New York City construction is usually associated with an ever-growing skyline composed of imposing, modern super-towers, but is rarely associated with the potential to alleviate the affordable housing crisis. Although new construction in New York City has the potential to create new affordable housing units, it is usually geared towards tenants with the ability to pay higher rents, which translates into higher revenues for private developer companies. Ideally, urban planning and neighborhood rezoning, where most of the New York City construction is permitted, should serve to benefit all residents in a neighborhood. However, for the past few decades, it has disproportionately affected families living in low-income minority neighborhoods by decreasing their access to affordable housing.
After being elected, Mayor de Blasio announced his ambitious goal of creating and preserving 200,000 units of affordable housing. For the first time in U.S. history, providing affordable housing within development projects became mandated by law in the city’s Mandatory Inclusionary-Housing (MIH) program, which outlines mandatory levels of affordability in proportion to household incomes. These initiatives demonstrate the power of agenda setting and the effectiveness of legal accountability in affordable housing construction, but they are lacking in agency when it comes to making housing truly affordable for its residents, engaging the community, or treating housing as public good.
As of 2016, more than half of all New York City residents are spending more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income on rent. The percentage of income spent on rent increases on average to 54.1% in the Bronx and 65.4% in Brooklyn. The lowest income level in MIH is approximately $31,000 for a family of three, but in reality many neighborhoods have households with much lower incomes, such as East Harlem with 38 percent of the households making less than $24,000. In order to make units more affordable, the definition of affordability requires reconsideration and should not be broadly applied in determining that affordability is the same anywhere in New York City. MIH should not be structured to operate under the assumption that affordability in the Upper East Side is the same as affordability in Northern Manhattan and South Bronx, because it is not.
Engaging the community in rezoning projects has been difficult not due to lack of community interest but rather because of the uneven distribution of decision-making power in the planning process. In most cases, rezoning plans and applications are drafted by private developer companies and accepted by the City Planning Commission and the City Council even if there is significant community pushback. In the past, this trend in planning has manifested itself in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, East New York and will likely continue its course in East Harlem, Lower East Side, Inwood, and Gowanus.
The Mayor’s target of building 200,000 units is the most progressive housing plan New York City has seen in decades, but is it enough? Many would say no. The number of people living in shelters has nearly doubled over the past ten years, reaching approximately 61,000 individuals in 2016. In areas like Northern Manhattan, rents have been continuously increasing while household wages remain stagnant, intensifying the cost-burden on current residents. In addition, rent-stabilized apartments are disappearing every year. Over the past 10 years, the amount of affordable housing units has increased, but it is simply not enough to housing demands of its residents.
In light of waning federal funds allocated to public housing and the increasing costs of land and construction city-wide, the city government cannot be reactionary on an issue that is so crucial to one’s wellbeing, safety, and health. Considering the fact that the number of people in shelters has been exploding and that 10% of all NYC public school students are currently homeless, we, as New Yorkers, must seek a fairer and more equitable economic development system.
Housing can no longer be ignored or be treated as a privilege that can only be appreciated by the fortunate individuals that have the financial resources to afford it or the luck to be picked out of public housing lottery. Having secure access to housing increases levels of employment, education, safety, and drug and crime prevention. New York City politicians must use their influence to advocate on behalf of their residents and ensure that all New Yorkers have access to secure, quality, affordable housing.
