The Weekly Wrap: New York City Passes Sweeping Housing Plan

Welcome back to The Weekly Wrap, our Friday roundup of stories that explain the problems oppressing people in cities and elevate the solutions that bring us closer to economic, environmental and social justice.

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New York City Passes Citywide Rezoning

A large zoning reform proposed by the Adams administration, dubbed “City of Yes,” was passed by the City Council last week after some tweaking, Gothamist reports. Councilmembers also secured $5 billion in new funding for public housing, infrastructure and hiring staff at housing agencies. That includes $1 billion from the state, with the city chipping the other $4 billion. The administration projects the entire plan will lead to 80,000 new housing units over the next 15 years. It is a more modest estimate than the De Blasio administration’s plan to build 120,000 units and preserve 180,000 units by 2026. That projection came short, financing the construction of some 50,000 units and preserving 114,000 units as of 2020, according to a Community Service Society report. And new units produced under the prior plan largely did not meet the income of the areas where they were constructed. It’s a problem that will likely repeat in the recently passed City of Yes plan, which has less rigorous affordability requirements negotiated by the city council, with only some designated neighborhoods requiring affordability in exchange for density.

British Columbia First Nations Experiment with Indigenous-Run Tourism

The Tyee covers a vacation resort owned by the Klahoose First Nation in British Columbia on an island only accessible by water or air. The resort was sold to the Klahoose in 2020 when a previous resort was shut down. It is one of several Indigenous-owned tourism businesses that have been sprouting up in the area, according to the Tyee, with the goal of conserving Indigenous land and offering “culture sharing” experiences to tourists.

Municipal Broadband Expands Across the Country

According to Route Fifty, nearly 50 publicly owned broadband networks have been built in cities across the country since 2021, bringing the total of 447. Funding from a $42 billion federal broadband program introduced in 2021 explains a portion of this expansion. Municipal broadband networks provide wider reach to underserved communities and can be a lower cost to consumers than private networks, so states and cities have introduced policy incentives to help them operate. That is a bad thing, according to a report from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), because it leaves private broadband companies on an uneven playing field. For context, ITIF is a think tank that believes large corporations should “compete with relatively few restrictions.”

A River Gains Legal Rights in Washington

A county in Washington voted to grant the Snohomish River watershed legal rights to “exist, regenerate and flourish” according to Inside Climate News. Residents of Everett, Washington, voted 57% in favor of the ballot measure, according to the outlet. It is part of a trend of governments granting legal rights to species and ecosystems that can be enforced in court, which includes legal rights granted to endangered orcas, also in Washington. Residents of Everett can sue entities in court if they find that the watershed’s rights to flourish are being violated. In Mexico, Indigenous Mayans are fighting to give cenotes, their ancient water wells, rights. Similar rights have been granted to a river in New Zealand stemming from a lawsuit from Maori people.

University of Toronto Students Win Fossil Fuel Divestment

University of Toronto students got their university’s School of Environment to reject funding from the fossil fuel industry, which could show a path forward for other universities as they face intense crackdowns, Waging Nonviolence reports. The win was part of a movement that formally launched in 2022, according to Waging Nonviolence, with a letter released by over 500 U.S. and U.K. academics. Students at universities face ongoing repression in Canada and in the United States over climate and other issues like opposition to the genocide in Gaza, with students demanding divestment from fossil fuel companies and Israel.

MORE NEWS

• New York City Council launches direct cash program for dozens of homeless families. Gothamist

• Guerrilla wall labels protest the keffiyeh ban at Noguchi Museum. Hyperallergic

• Rhode Island could create a ‘public developer’ to address the housing crisis. Governing

• How five states are innovating SNAP. Smart Cities Dive

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

• Applications for the Loeb Fellowship are open. The program is aimed at mid-career urban designers, public artists, developers, journalists, civic leaders, architects, landscape architects, urban planners, policymakers, and community development leaders whose work focuses on improving the built and natural environment. The deadline is Jan. 6, 2025. Learn more and apply here.

• The Out(sider) Preservation Initiative is accepting grant proposals for descendant-led projects that lead to diasporic return and increased public interest in historically Black settlements. Learn more here. Proposals are due on Jan. 17, 2025.

• The Boston Ujima Project, Inc. recently announced its Ujima Collective Real Estate Fund, launching in 2025. It aims to support housing development that reflects the needs and aspirations of its communities in Boston. Learn more and complete the interest form here.

• The East Bay Community Foundation has launched the Oakland Small Business Resiliency Fund, which is providing one-time grants of $5,000 to $25,000 to support Oakland’s diverse small businesses. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until April 2025. Apply here.

• The International Society for Urban Health and Cities & Health looking for contributors for a special journal issue on “Urban Environments at the Frontline of Climate Breakdown and Health.” Read more about the call here. Submit by Feb. 28, 2025.

EVENTS

• No events this week!

News briefs written by Roshan Abraham. Additional blurbs curated by Deonna Anderson.