A study released Thursday by the Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC) suggests that Mayor Bill de Blasios initiatives to ease the citys housing woes should include a program that would convert the 38,000 or so basements in the citys single-family homes without having to make big changes to city or state laws. As Crains reports, the study is part of the CHPCs Making Room initiative that explores how alternative housing typologies can better meet the needs of New Yorks diverse households. The council introduced the study by stating their belief that “based on the ndings we present here, that a basement conversion program in New York City would be an ecient and exciting way to add residential density and expand housing choices in our expensive and highly constrained urban market.”

The council goes on to make arguments in favor of conversion, and to recommend some ways a pilot program could take shape; the report includes an interactive map to help estimate the potential supply and distribution of basement units and as an “essential planning tool that helps to identify areas of the city where a conversion program could have the most impact.”

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