Opinion: What NYC Can Learn from Grassroots Housing Movements in Other Cities

New York City long positioned at the forefront of housing innovation is falling behind the author writes The the bulk effective innovations happen when residents are treated as partners with authority and vision The North Loop neighborhood in Minneapolis in The city was the first in the U S to eliminate single-family zoning Shutterstock com Across the U S and around the world everyday people tenants workers organizers are transforming the future of housing in their cities and catalyzing positive change New York City long positioned at the forefront of housing innovation is falling behind Government-led plan change can create real impact but often relies on familiar mechanisms and can limit fresh perspectives In other cities grassroots movements are gaining momentum and turning collective potential into tangible action Initiative makers and governance have responded to their voices With a new administration entering office it is time for the city to revitalize its housing strategy holistically not just through top-down agenda and regulatory change but by leaning into the experiences ideas and vitality of the inhabitants function d u ac var s d createElement 'script' s type 'text javascript' s src 'https a omappapi com app js api min js' s async true s dataset user u s dataset campaign ac d getElementsByTagName 'head' appendChild s document 'u kmqsczew vunxutxmd' Resident-inspired bottom-up initiatives are reshaping housing agenda with concrete examples emerging from cities around the world In Minnesota a grassroots movement called Neighbors for More Neighbors helped transform the inhabitants conversation on state housing procedures using art and social media campaigns to highlight how exclusionary zoning limits access to affordable homes This later developed into a more solid organized coalition With goals of increasing both housing supply and the diversity of housing options the coalition played a strong role in the passage of the Minneapolis plan Amongst other measures the plan eliminated single-family zoning citywide the first major city in the U S to implement this Single-family zoning not only capped housing density but also created neighborhoods segregated by income and race This key regulatory change was a response to community-led demands to address both housing affordability and the legacy of segregation Similar models exist internationally In Amsterdam Schoonchip provides another example of resident-led innovation This sustainable floating society of homes connected by a communal jetty was conceived and organized by a citizen-led collective rather than a standard commercial developer The homes are equipped with solar panels and water-based heat pumps and are linked by a smart grid that allows residents to share power efficiently With an emphasis on sustainability circular financial market principles and strong social connections Schoonschip can serve as a prototype for densely populated waterfront cities grappling with sea-level rise and atmosphere change impacts Berlin offers another example of large-scale resident-led protests which helped inspire projects such as the transformation of Haus der Stastistik near Alexander Platz The Haus der Statistik was a large building complex and the headquarters of the GDR s Central Administration for Statistics After the reunification of Berlin it fell into disrepair and eventually was slated for demolition Activists motivated to put it to productive use staged a large-scale protest that sparked a collaborative city-backed adaptive reuse transformation At present this complex is in the process of being developed as a vibrant mixed-use space that will incorporate housing art social spaces and governing body offices all for inhabitants benefit and collective urban enrichment Society action has long been a driving force for change in New York City Protest in New York housing history began with immigrant communities rent strikes against poor housing conditions and rising rents in the early th century leading to the city s first rent control laws More latest advocacy helped lead to the passage of the Good Cause Eviction law which protects tenants from arbitrary evictions New York City lately enacted its preponderance important zoning update in over six decades with the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity a comprehensive amendment aimed at expanding affordable housing and adding flexibility to improvement parameters citywide While the City of Yes underwent a robust residents review process and was modified based on input from locality groups it was primarily a government-led effort implementing change through an established regulatory framework The examples above highlight that the preponderance effective innovations happen when residents are treated as partners with authority and vision When it comes to the current housing problem NYC has yet to fully engage with the scale of public-inspired activism and participatory resident-inspired solutions seen in other cities As the city s new leadership prepares to take office it inherits both an urgent housing problem and an unparalleled opportunity New York s greatest reserve has invariably been its people As we look to the future we must share our ideas and hold our leaders accountable To Mayor-Elect Mamdani your rise was powered by the same kind of grassroots resource that has spurred housing movements across the world Now that same ethos can guide how New York reimagines its housing future Treat the people tenants workers and organizers as partners in policymaking Sponsorship and invest in creative grassroots solutions Establish plan level promotion that provides the framework to make these solutions scalable Let s see what people-inspired creativity can achieve and rise to the challenge of making it happen right here in our city Wendi Shafran is a principal at FXCollaborative Architects and is on the board of the Citizens Planning and Housing Council CHPC In - she completed a fellowship with the Urban Design Forum s Global Exchange and traveled to Berlin to examination global strategies to address the housing situation She not long ago traveled to Minneapolis to participate in the jury of the AIA Minnesota and The McKnight Foundation Affordable Housing Design Award The post Opinion What NYC Can Learn from Grassroots Housing Movements in Other Cities appeared first on City Limits