Telling the Story of Cities
Here’s what the Wagner Planner staff is reading. This week: a decades-long battle in the East Village continues, suburban evictions (and an eviction-crime link), plus progress on congestion pricing. In Epic Battle for CHARAS/El Bohio Building, Owner Gregg Singer Buys Time With Bankruptcy Filing (THE CITY) – “At the first auction in 1998, activists were… Read more What We’re Reading – April 4th
As part of the Harlem Is Not For Sale movement, organizers are rejecting the typical income thresholds for their own affordable housing demands. Under the metal gas station canopy, the winter breeze intensifies on a calm Saturday afternoon in late January. A small crowd of about 50 people gather, holding signs and speaking into megaphones… Read more Harlem Organizers are Building Their Own Criteria for Development
Legislators ought to support the proposal, rather than water it down, and actually tackle the housing crisis New York governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious “New York Housing Compact” proposal is at risk of being gutted during the state budget negotiation process. Earlier this month, the New York State Assembly and Senate each released their own budget… Read more Governor Hochul’s proposed Housing Compact would be transformative – but it’s at risk
Here’s what the Wagner Planner staff is reading. This week: an unprecedented rent decrease, office-to-residential conversion puzzles, and an update on NYC’s trash conundrum. Philly Plans to Cap the Vine Street Expressway to Reconnect Chinatown (The Philadelphia Inquirer) – “The planning also will address ground-level Vine Street itself, where traffic is plentiful and fast, so… Read more What We’re Reading – March 21st
We know what’s wrong with HUD’s methodology for AMI, so what would it take to finally improve it? There’s a strong case to be made that AMI – Area Median Income – has earned itself the title of “Most Important Three-letter Acronym” in the housing and urban planning world. “Affordable for who?” has been a… Read more Tired of Talking About Area Median Income: Fixing AMI Once and For All