Keeping the Public in Public Housing – A Report by the Center for Community Planning and Development at Hunter College
Keeping the Public in Public Housing – A Report by the Center for Community Planning and Development at Hunter College
The Center for Community Planning and Development (CCPD) at Hunter College has released a new report, Keeping the Public in Public Housing, by Tom Angotti, CCPD Director and Professor of Urban Planning and Affairs and a NESRI Housing Program advisor, and Sylvia Morse, Fellow and Master of Urban Planning student. The report touches on key human rights themes – many of which are relevant to struggles across the country – such as resident participation (including in budgeting), accountability, transparency and the importance of protecting public housing as a public good. It also takes a look at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), its controversial plans for private infill development and other initiatives, and proposes policy directions for the future. One of those proposals involves ending the funneling of NYCHA funds to the New York Police Department (NYPD), to the tune of $70 million a year. On Friday, January 31, Tom and Sylvia presented the report at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, where they were joined for a discussion on the future of public housing by local elected officials, planning and housing professionals, researchers, advocates, public interest law groups, and public housing residents. Less than two weeks later, Mayor de Blasio, in issuing his preliminary budget for New York City, redirected the remaining $52.2 million that NYCHA would have paid the NYPD in FY 2014, to deal with the outstanding repair and maintenance work on NYCHA’s repair docket. We look forward to the other recommendations within the report receiving serious consideration from the new administration and NYCHA’s new Chair, Ms. Shola Olatoye
The report can be downloaded below.
