The latest
Maybe all our neighborhoods belong to all of us (or should)
Dress it up however you like, the still dominant “it’s ours, not yours” mindset reflects and encourages a New York still mired in the dead ends of separation and exclusion.
How is NYC's Health Department handling the Legionnaires' outbreak?
In the face of a new outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene quickly pivoted to a strategy of aggressive remediation and significant transparency, with more information promised shortly. But what about describing to the public the common course of Legionnaires’ in more detail?
The secret weapon that fought the postwar housing shortage
Historian Joshua Freeman's "Garden Apartments" sheds light on an often overlooked part of the nation's housing landscape. He discusses his research and its relevance for today.
Our upgraded unemployment tools
These tools provide ways to look far more deeply into unemployment data -- current data and data over time. You have the ability to compare and contrast up to four demographic composites, each with a race/ethnicity, gender, age, and educational attainment element. Updated with latest (May) data on June 15th.
Declining school enrollment: it's not all doom and gloom
Widespread school enrollment declines undoubtedly come with challenges, but that’s not the whole story.
Why aren’t bus lanes a fully integrated part of New York City’s emergency response toolkit?
None of the needed planning, protocols, data collection, adaptations, or enforcement appear to be in place.
Will HPD resist the zombie calls to narrow the housing lottery door based on “preferences”?
Several proposed changes to the rules of New York City's housing lottery could make the system work more smoothly and efficiently for everyone, but a fetish to uncover what applicants "really" want is a fairness-defeating dead end.
Revolving loan funds: The hottest trend in housing finance
A housing policy tool is gaining momentum that could stimulate lots of mixed-income homes for a relatively small investment. Will partisan ideology stand in the way of its spread?
A regular assault
This is not a story of a “horrific murder.” It is not even the story of an “especially vicious” assault. It didn’t happen in the subway; there was no “gunplay” involved.
It’s just what I guess you would call a regular assault on a 75-year-old woman, apparently for having told two people to clean up after their (unleashed) dogs.
It’s just what I guess you would call a regular assault on a 75-year-old woman, apparently for having told two people to clean up after their (unleashed) dogs.
Social housing coming to Seattle this year
Seattle is the only city in America attempting to recreate a Vienna-style social housing program. In an extended interview, Seattle Social Housing Developer's interim CEO discusses the authority's acquisition and construction plans, as well as many unresolved governance and financial questions.
The budget fight that is not being had
Neither side of City Hall appears willing to engage in serious exploration of triage despite a federal administration unrelentingly hostile to cities (especially blue ones), let alone willing to take the politically difficult steps necessary to achieve excellence in delivery of city services.
With IRS enforcement down, state and local tax revenues could suffer, too
More cheating on federal tax returns would flow through to state and local returns, but state and local officials don't seem to have the potential problem on their radar. Former Chair of New York City Council Finance Committee: it's "smart to start thinking about it."
NYC DOE: But our deal with the devil will be a good one
Jargon-ridden and light on genuine reflection, NYC Department of Education’s initial guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in the public schools augers a new frontier for strategic failure in a system long plagued by meager vision and reactive leadership.
Renewing the fight for accessibility in NYC: CCHR + DOB + HPD + DOT
Despite having the strongest law in the country, barriers to accessibility for people with mobility impairments have been allowed to persist in New York City for far too long. There's an easy toool that the Mamdani administration can use to help begin a real crackdown.