Conventional planning think says that mixed-income development benefits low-income neighborhoods. But a survey finds that residents of public housing in New York don't agree—rather, they feel left behind by newcomers to the neighborhood.
Greg B. Smith reports on a study by Abt Associates and New York University's Furman Center for Real Estate, commissioned by the city of New York, about the impacts of gentrification on residents of New York City Housing Authority buildings. According to Smith, the report "reached a conclusion most New Yorkers already accept as true: gentrification doesn't help the poor."
"The study, 'The Effects of Neighborhood Change on NYCHA Residents' [pdf]…found that NYCHA tenants often wind up feeling like aliens in their own neighborhoods, surrounded by newcomers who claimed they'd just 'discovered' the neighborhood."
The study, released in May, runs counter to the narrative about the benefits of developing new mixed-income housing in low-income neighborhoods. During the same month, the de Blasio Administration announced "a controversial plan to build hundreds of market-rate apartments on 'underutilized' NYCHA property," according to Smith.
NYCHA spokesperson Aja Worthy-Davis noticed the difference, releasing this statement about the goals of the proposal to build more units on NYCHA properties: "By building both affordable and mixed-income housing, we will protect NYCHA housing, expand affordable housing options for everyday New Yorkers, and bring small businesses and services like supermarkets and restaurants closer to NYCHA developments….We will in turn use this growth to connect NYCHA residents to new employment opportunities."
The article includes a lot more detail about the study and its implications for New York and on the debate about investment in low-income neighborhoods.
FULL STORY: EXCLUSIVE: NYCHA residents see little benefit from gentrification in their neighborhoods, report shows
New York Public Housing Needs $78 Billion in Repairs
A new assessment from the city’s housing agency calls for $60 billion in needed repairs over the next five years.
Private Developers to Renovate NYC Public Housing
A consortium of developers have secured a $600-million loan to renovate more than 1,600 units in the New York City Housing Authority's portfolio.
An Aggressive Pitch to Bail out New York City's Public Housing
Mayor Bill De Blasio released an aggressive and likely contentious plan to fund the New York Housing Authority, which is currently sitting on $16 billion in needed maintenance work.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association