On Zoning, Gentrification, and Affordable Housing | Samuel Stein, Nawal Arjini – The New York Review of Books

Report on Urban Housing Policy and Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Aligning Housing Strategy with Global Goals

Recent political developments in New York City, including the election of Mayor Zohran Mamdani and ballot initiatives concerning the city charter, have intensified the focus on urban housing policy. An analysis of these issues, informed by the work of housing policy expert Samuel Stein, reveals critical intersections with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report examines the challenges and opportunities in New York’s housing landscape, with a significant emphasis on achieving SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 1 (No Poverty).

Advancing SDG 11.1: Strategies for Affordable and Accessible Housing

Rent Stabilization as a Direct Intervention

A primary policy under consideration is a rent freeze for the city’s rent-stabilized apartments. This measure directly addresses the targets of SDG 11.1, which calls for access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing for all. By preventing rent increases, such a policy aims to secure housing for nearly one million households, thereby mitigating housing instability and contributing to the reduction of urban poverty (SDG 1).

Challenges and Alternative Models for Sustainable Housing

A potential consequence of a prolonged rent freeze is the financial insolvency of some landlords, which could jeopardize housing quality and supply. To counteract this and further the goals of SDG 11, several alternative, non-market housing models are being explored. These models promote community control and long-term affordability, contributing to inclusive and sustainable urbanization (SDG 11.3). Key options include:

• Transitioning buildings into tenant-controlled limited-equity cooperatives.
• Expanding the portfolio of public housing under city or trust management.
• Transferring ownership to non-profit organizations and community land trusts.
• Developing new forms of social housing tenure to decommodify essential shelter.

Zoning, Inequality, and the Pursuit of Inclusive Cities (SDG 10 & SDG 11)

The Role and Limitations of Zoning Reform

The contemporary discourse on housing often centers on zoning reform as a primary solution. This focus is a response to historically exclusionary land use policies that have entrenched spatial segregation and inequality, running counter to the objectives of SDG 10. However, an overemphasis on zoning reform is insufficient for addressing the multifaceted housing crisis. The historical foreclosure of other policy tools has led to this narrowed focus.

A Comprehensive Framework for Sustainable Urban Development

Achieving truly sustainable and equitable urban development requires a broader policy framework that complements zoning reform. A multi-pronged strategy is essential for empowering residents and ensuring housing is treated as a human right, not merely a commodity. This integrated approach is fundamental to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable as envisioned in SDG 11. Core components of this strategy include:

• Reinstating federal and state support for social and public housing construction.
• Implementing and strengthening local rent regulations to protect tenants.
• Advancing programs aimed at the decommodification of housing stock.
• Enacting policies that directly empower tenants and community organizations.

Gentrification as a Barrier to Sustainable and Equitable Communities

The Contradiction Between Urban Growth and Affordability

The phenomenon of gentrification presents a significant obstacle to achieving the SDGs. While its definition evolves, its impact remains consistent: the displacement of long-term, lower-income residents, which exacerbates inequality (SDG 10) and undermines housing security (SDG 11.1). A central paradox in contemporary urban planning is the mandate to make cities simultaneously more profitable for investment and more affordable for residents. This inherent conflict creates a structural dependency on rising property values, which fuels the very affordability crisis that policies aim to solve.

Conclusion: The Imperative for Integrated and Justice-Oriented Housing Policy

The challenges facing New York City’s housing market underscore the need for a paradigm shift in urban policy. To align with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the call for inclusive and sustainable cities, leaders must adopt integrated strategies that move beyond market-based solutions. The pursuit of a right to housing necessitates a commitment to social housing, robust tenant protections, and community-led development models. This approach is critical to ensuring that urban growth fosters equity and resilience rather than displacement and inequality.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

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

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The article is fundamentally about urban housing challenges in New York City. It directly addresses issues of affordable housing, zoning laws, land use, gentrification, and public housing. Phrases like “streamline the development and construction of affordable housing,” “questions of land use,” and “spiraling housing costs” explicitly connect the text to the goal of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • The article discusses the social and economic stratification within the city driven by housing policies. The concept of gentrification, described as the displacement of “working-class households” and “long-term residents” by wealthier newcomers, is a central theme. This directly relates to reducing inequality within and among countries by addressing the forces that lead to social and economic exclusion. The call to “empower tenants” also aligns with this goal.
3. SDG 1: No Poverty
   • The article links the housing crisis to economic vulnerability. It mentions “stagnant wages” as a contributing factor to the crisis and discusses how rising rents and displacement can push people into poverty. The proposal for a “right to housing” and alternative ownership models like “tenant-controlled limited-equity cooperatives” speaks to ensuring the poor and vulnerable have access to basic services and control over property, which is a key aspect of poverty reduction.

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.
   • The entire article revolves around this target. The discussion focuses on the lack of “actually affordable housing,” the potential for a rent freeze on “nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments,” and the debate over new construction as a solution. The exploration of alternatives like public housing and community land trusts are all strategies aimed at achieving this target.
2. Target 11.3: Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
   • The article critiques current urban planning practices, specifically “atrocious land use policies” and “egregiously exclusionary land use codes” that mandate sprawl. The debate around zoning reform and the role of planners in making cities “simultaneously more profitable and more affordable” directly relates to the challenge of sustainable and inclusive human settlement planning.
3. Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of economic or other status.
   • The analysis of gentrification, which leads to the “displacement of long-term residents,” highlights a process of economic exclusion. The article’s call for a “deeper program to empower tenants and decommodify housing” is a direct call to action to promote the inclusion and protect the rights of lower-income residents against market forces that would otherwise displace them.
4. Target 1.4: 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.
   • The article explores alternative housing tenures beyond traditional renting and ownership, such as “tenant-controlled limited-equity cooperatives,” “public housing,” and “community land trusts.” These models are presented as ways to give residents, particularly those who are economically vulnerable, more control over their housing and protect it from speculative markets, directly aligning with this target’s focus on control over land and property.

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

1. Indicators for Target 11.1 (Affordable Housing):
   • Housing Affordability: The article implies this through discussions of “rising rent,” “spiraling housing costs,” and the need for a “rent freeze.” A key indicator would be the ratio of housing costs to household income.
   • Number of Secure and Affordable Housing Units: The mention of “nearly one million rent-stabilized apartments” provides a quantifiable baseline. Progress could be measured by the change in the number of units under rent stabilization, public housing, or other affordable schemes.
   • Rate of Displacement: The concept of “displacement of long-term residents” due to gentrification implies that tracking the rate of involuntary moves due to economic pressures would be a relevant indicator of failure or success in providing secure housing.
2. Indicators for Target 11.3 (Sustainable Urbanization):
   • Land Use Policy: The critique of policies that “mandated suburban-style sprawl and locked in absurdly large lot sizes for detached single-family homes” suggests an indicator related to land use efficiency. Progress could be measured by changes in zoning codes to allow for greater housing density and mixed-use development.
3. Indicators for Target 1.4 (Control over Property):
   • Proportion of Housing Under Alternative Tenure: The article proposes several alternative models. An indicator for progress would be the number or proportion of housing units that are converted to or developed as “tenant-controlled limited-equity cooperatives,” “community land trusts,” or new forms of “public housing,” thereby measuring the extent of housing decommodification and resident control.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nybooks.com