Mayor de Blasio Raises the Stakes on Housing Affordability

"In an election year and amid an extraordinary shift in the nation's political climate, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday night split from his formula for State of the City speeches, delivering a lofty, not fully scripted and sometimes rambling address on the city’s growing 'affordability crisis,'" writes Laura Nahmias.

According to Nahmias, Mayor de Blasio's speech lacked the specifics and proposed policies of traditional State of the City addresses. The mayor's impassioned speech offered at least one memorable phrase on the subject of housing affordability: "This affordability crisis threatens who we are. It threatens the very soul of this city," said Mayor de Blasio.

Among the specifics included in Mayor de Blasio's speech were actions on jobs and the plan to retrofit public building in the city for energy efficiency.