The vast majority of residents in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan region support policies to create more affordable housing in the region - including in their own communities - and want city and state leaders to expand and improve public housing as well, according to new public opinion polling from Regional Plan Association (RPA) and Global Strategy Group (GSG).
78% of respondents in New York City support policies to increase the amount of affordable housing in the region. Support for affordable housing is only slightly lower in the suburbs, with 74% of respondents in the New York region as a whole voicing support.
The survey results come against the backdrop of a looming eviction crisis across the region as a result of the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the New York region had one of the highest housing cost burdens in the country, a situation exacerbated during the pandemic due to job and income loss. Survey results show these impacts are not distributed equally. Roughly 48% of Black residents said rent or home payments have been the biggest source of stress during the pandemic while just 12% of white New Yorkers said the same.
With regard to increasing affordability, 37% of residents said limiting rent increases was the best way to make housing more affordable while 25% said providing rent assistance is the best way. Each state in the region has or is currently rolling out a rental assistance program.
Only 27% of New Yorkers - and 42% of residents outside New York City - oppose allowing bigger and taller buildings in neighborhoods in order to increase the amount of affordable housing. RPA supports New York City’s plans to allow this in the SoHo and Gowanus neighborhoods, and we have pointed to five more affluent neighborhoods - one in each borough - to rezone for Mandatory Inclusionary Housing.
RPA has long advocated for creating affordable homes in every community. Many neighborhoods where zoning changes could help with housing equity have historically been left out of the conversation, and this could be changing. In New York City, the recently released Where We Live Plan focuses on expanding affordable housing opportunities in low-density areas. In Connecticut, momentum is building for statewide land use reform that would spur the creation of more diverse housing options in the state’s suburban communities.
70% of the region’s residents, including 79% of New York City residents, believe leaders should expand and improve public housing. More than 400,000 people currently live in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) facilities - the single largest source of deeply affordable housing in the region and the largest public housing authority in the United States - and over 100,000 more live in other public housing throughout the region.
