The exhibit builds on the painstaking work of CHPC over several years to create a public conversation on our moribund housing regulations and enable innovative solutions to the citys housing needs. Full disclosure: I am a CHPC board member and chaired the committee supporting the outstanding work done by the executive director, Jerilyn Perine, and deputy director, Sarah Watson.
CHPC began by documenting how the citys population profile no longer matched up with housing designed for nuclear families, and how a range of emerging issues, including environmental sustainability issues, anticipated population growth, and fire safety risks related to illegal dwellings all required rethinking the way we build. Then it brought together designers and thought leaders from other U.S. cities, Canada, Europe and Japan in a 2009 forum to show New Yorkers what we are missing by clinging to outdated rules.
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