New York City's Affordable Housing Plan Under Mayor De Blasio

In the spring of 2014 New York City's newly elected Mayor Bill De Blasio's launched an ambitious plan to build or preserve 200,000 housing units over 10 years. Two years later, the city is on pace to meet these goals. However, despite its accomplishments to date, advocates have criticized the plan for failing to provide housing that is affordable to most residents of low-income neighborhoods, and, perversely, for aggravating the affordable housing crisis by fostering gentrification.

This paper will provide an overview of the De Blasio plan, placing it in the context of the city's previous housing programs and the city's current housing market dynamics. It argues that the shortcomings of the plan in delivering housing affordable to low-income households highlight fundamental limitations in the ability of state and local governments to address the housing needs of low-income residents.

Alex Schwartz is a Professor of Urban Policy at the New School. He is the author of Housing Policy in the United States (3rd Edition) (Routledge 2014) and Managing Editor for North America for the international journal Housing Studies.

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If you have any queries about this event please contact Victoria Howard (e: victoria.howard@ucl.ac.uk; t: 020 3108 9552)