“It is really important that affluent neighborhoods that have been incredibly privileged realize that their privilege comes at someone else’s expense.”
… In addition to diminished city funding for affordable projects and a property tax system that favors single-family homes, New York’s suburbs have limited the supply of new housing by resisting dense development, even near transit hubs.
New York’s state legislature should take steps to combat suburbs’ exclusionary zoning, said Jessica Katz, executive director of the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. Wealthy enclaves in New York City should usher in affordable housing too, she added.
“It is really important that affluent neighborhoods that have been incredibly privileged realize that their privilege comes at someone else’s expense,” Katz said. “Until the Upper East Side is willing to allow new development, we’re not going to have a system that functions for the whole city — and those costs will be disproportionately borne by vulnerable communities.”
