Neighbors Fight Affordable Housing, but Need Libraries. Can’t We Make a Deal?
Neighbors Fight Affordable Housing, but Need Libraries. Can't We Make a Deal? The New York Times
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An Uplifting New Library in Manhattan
Introduction
An uplifting new library in Manhattan comes with 12 floors of subsidized apartments. It’s a clever way to find community support for housing.
Background
Why can’t we do more of this more easily?
A handsome new library branch in Inwood, at the northern tip of Manhattan, had its soft opening Thursday. It’s the second library in town during the past year or so to try something clever and innovative: partnering with a 100 percent affordable housing development. New subsidized apartments occupy a 12-floor tower above the library.
These days, NIMBYs are always fighting affordable housing projects. Communities are increasingly desperate for libraries. One obvious solution is the twofer — building housing and a library together — because there’s strength in numbers.
A few years ago I wrote about several of these library/housing combos in Chicago (“co-location” is the lingo developers use), some of them designed by top-flight architects there like John Ronan and Brian Lee. Boston is trying this out. New York is just the latest to road-test what seems like a no-brainer.
The financial logic is simple. Libraries pairing with housing developers can trim construction costs. Developers can leverage city-owned property to finesse both the not-in-my-backyard types and the byzantine economics of affordable development.
Challenges
But getting these projects built is a slog.
Examples of Library/Housing Combos
That earlier branch I mentioned belongs to the Brooklyn Public Library. With a fine, sunny, three-story design by Carol Loewenson, a partner at Mitchell Giurgola Architects, it opened late last year in Sunset Park beneath 49 affordable units on six upper floors. Inwood is bigger: 174 new subsidized apartments.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators in the Article
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 1: No Poverty
- SDG 4: Quality Education
The article discusses the issue of affordable housing and the need for community support. It also highlights the importance of libraries in communities. These issues are connected to SDG 11, which focuses on creating sustainable cities and communities. Additionally, the article mentions the financial logic of affordable housing development, which relates to SDG 1, aiming to eradicate poverty. The presence of libraries in these housing projects also aligns with SDG 4, promoting quality education.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
- SDG 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property.
- SDG 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.
Based on the article’s content, the specific targets that can be identified are related to ensuring access to adequate and affordable housing (SDG 11.1), equal rights to economic resources (SDG 1.4), and quality education (SDG 4.1).
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Number of subsidized apartments built in library/housing projects
- Percentage of affordable housing units in relation to total housing units
- Number of libraries partnering with housing developers
- Number of communities benefiting from library/housing combos
The article mentions the number of subsidized apartments in the library/housing projects, which can be used as an indicator to measure progress towards the target of ensuring access to adequate and affordable housing. The percentage of affordable housing units in relation to total housing units can also be used as an indicator for this target. Additionally, the number of libraries partnering with housing developers and the number of communities benefiting from library/housing combos can be indicators of progress towards promoting quality education and equal rights to economic resources.
4. Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities | 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. | – Number of subsidized apartments built in library/housing projects – Percentage of affordable housing units in relation to total housing units – Number of communities benefiting from library/housing combos |
| SDG 1: No Poverty | 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular, the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership, and control over land and other forms of property. | – Number of subsidized apartments built in library/housing projects – Percentage of affordable housing units in relation to total housing units |
| SDG 4: Quality Education | 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable, and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. | – Number of libraries partnering with housing developers – Number of communities benefiting from library/housing combos |
Source: nytimes.com
