Public Policy Talk: City of Yes for Housing Opportunity

What are the goals for City of Yes for Housing Opportunity? How will this new policy initiative move the needle on quality of life for ALL New Yorkers?

Access to affordable housing is a critical and persistent challenge for our city. Multiple administrations have put forth comprehensive plans to make our city’s housing policies more equitable and just, addressing everything from high rents to homelessness. Join Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) Commissioner Adolfo Carrión and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and Commissioner Daniel Garodnick to learn how their respective agencies are joining forces on Mayor Adams’ City of Yes for Housing Opportunity to transform the way our city meets housing needs and provides equitable access to opportunity for ALL New Yorkers.

The City of Yes for Housing Opportunity initiative is part of an inclusive, citywide approach to expanding and diversifying the housing supply that will help meet New Yorkers’ housing needs with small changes citywide.

In this OHNY Public Policy Talk, hear from Commissioner Carrión and Commissioner Garodnick about how City of Yes for Housing Opportunity will guide decision making and priority setting in their respective agencies. Senior staff at HPD and DCP will also outline how they are aligning to tackle housing affordability, and housing quality, in every neighborhood.

OHNY Public Policy Talks is a new programming series about new and evolving public policies impacting quality of place. Tailored for the general public, these discussions demystify how the city functions and who it serves — breaking down what may seem like complicated policy measures for broad audiences to help residents understand the current administration’s priorities. Above all, these talks illuminate how public sector investments in the physical realm are improving the city’s resilience, cultural vitality, social cohesion, and economic opportunity.

This event is presented in partnership with the Department of City Planning and Department of Housing Preservation & Development and is made possible by the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.

Speaker Bios:

Adolfo Carrión Jr. is the Commissioner of NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). Carrión has spent his professional career working to build and improve historically marginalized communities in New York City and around the country.

Prior to joining HPD, Carrión was the CEO and founder of Metro Futures LLC, a real estate development and consulting firm, whose focus is the development of affordable housing, mixed-use and economic development projects, and strategic planning in the New York City Metro Area. Before starting Metro Futures, Carrión served as regional administrator for Region II of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, deputy assistant to President Barack Obama, and director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs.

Carrión has also served as Bronx Borough President and as a member of the New York City Council. His work as Borough President ushered in a new era of building and growth in the Bronx that increased investment in housing, schools, millions of square feet of commercial space, the new Yankee Stadium, and new businesses.

Dan Garodnick is the chair of the City Planning Commission (CPC) and director of the Department of City Planning (DCP). He was appointed to these dual roles by Mayor Adams in January 2022, continuing his distinguished career in public service.

Prior to his appointment, Garodnick served as the President and CEO of the Riverside Park Conservancy, a not-for-profit organization advocating for a six-mile park on Manhattan’s West Side. For 12 years, Garodnik represented the East Side of Manhattan in the City Council, where he was known as one of New York’s most independent voices and effective legislators. He chaired the Planning and Economic Development Committees, and served as a member of the Land Use Committee.

Cassim Shepard is Distinguished Lecturer at the Spitzer School of Architecture, City College of New York. He previously taught in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University, the Cities Programme of the London School of Economics, and the School of Design at the University of Illinois at Chicago. As the founding editor-in-chief of Urban Omnibus, an online publication of The Architectural League of New York, he spent six years working with hundreds of local designers, artists, and public servants to share their stories of urban innovation, with a particular emphasis on housing, infrastructure, and the changing nature of cultural institutions. His work has been supported by a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacDowell residency and recognized with an Arts and Letters Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

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