Housing in New York City

Shows how New York has been a national pioneer in developing affordable, equitable, and comprehensive housing policy

In Housing in New York City, Katrin B. Anacker explores how New York City’s policy innovations have impacted the trajectory of a nation. Drawing on historical, policy, and data analysis, she highlights New York City's greatest successes across all five boroughs, including its early popularization of affordable housing and the birth of the modern high-rise.

From the Plan of 1811, which established Manhattan's rectangular street grids, to the 1916 Building Zone Resolution, the first comprehensive zoning ordinance in America, Anacker takes us through many of these key moments in New York City's history, and how its impact was felt beyond the city's limits. She shows us how policy innovations—like the affordable housing movement—not only improved quality of life for New Yorkers, but also made New York City a national role model to other cities, resulting in many additional national, state, and local laws, policies, and programs.

Ultimately, she emphasizes the contrast between the New York City of yesterday, and today, where exorbitant rents and gentrification threaten its historical role as a leader in housing policy. Housing in New York City provides a comprehensive discussion of this history and calls upon policymakers to continue innovating to keep the Big Apple not only affordable, but to preserve its legacy in housing.