Housing politics in New York are broken. Our city is unaffordable and segregated, and we are not building nearly enough housing, especially in white, wealthy neighborhoods. Fortunately, a new group of candidates for City Council is presenting a new vision for equitable, sustainable housing growth.

These candidates bring a diverse array of experiences and ideologies, and despite coming from very different New York City neighborhoods, they agree on some key things: New York needs a new citywide approach to housing development, including more housing in high-opportunity neighborhoods, an end to “member deference” in the Council, and commonsense reforms like legalizing…

To Mayor Bill de Blasio and Deputy Mayor Vicki Been:

CC: Council Member Margaret Chin, Council Member Carlina Rivera, and Borough President Gale Brewer

We are organizations fighting for housing justice in New York City, writing to urge you to build on the work begun by the Envision SoHo/NoHo program and commence an equitable, housing-focused rezoning of these neighborhoods that could be completed by the end of your term. Our city, which is by one measure the second-most segregated in the country, has long been a tale of two cities: Black and brown New Yorkers face higher rent burdens, longer…

The Department of City Planning is considering a rezoning of SoHo and NoHo, two of New York’s wealthiest and most desirable neighborhoods. At Open New York, we believe that the scale of the housing crisis demands a pro-housing approach.

We ask that policymakers allow contextual increases in residential density within the area’s historic districts, while also permitting denser construction in the surrounding areas. At minimum, these two proposals would allow 3,400 more homes than the status quo, with almost 700 offered at below-market rates. Half of those, in turn, would be offered first to local residents.

Upzoning for equity

New York City and…