NY Mayor Bill de Blasio released a 10-year plan to create or preserve 200,000 affordable housing units in the city. Housing activists cheer at its embrace of mandatory inclusionary zoning, but the NY Time's coverage reveals an ignorant counter view.
Mandatory inclusionary housing programs are not new. They've been embraced in a number of communities since the early 1970s, resulting in hundreds of thousands of affordable units being created.
But when NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio released a 10-year housing plan with a mandatory inclusionary zoning program, the response from the New York Times was anything but supportive.
New York City has a huge housing deficit. As Alan Mallach explains, "New York City’s leaders have determinedly resisted mandatory inclusionary zoning, a tribute to the notorious power of the city’s real estate industry. Meanwhile, inclusionary zoning has steadily moved from its suburban origins into the urban scene."
While inclusionary zoning won't solve all of these issues, it's a huge leap in the right direction, but it's a leap that the New York Times doesn't seem to understand.
Mallach's scathing take: "The Times, looking down from its lofty perch, then asks what it clearly sees as the tough question, 'what if builders reacted to mandatory inclusionary zoning by not building at all?' Well, if you are under the impression that inclusionary zoning is a new and untried, and perhaps slightly radical initiative—which is true if you don’t look beyond the boundaries of the five boroughs—this is a fair question."
FULL STORY: NYC Proposes Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, The “Times” Doesn’t Get It

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Amtrak Rolls Out New Orleans to Alabama “Mardi Gras” Train
The new service will operate morning and evening departures between Mobile and New Orleans.

The Subversive Car-Free Guide to Trump's Great American Road Trip
Car-free ways to access Chicagoland’s best tourist attractions.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion
The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont