New York City Council Wants Community Engagement to Lead Affordable Housing Development

New York Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams have proposed very different responses to the city’s lack of affordable housing.

2 minute read

December 21, 2022, 6:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Multicolored four-story New York City buildings with storefronts on ground floor

Andrew F. Kazmierski / New York City apartment buildings

The New York City Council released the new “Planning and Land Use Guidelines & Application Toolkit on December 15. The toolkit is intended to produce more community benefits from the land use application process and develop more affordable units.

“The Planning and Land Use Toolkit lists several items the council believes should be considered in each land use decision, such as: expanding engagement with communities, getting the most affordable housing out of each project, offering well-paying jobs to area residents and bettering open space and the streetscape,” according to an article by Ethan Stark-Miller for Brownstoner.

According to a statement by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams that precedes the toolkit, the New York  City Council “is seeking to elevate the role of planning in the land use process.”

The announcement followed just a week after Mayor Eric Adams announced a “Get Stuff Built” plan for housing in the city.

“While the council and the administration are vying to tackle the same issue, in releasing his plan, the mayor put far more emphasis on cutting down on the city’s bureaucracy to maximize overall housing construction – with a goal of building 500,000 new units over the next decade,” explains Stark Miller.

By comparison, the Planning and Land Use Toolkit “focuses on ramping up the amount of community engagement, which could ultimately lengthen the time it takes projects to move through [the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure].”

Monday, December 19, 2022 in Brownstoner

Black and white Rideshare Pick-Up Zone sign

The Slow Death of Ride Sharing

From the beginning, TNCs like Lyft and Uber touted shared rides as their key product. Now, Lyft is ending the practice.

June 1, 2023 - Human Transit

Urban sidewalk shaded by large mature trees

Cool Walkability Planning

Shadeways (covered sidewalks) and pedways (enclosed, climate controlled walkways) can provide comfortable walkability in hot climates. The Cool Walkshed Index can help plan these facilities.

June 1, 2023 - Todd Litman

Traffic on the 405 interstate freeway through the Sepulveda Pass at Getty Center Drive in Los Angeles, California

Congestion Pricing Could Be Coming to L.A.

The infamously car-centric city is weighing a proposed congestion pricing pilot program to reduce traffic and encourage public transit use.

May 30, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

"Welcome to Texas" road sign with Texas flag and "Drive Friendly - the Texas way" slogan

Report: Austin’s State Roads Deadlier Than City Roads

Traffic fatalities and serious injuries grew on state-owned roads in the Texas capital, even as city-owned streets saw death rates plateau.

6 minutes ago - Smart Cities Dive

View from lakeside with green grass and pink blooming flowers

Who Benefits Most from Land Conservation Efforts?

A new study estimates that recent land conservation generated $9.8 billion in wealth nationally through the housing market and that wealthier and White households benefited disproportionately.

1 hour ago - PNAS

Close-up of black parking meter with blurred street in background

Richmond Repeals Parking Minimums, Encourages Off-Street Parking and Transit

The Virginia city is replete with underused off-street parking lots, which city councilors hope to make available for parking at more times while encouraging transit use.

2 hours ago - Next City

Project Manager III

San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency

UDO Transportation Planner

City of Charlotte - Charlotte Area Transit

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.