New York's Economy Is Going Strong. Can it Build Fast Enough to Keep Up?

Two new towers planned for Brooklyn have provoked a controversy. The 80 Flatbush project would include, "two high-rise towers, with offices below and 900 residences above. Twenty percent of its apartments will be affordable, and two existing historic brick buildings will be repurposed as a cultural facility and retail space," writes Alexandra Lange. Getting the city and the neighborhood on board with the project has proven difficult. "The developers are seeking a change to the city’s zoning laws in order to build bigger and more dense, but have run into opposition from some Boerum Hill residents, who view the project as out of scale with their low-slung neighborhood," according to Lange.

Housing advocates point out that new housing is being built in New York, but lower income neighborhoods have shouldered the majority of the additions, including subsidized housing in far-flung part of the city. Meanwhile, wealthy areas like the one around 80 Flatbush has been able to mobilize NIMBYism to keep housing out.