Final “Where We Live NYC” Plan Released

Mayor Bill de Blasio and Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been released the final Where We Live NYC Plan, the City’s blueprint for fair housing in the five boroughs.  

Where We Live NYC is the City’s five-year plan to break down barriers to opportunity and build more integrated, equitable neighborhoods. Updated to reflect the disproportionate impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on low-income communities of color, the plan includes enhanced metrics, strategies, policy proposals, and new priorities to address a legacy of housing segregation and build a more inclusive city. 

“Rebuilding a fairer, better city starts with listening to New Yorkers. I’m grateful for feedback from residents, advocates, and New Yorkers across the five boroughs as we find more ways to make our city more affordable and inclusive than ever,” said Mayor de Blasio. 

The plan is the result of a two-year planning process led by the Deputy Mayor’s office, the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and NYCHA, and involved more than 30 City agencies. 

“NYCHA is a vital resource for low-income New Yorkers – many of whom are people of color – and we are working tirelessly to drastically improve the living conditions for residents who have been disproportionately impacted by decades of disinvestment in public housing,” said NYCHA Chair & CEO Greg Russ. “The comprehensive renovations and operational improvements the Authority is spearheading are central to the goal of creating a more equitable city – an effort that will be more crucial than ever as New York City continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

The plan lays out the City’s commitments over the next five years. Key goals of the plan include: 

• Fighting housing discrimination by pursuing increased resources and protections; 
• Promoting development that opens up more communities to low-income families; 
• Preserving low-cost housing and preventing displacement of long-standing residents through stronger tenant protections and new affordable housing investments; 
• Empowering families receiving rental assistance and expanding use of these benefits in amenity-rich neighborhoods; 
• Creating better and more integrated living options for people with disabilities; and 
• Aligning investments to address segregation, discrimination, and concentrated poverty. 

New Actions in the  Where We Live NYC Plan 

• Incentivizing more affordable housing and increasing neighborhood diversity in amenity-rich neighborhoods like Gowanus and SoHo/NoHo that have exceptional access to transit, schools, and job centers; 
• Expanding housing options in low-density zoning districts to encourage the development of low-cost housing options in neighborhoods across the city; 
• Proposing changes to the Zoning Resolution to allow for an increase in density for affordable housing across the city; 
• Creating a citywide housing growth framework that takes into account an equity-centered and race-forward approach to planning; and 
• Incorporating lessons from Where We Live NYC into decisions about affordable housing financing.  

Through Where We Live NYC, the City worked with residents and community leaders to better understand their housing challenges and identify goals, strategies, and actions to advance fair housing. The City engaged hundreds of residents, over 150 community-based and advocacy organizations, and the full range of governmental agencies whose work affects housing and neighborhood quality. Since releasing a draft of the plan in January, the city has collected public comments via a city-wide listening tour and incorporated feedback into the final version. 

The city has also faced an unprecedented health and economic crisis that has heightened deeply embedded disparities. COVID-19 has laid bare the continued significance of neighborhood-based inequities and racial inequality. The final plan will advance fair housing in the recovery from COVID-19. 

Read the final plan here.