Policy

Why does the history of squatting in New York matter? Artists, historians, documentarians, and writers reflect on a singular passage in the city's story, and what it can offer today.

Holly Leicht, former Regional Administrator for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, got down to the nuts and bolts of what HUD does. Here's a little of what we learned.

Happy Birthday, zoning! The codes may have changed over 101 years, but as Andrea Renner and Eric Goldwyn explain, when it comes to how New Yorkers use zoning to advance their own visions of a perfect city, much remains the same.

DW Gibson reflects on the churches and community service providers put in jeopardy by a combination of policy and paperwork, and what can be done to stop vulnerable institutions from falling through the cracks in the city's annual tax lien sale.

Historians of and planners from the era of Model Cities give their take on the lessons and legacies of this often-overlooked program.

As the city makes moves to improve housing in Mott Haven, Susanne Schindler finds that current approaches bear a strong resemblance to long-forgotten efforts there.

For our Typecast series, Henry Grabar visits Canarsie, where long rows of attached brick houses defy traditional flood-proofing elevation. Could rising flood insurance premiums pose a greater immediate threat to homeowners than rising sea levels?

After Superstorm Sandy, a historic housing style is on the brink of extinction on Staten Island's East Shore. A. F. Brady explores what stands to be lost, and gained, in government efforts to rebuild the area after the storm.

In the latest installment of our Profiles in Public Service series, Nisha Agarwal, commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, talks to Urban Omnibus about fraud in the housing market and confidence in librarians.