Jarrett MurphyAn affordable housing construction site in Harlem.
By Michael D. Lappin
Three Gowanus Rezoning Viewpoints Take Stage at Marathon Public Hearing

Reluctant supporters say the 82-block upzoning proposal is flawed, but will nonetheless create thousands of below-market rate apartments.
By David Brand
Over 7,000 New Yorkers Apply for COVID Rent Relief in Program’s First Four Hours

The opening of the long-awaited Emergency Rental Assistance Program was marred by technical glitches and error messages on the state's online application portal.
By David Brand
NYC’s ‘Hollowed Out’ Enforcement Units Struggle to Keep Pace on Housing Discrimination Cases

Source of income discrimination constitutes the most common form of illegal housing bias in NYC.
By David Brand
City Council Votes to Raise Value of Housing Vouchers for Homeless New Yorkers

The City Council voted Thursday to raise the value of municipal rent subsidies for homeless New Yorkers, which advocates say will help thousands of individuals and families secure permanent housing and leave shelters—despite some flaws in the specifics of the legislation.
By David Brand
Council Will Hold Long-Awaited Vote to Raise Value of NYC Housing Vouchers

The bill would raise the value of city-backed housing subsidies for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
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: As Times Square Makes a Comeback, It’s Time to Help Those Still Struggling

'Many vulnerable individuals experiencing homelessness or in need of other services are shuttled into the criminal justice system in a cruel and costly revolving door, often leaving them rightfully distrustful of social services providers.'
By Lauren Curatolo, Tom Harris, Brenda Rosen and Ashwin Vasan
Opinion: NYC’s Next Mayor Should Commit to Upholding the Right to Shelter

‘The right to shelter provides unshakeable protections for those who would otherwise have no choice but to sleep on the street. Threats to the right to shelter by New York mayors aren’t new—Both Giuliani and Bloomberg mounted strident challenges to modify and undo it.’
By Tony Hannigan and Joe DeGenova
Opinion: COVID-19 Taught Us That Housing is Healthcare—NYC Must Pass Intro 146

‘As we start to pick up the pieces from the last 15 months, we have the opportunity to build back better. We refuse to go back to normal, because normal was broken. We cannot continue to warehouse people in overcrowded shelters or police people in the streets with no plan to move them into permanent housing.’
By Amy Blumsack and Amanda Ramsdell
Opinion: Budget Can Offer a Down Payment Towards a Caring and Compassionate New Deal for NYC

'We can address poverty and public health concerns by providing people the housing, social services and care they actually need—and by divesting from policing and incarceration.’
By Paulette Soltani
Opinion: NYC’s Next Mayor Must Focus on Eradicating Child Homelessness

'New York State could receive $23 billion as part of the ARPA, representing a once-in-a-lifetime financial base to significantly reduce childhood homelessness, a condition that often sets up the cycle for homelessness as an adult.'
By Mirtha Santana and Erasma Beras-Monticciolo