Intro
Enforcement of New York City’s building codes and the codes themselves may seem impartial, but they contribute to the inequities experienced by many New Yorkers.
As the country’s most populous and diverse municipality, New York City, more than any other city, must consider its enforcement practices through an equity lens. Enforcement can be a powerful tool to advance housing policies that serve all New Yorkers.
Enforcement has the power to revitalize neighborhoods, improve children’s health outcomes, protect occupants from substandard housing conditions, educate homeowners, and strengthen communities. But code compliance isn’t a policy goal in itself. The city’s myriad codes and regulations address issues large and small, not all of which have an immediate and outsized impact on health and safety. In fact, code enforcement can work against other important housing goals by thwarting affordable housing creation and preservation, destabilizing neighborhoods, and by disproportionately penalizing and displacing vulnerable populations, particularly elderly, low-income, immigrants, and communities of color.
The current code enforcement system advantages powerful voices within a community, which can result in the deployment of government resources to neighbors with the loudest voices, weaponization of the enforcement system, or neglect of neighborhoods with the greatest need.
In partnership with Hester Street, CHPC is studying New York’s code enforcement practices and their impacts to formulate recommendations to foster a more equitable and just city.
As the country’s most populous and diverse municipality, New York City, more than any other city, must consider its enforcement practices through an equity lens. Enforcement can be a powerful tool to advance housing policies that serve all New Yorkers.
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