The de Blasio administration moved to answer concerns that rezonings, no mater how carefully constructed, can exacerbate displacement pressures in low-income neighborhoods.
The mayor sharply increased the number of housing placements for shelter residents. But ‘the steep increase in the number of newly homeless families is cause for great concern,’ the report finds.
Some community groups fear that rezonings will force low-income residents out. City Hall says rezonings are needed to prevent further loss of affordability. Amid a lack of clear evidence, any risks of the de Blasio rezonings will be borne primarily by low-income communities of color.
Responding to advocates who believe the trusts can ensure that today’s public investments deliver long-term affordability, HPD is seeking expressions of interest from non-profit groups.
Twelve neighborhoods have been spotlighted for possible rezonings under the mayor’s ambitious housing plan. Here’s where the proposals stand.
Surveys show people in neighborhoods hit hard by health disparities are full of ideas of how to solve them—at a time when the healthcare system is embracing some experimentation. Will the brainstorming and bucks meet?
The question isn’t whether economic alienation and housing pressure are as risky to health as smoking or poor diet. It’s whether the political will is there to do something about it.
Here’s a prediction that one might come to regret: There’s no way that 2017 could possibly be as soul-shattering as 2016 was.
Nearly 12 percent of the shelter population lives in hotel rooms. The arrangement is faulted for its cost and impact, but with 60,000 homeless, a ‘cluster-site’ program under fire and no shortage of NIMBY grandstanding against new shelters, it’s not likely to disappear.
Advocates want the city to require developers who take advantage of rezonings to hire local residents for construction jobs. The city fears a legal challenge, but San Francisco and Los Angeles are pushing ahead despite that risk.
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