Tuesday, February 22, 2022

NYC Seeks Public Input for a New Data Tool that Can Help Communities Plan a More Equitable Future

 

Watch a Short Video Explainer of the Coming Data Resource

 Department of City Planning (DCP) Director Dan Garodnick and Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. today announced that public engagement work is set to begin on the City’s effort to build New York’s first Equitable Development Data Tool. An interactive website, the tool will better equip New Yorkers with data that can facilitate challenging conversations about housing affordability, racial equity, displacement, and many other issues related to the future of New York City and its neighborhoods.

“Our goal here is to develop strategies that allow us to deliver more housing and jobs while also protecting ourselves and our neighbors from displacement. We want your input to make sure this still-in-development digital data tool can help us build a more equitable future,” said Dan Garodnick, Director of the Department of City Planning.

“Making sure that equity is central to the conversation about the future of our city is a key objective of Where We Live NYC, our plan to advance housing strategies that combat persistent disparities. Every New Yorker deserves a safe, affordable home, and our responsibility is to ensure no one faces discriminatory barriers to finding and keeping that home,” said Department of Housing Preservation and Development Commissioner Adolfo Carrión Jr. “The Equitable Development Data Tool is one of several tools that will allow us to build a fairer city for all New Yorkers.”

The tool, which is being developed with active participation by the Racial Impact Study Coalition (RISC), will allow the public to more easily see and explore data about housing, demographics, public health, and more, while also comparing that data across neighborhoods and racial and ethnic groups as we plan for a fairer city. Interactive mockups of what the tool is expected to look like, and a more in-depth description of the tool are available at the above link to the tool.

DCP and HPD are inviting public feedback on an early prototype and mockups of the data tool, which were released last month, and a Displacement Risk Index map, a component of the larger tool. The map seeks to illustrate how demographics, market pressures, and other factors may contribute to displacement risk in different neighborhoods as compared to each other, and New Yorkers will be able to weigh in on the early version of the tool ahead of its official launch on April 1, 2022.

With this data, the City, alongside our communities, will be better equipped to facilitate discussion and create policies that increase affordable housing opportunities and help New Yorkers stay in their homes and neighborhoods.

DCP and HPD will hold a series of remote meetings in early March to further inform the public about the tool and gather input:

In addition, DCP and HPD staff will host a remote public hearing to receive feedback on the draft tool on March 10, 2022. Details to sign up will be posted on NYC Engage in the near future.

“RISC commends the work of HPD and DCP in honoring the spirit of the legislation and working to deliver this tool on time. Department staff have contended with complex data sets and lifted up the indicators identified by community members in the legislative process as being integral to addressing racial disparities during zoning changes,” the Racial Impact Study Coalition said. “This data mapping confirms what we know: to build stable neighborhoods, we need stable people, stable housing, and stable housing markets that enhance choice for all households, including the choice to stay. This tool will help communities visualize the underlying conditions in their neighborhoods. We encourage HPD and DCP to improve the tool over time based on user feedback. We hope the new Equitable Development Data Tool and Displacement Risk Index encourage policy makers to enact more community-responsive land use proposals and enable vulnerable communities to advocate for their needs more effectively.”

The in-development data tool is the result of Local Law 78 of 2021, which was adopted by the City Council last summer following ongoing advocacy by the Coalition and sponsorship from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. The tool builds on work done over the past several years by DCP and HPD, with support from many other City agencies, to make data related to development more available and to advance more accessible and inclusive planning around community investments. Centralizing this information and making it operational for all types of users is one of the many objectives of the tool and supports Where We Live NYC, the City’s fair housing plan. Where possible, the data will be broken down to the neighborhood level so users can learn about commonalities and disparities across neighborhoods and demographic groups.

Per last year’s legislation, the tool will support the creation of Racial Equity Reports for Housing and Opportunity, which will be a required component of certain land use applications that enter public review after June 1, 2022. The Reports will draw data from the data tool and include a narrative statement of how the project relates to the City’s goals to affirmatively further fair housing and promote equitable access to opportunity.

Additional details about how to provide input can be found on the project site here and on NYC Engage.

Department of City Planning
The Department of City Planning (DCP) plans for the strategic growth and development of the City through ground-up planning with communities, the development of land use policies and zoning regulations applicable citywide, and its contribution to the preparation of the City’s 10-year Capital Strategy. DCP promotes housing production and affordability, fosters economic development and coordinated investments in infrastructure and services, and supports resilient, sustainable communities across the five boroughs for a more equitable New York City.

In addition, DCP supports the City Planning Commission in its annual review of approximately 450 land use applications for a variety of discretionary approvals. The Department also assists both government agencies and the public by advising on strategic and capital planning and providing policy analysis, technical assistance and data relating to housing, transportation, community facilities, demography, zoning, urban design, waterfront areas and public open space.

Department of Housing Preservation and Development
The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation’s largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. For full details visit www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.

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