How the fight for affordable housing shaped the New York mayoral race – France 24

New York City Housing Crisis: An Analysis in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

New York City is currently experiencing a severe housing crisis, characterized by a historically low vacancy rate of 1.4 percent, the lowest recorded since 1968. This shortage is particularly acute for low-income households, with the vacancy rate for units renting below $1,100 per month standing at less than 0.4 percent. The crisis presents a significant challenge to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most notably SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which calls for access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing. The economic strain on residents, with a majority of renters being rent-burdened, also directly impacts SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Current State of Housing Affordability and its Impact on SDGs

The housing deficit in New York City is underscored by several key data points that highlight a failure to meet the objectives of sustainable urban development.

• Vacancy Rates: The overall rental vacancy rate is 1.4 percent. For affordable units (under $1,100/month), the rate is critically low at less than 0.4 percent.
• Affordable Housing Supply: Of 185,000 multi-family homes constructed in the decade prior to 2020, less than one-third were affordable for low-income households, indicating a market failure to provide housing for all economic segments, a core tenet of SDG 11.
• Rent Burden: Approximately 70 percent of New Yorkers are renters. Over 3 million tenants expend 30 percent or more of their income on rent, and one in five tenants spends over half of their income. This level of housing insecurity undermines progress on SDG 1 (No Poverty) by limiting disposable income and pushing households toward financial instability.
• Economic Inequality: The housing crisis disproportionately affects the city’s most vulnerable populations, exacerbating the wealth and opportunity gap and directly conflicting with the aims of SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Mayoral Election Platforms as a Response to the Housing Deficit

The housing crisis has become a central issue in the New York City mayoral election, with leading candidates proposing distinct policy frameworks to address the challenges. These platforms represent different approaches to achieving the housing targets outlined in the SDGs.

Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Platform

Zohran Mamdani’s platform advocates for significant government intervention to stabilize the housing market and expand the affordable housing stock, aligning with the principles of social equity central to the SDGs.

1. Rent Freeze: A proposed four-year rent freeze on the city’s nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments to provide immediate relief to tenants and prevent displacement, directly supporting SDG 10.
2. Rent Guidelines Board Reform: A pledge to appoint new members to the city’s rent guidelines board who are committed to implementing the rent freeze.
3. Affordable Housing Construction: An ambitious goal to build 200,000 publicly subsidized, permanently affordable, union-built homes over the next decade. This long-term strategy is a direct effort to achieve SDG 11.1 (affordable housing for all) and also supports SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the creation of union jobs.

Candidate Andrew Cuomo’s Platform

Andrew Cuomo’s platform proposes a combination of market-oriented strategies and government oversight to increase the overall housing supply, with a significant portion dedicated to affordability.

1. Creative Financing: A focus on using innovative financial mechanisms to fund affordable housing projects that the private market has failed to deliver.
2. Streamlining Development: A commitment to expedite the city’s backlog of affordable housing applications to accelerate the construction of new homes.
3. Landlord Incentives: A “carrot and stick approach” to compel landlords to return vacant rent-stabilized apartments to the market, aiming to quickly increase available units.
4. Housing Unit Goal: A target to build or preserve 500,000 new housing units over ten years, with two-thirds designated as affordable. This large-scale plan represents a significant commitment to increasing housing supply as a means to achieve SDG 11.

Implications for Governance and the Pursuit of Sustainable Urban Development

The mayoral race highlights a critical shift in the discourse surrounding urban governance. The widespread acknowledgment of the housing crisis signals a growing consensus that free-market approaches alone are insufficient to ensure equitable and sustainable urban living. This political moment reflects an increased awareness of the need for strong institutions to guide development, a key principle of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions).

New York City is serving as a laboratory for policy innovation, exploring how municipal and state governments can re-evaluate their role in the economy to better serve their constituents. The support for candidates advocating for systemic change indicates a public demand for policies that address the root causes of housing insecurity and inequality. The outcome of this election will have significant implications for the city’s ability to progress toward a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future in line with the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article is fundamentally about the housing crisis in New York City, a major urban area. It discusses the lack of available and affordable housing, which is a core component of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. The entire narrative revolves around urban living conditions and the challenges faced by its residents.
• SDG 1: No Poverty: The article directly links high housing costs to financial hardship. When a significant portion of the population, particularly low-income households, spends over 30% or even 50% of their income on rent, it severely limits their ability to afford other necessities like food, healthcare, and education. This “rent burden” is a major contributor to urban poverty and financial instability.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The housing crisis described does not affect all residents equally. The article highlights a stark disparity, noting that the vacancy rate for units renting for less than $1,100 is extremely low (less than 0.4%), indicating that low-income households face the greatest barriers to securing housing. This exacerbates economic inequality within the city. The political divide between renter-majority and homeowner-majority districts further underscores the social and economic inequalities tied to housing status.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 11.1: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services. This is the most direct target. The article’s central theme is the failure to provide affordable housing in New York City. It cites the historically low vacancy rate of 1.4% and the fact that “more than 3 million tenants spend 30 percent or more of their yearly income on rent” as clear evidence that access to affordable housing is not being met. The political proposals from candidates like Mamdani and Cuomo to build hundreds of thousands of new affordable units are direct responses to this target.
2. Target 1.2: Reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. The article implies a connection to this target by describing the severe financial strain on renters. When “one in five New York renters, more than half of what they made every year went straight into keeping a roof over their heads,” they are left with very little disposable income, pushing them towards or deeper into poverty. Addressing the housing affordability crisis is a crucial step in reducing poverty in the city.
3. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… economic or other status. The article illustrates economic exclusion through the housing market. It states that of the new multi-family homes built, “less than a third were actually affordable for low-income households,” effectively excluding them from new housing stock. The political mobilization of renters, who turned out in higher numbers for a candidate promising housing relief, shows an attempt to gain political inclusion to address this economic disparity.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Proportion of income spent on housing: The article explicitly states that “more than 3 million tenants spend 30 percent or more of their yearly income on rent alone” and “one in five New York renters, more than half of what they made every year went straight into keeping a roof over their heads.” This metric is a direct indicator of housing affordability and can be used to measure progress towards Target 11.1. A reduction in this proportion would signify improvement.
• Housing vacancy rate: The article provides specific data points for this indicator, noting the overall vacancy rate is “just 1.4 percent – the lowest it’s been since 1968.” More specifically, it mentions the “vacancy rate among units renting for less than $1,100 a month sits at less than 0.4 percent.” This indicator measures the availability of housing, especially for different income levels, and is crucial for assessing progress on Target 11.1 and Target 10.2.
• Supply of affordable housing units: The article mentions the political goals of building new affordable housing. Mamdani aims for “200,000 ‘publicly subsidised, permanently affordable… homes’ over the next 10 years,” while Cuomo’s plan involves preserving or building “500,000 new housing units over the next 10 years, two-thirds of which are affordable.” The number of new, affordable units built or preserved is a tangible indicator of government action to address the housing shortage.

Summary Table

Source: france24.com