The Manhattan and Bronx skyline as seen from North Central Bronx Hospital on Monday, January 28, 2019.Sign up for our acclaimed free newsletter Editorially Black with the top Racial Equity stories of the day to your inbox!and other housing initiatives to tackle the city’s severe housing shortage and affordability crisis. He aims to produce an additional 100,000 homes over the next 15 years.
“So many of the challenges we face as a city are rooted in an ongoing housing shortage that is forcing too many people to leave New York City and making life increasingly difficult for those who stay,” said Adams. “For more than 60 years, we have added layers upon layers of regulations, effectively outlawing the kinds of housing that our city has long relied on.
Community Housing Improvement Program Executive Director Jay Martin noted that under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg there was a citywide “downzoning” that stunted housing production. “Housing and zoning policies have historically furthered economic and racial segregation, deepened inequities, and locked communities out of opportunities,” said Speaker Adams. “That’s why it is imperative that our city’s policies and zoning align to achieve housing growth through the lens of equity and access, accompanied by investments in economic opportunity, schools, transit, healthcare, and other institutions that help stabilize communities.