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Other cities that demolished projects helped dislocated people settle into a variety of places. Former housing projects residents could easily be housed in many parts of upstate NY, which have seen population declines.
As for the city substantially improving NYCHA, the city has proven that its a poor landlord, and that isn't likely to change. It maybe worthwhile for some of the better housing project buildings to be sold to private investors who can renovate them. The others need to be demolished, same as Chicago, Philadelphia, DC, Atlanta, NO, among many other cities.
Sounds elitist but moving the poor out of NYC is not going to help, you should understand that rich, affluent, the wannabes don't like to get their hands dirty, these folks don't want to stock products at duane reade, who is supposed to baby sit their kid at their UWS coop while mommy goes to work at her executive media company. Or how is Dr, Klebowitz supposed to take and check blood pressure of folks at his clinic in Harlem and most patients are on Medicaid. Many residents need NYCHA and demolishing projects is not going to help especially since so many Nimbyism is here in certain parts of NYC. You should write a letter to the city Council to house the cities poor people on the entire Rockaway peninsula which was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy. There are a lot of good people you came out of NYCHA, I'm sure you drink plenty of Starbucks, Mr. Shultz Starbucks CEO is from the projects of Brooklyn, So is Sotomayor of the Bronx, plenty of athletes, performers, comedians, politicians of all colors and creeds.
Better Housing projects should be kept, physically poor conditioned housing projects should either be sold off, renovated and converted into coops, if not demolished and build a shining new condo over looking the east river. Chicago got rid of its projects but it has a higher crime rate than Brooklyn which has a similar population size. IF NYC gets rid of housing projects, expect people like you and NYKIDDO to expect a self service efficient NYC in the coming years.
I generally don't agree with demolishing the housing projects, although it would make a great stimulus project for the city and employ thousands of good paying jobs (of course those union workers live in LI and Westchester but that's a different discussion). They are solidly built and simply need cosmetic updates, like new common areas, elevators, and exteriors...they already have great landscaping and green space. You can then add middle class residents, or provide an ownership opportunity to the existing (or new) working class residents.
The reality is, until the mandate that NYC must provide every man/woman/child with housing FOR LIFE changes, the housing projects cannot go anywhere, because the city would have to provide them housing somewhere. Who would create such a huge displacement, incur massive lawsuits, and all the inevitable civil disruption and chaos which would ensue? NOBODY. The housing projects are here to stay...now in what manner they will stay is the discussion we should be having.
Drug stores like CVS are increasingly self service anyway, so don't use the minimum wage employees as an excuse to keep the housing projects around. If they weren't around, the marketplace would be forced to adapt.
As for NYC being mandated to house every man, woman, or child, I do not believe there is such a mandate and if there is please show me the statue.
For all my complaints about the housing projects, it takes years to possibly get in. (by then many have given up and left town). NYCHA hasn't accepted new Section 8 applications since 2009. City Advantage program got eliminated, and HASA has cuts.
There's a limited amount of governmental housing and housing that will deal with governmental programs. Added to that, a lot of tenement housing in Manhattan has been torn down and replaced by luxury housing. Eminent domain has gotten rid of housing near Columbia University, as Columbia expands. As a result, low income to no income people are not necessarily going to be able to get housing in NYC.
Drug stores like CVS are increasingly self service anyway, so don't use the minimum wage employees as an excuse to keep the housing projects around. If they weren't around, the marketplace would be forced to adapt.
As for NYC being mandated to house every man, woman, or child, I do not believe there is such a mandate and if there is please show me the statue.
For all my complaints about the housing projects, it takes years to possibly get in. (by then many have given up and left town). NYCHA hasn't accepted new Section 8 applications since 2009. City Advantage program got eliminated, and HASA has cuts.
There's a limited amount of governmental housing and housing that will deal with governmental programs. Added to that, a lot of tenement housing in Manhattan has been torn down and replaced by luxury housing. Eminent domain has gotten rid of housing near Columbia University, as Columbia expands. As a result, low income to no income people are not necessarily going to be able to get housing in NYC.
Thousands of employees field and administrative work for NYCHA. What about them aswell as private contractors who also work with NYCHA with supplies and materisls. If get rid of NYCHA what about pensions of thousands of retired workers? Gettinf rid of NYCHA will just create future problems for the city down the line. Don't get me wrong some buildings should be toen down or converted but getting rid of NYCHA solves nothing. Lets see if getting rid of NYCHA, rent control, HASA, rent stabalized, hey city no longer signs off on section 8 anymore.
Well I don't think the issue of getting rid of NYCHA is a problem for contractors, suppliers, etc because those buildings will be torn down and rebuilt...so contractors will do the work, and someone has to still manage and repair the new structures. Nobody is keeping NYCHA in order to keep people employed..especially not this city.
The fundamental problem remains: The city is required by law to house every man/woman/child, so until that changes, the dream of demolishing the housing projects is just that, a dream. We have to deal with these behemoths, and do the best we can with them because they are here to stay. A more fruitful discussion is possibly transitioning them to more working/middle class people, and ownership opportunities for existing residents to create wealth.
Well I don't think the issue of getting rid of NYCHA is a problem for contractors, suppliers, etc because those buildings will be torn down and rebuilt...so contractors will do the work, and someone has to still manage and repair the new structures. Nobody is keeping NYCHA in order to keep people employed..especially not this city.
The fundamental problem remains: The city is required by law to house every man/woman/child, so until that changes, the dream of demolishing the housing projects is just that, a dream. We have to deal with these behemoths, and do the best we can with them because they are here to stay. A more fruitful discussion is possibly transitioning them to more working/middle class people, and ownership opportunities for existing residents to create wealth.
I agree. Overall the city needs to do a better job retaining working and middle class folks, NYCHA might be the answer, and again I said might.
Middle class people would live in NYCHA it's just that it's been corrupted almost to the point of return. And saying this as somebody who visits the projects frequently, I don't blame a decent middle class family from not wanting to live among those savages. Hell I would live in NYCHA if majority of the projects were middle class working stiffs like myself but they're not.
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
NO! What you are saying is that people do not have the potential for change; and, are doomed to what persciption which YOU ascribe to them.
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Yours, is like saying, give a book to a person who cannot read, and expecting them to read and learn.
Rather, and more to be found, teach the person to read, then give them a book, the results will likely be different!
So, can we really expect more from the meth head trailer trash single mom, than what she KNOWS?!
Similarly, how much can be intelligently expected from a white ethnic NYer from The Bronx?! Not exactly taking Einstein here are we.....
The broom sweeps both ways!
We seem to differ on the issue of character. The philosopher Schopenhauer, as you may know said that character never changes after your formative years. A bad man that does a good thing, does it DESPITE his bad character.
Last edited by Northwindsforever; 02-21-2013 at 12:29 AM..
Throw thousands of people on the streets because you don't like the view? Honorable Sonia Sotomayor came from the projects and that's just ONE example.
Anything that involves dismantling the welfare state is a GOOD thing.
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