NYC Will Pursue Place-Based Approach to Addressing Inequality

In remarks delivered last week, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio's choice as New York's deputy mayor for economic development and housing hinted at how the city plans to tackle affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization.

1 minute read

December 30, 2013, 7:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Last week, it was announced that Alicia Glen will step down as the head of Goldman Sachs' Urban Investment Group, where she "oversaw the investment . . . of over $2.8 billion in low-income development projects in cities like San Francisco, Newark, New Orleans and New York," to return to the public sector. In remarks delivered at a metal working factory in Greenpoint last Monday she hinted at the de Blasio administration's place-based approach to addressing inequality, reports Andrew J. Hawkins.

"I know we need to continue to develop and grow our city, and we will work with our partners in the non-profit, public and private sectors to do that," said Glen. "But that means not just focusing on the large-scale projects that have been front and center over the past decade, but focusing on a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization."

"The deals the city makes with developers and private employers must address the creation of affordable housing and the 'type of retail and facilities the people in those communities need, want and deserve,' she said."

She added, "It's a very place-based approach."

Monday, December 23, 2013 in Crain's New York Business

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.