At a a recent hearing, members of the NYC Banking Commission heard from advocates who described redlining, predatory and discriminatory lending practices, and substantial investments in the fossil fuel industry by major banks applying to hold tens of millions of city dollars. Yet the commission promptly approved all of the nearly 30 banks that applied.
NYCHA’s target time is 30 days for apartment turnover. But as of April, it took the housing authority an average of 410 days to re-occupy a vacant apartment, up significantly from the start of the year and more than double what it took a year ago.
Last season, the city’s 25 beaches saw a total of 244 closures, either because water quality exceeded the city’s safety standards—determined by testing for the bacteria found in fecal matter—or because of excessive rainfall, which increases the likelihood of pollution entering local waterways. That’s up from 94 such closures during the 2021 season.
Brooklyn tenants are trying to dismantle barriers around a seldom-used 1960s-era law that can prohibit landlords from collecting rent when they fail to fix dangerous building conditions for months on end. The campaign just had its first breakthrough.
This summer, utility companies must submit plans detailing how they’ll implement a series of solutions to make electricity rates more affordable for electric vehicles. But their plan has fallen short of giving the MTA the preferential rate it says it needs to able to foot the bill, as it seeks to transition its 5,800-bus fleet off fossil fuels.
What could a city like New York achieve if it repurposed some of its 3 million curbside parking spots? It could help drivers kick their addictions to cars and avert climate catastrophe, writes Henry Grabar, author of the new book “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.”
While the total won’t be clear until remaining applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) are processed, a majority of the $391 in aid will likely go to the housing authority and other public housing tenants, with $35 million specifically earmarked for NYCHA. Still, thousands of New Yorkers living in public or subsidized housing did not apply for ERAP but continue to struggle with mounting debt.
“Over 600 union retail workers worked at the department store across the street from the World Trade Center. Many of them are now facing health challenges related to their toxic exposure…They, and so many others who were present there during and after the 9/11 attacks, need to be notified of their rights.”
“The real estate industry will play a key role in implementing these new standards and must move quickly to do so. That task might seem daunting, but the affordable housing sector has demonstrated that sustainable construction is both feasible and financially viable.”
In April 2022, THE CITY’s MISSING THEM project—along with Columbia Journalism Investigations, Type Investigations and City Limits—published a story that revealed that more than 8,600 New York City children have lost a parent or caregiver to COVID, a population that would entirely fill 15 average-size city schools.
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