From the days of the Koch administration to Mayor Adams stepping into City Hall, New York City has spent hundreds of billions of dollars trying to solve the city’s housing problem. Yet from sky-high rents to crumbling public housing to rising rates of homelessness, the problem persists. Join housing experts Rafael Cestero and Kirk Goodrich, as they look at how New York City’s housing problem has evolved during their combined 60 years in the industry and wrangle with the most daunting challen ...
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk get together with the Urban Land Institute NY's Young Leaders Group to discuss the housing deal struck between Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature, recount their own housing journeys, and share some perspective on making it through the housing crisis of the 70s.
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk talk to former Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen about the de Blasio administration's housing legacy, the evolution of NYC's housing policy over the last 30 years, and what the Adams administration is getting right/what it's getting wrong. The founder and managing principal of M Squared also discusses the Gateway Project, asylum seekers, and…
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk talk to former HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan about catastrophe as a driver of solutions to the housing problem, touching on Superstorm Sandy, the subprime mortgage crisis, and the decline of public housing. Also, are housing abundance and resilience in conflict or compatible?
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk talk to Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder of the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, about supply and demand denialism, the weaponization of Jane Jacobs' legacy, and how to add housing when a city is "full."
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk talk to NFL safety turned real estate developer Jamar Adams - founder and managing principal of Essence Development - about his journey from the gridiron to the board room and the challenge of breaking into the development world as a person of color. Also, public-private partnerships as a tool for improving public housing, pragmatis…
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk talk to Gregg Colburn, PhD - author and professor of housing and urban development at the University of Washington - about his book "Homelessness is a Housing Problem: How Structural Problems Explain U.S. Patterns," NYC's right to shelter, and why homelessness rates are actually lower where poverty rates are higher.…
…
continue reading
On the eve of a potential long-awaited housing deal between New York's Governor and Legislature, Rafael and Kirk talk to Jeff Blau, chief executive of Related Companies, about some of the most fiercely debated housing policies, including tax incentives for developers and tenant protections. Also, can market-rate housing and office buildings help ad…
…
continue reading
It doesn't add up. Rafael and Kirk talk to Eric Enderlin, president of the NYC Housing Development Corporation, about the brutal math of building affordable housing. Plus, public housing, the lopsided financial benefits of homeownership, single-room occupancy (SRO) units, and the obstacles to filling vacant housing.…
…
continue reading
Madam Speaker. Rafael and Kirk have a wide-ranging discussion with New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams about her approach to getting her members to yes on rezonings, her Fair Housing Framework, rental assistance vouchers, homeownership, accessory dwelling units, and Jamaica, Queens as a laboratory for solutions to the housing problem.…
…
continue reading
The canary in the coalmine. Rafael and Kirk talk to Nolan Gray - author and research director at CA YIMBY - about California's efforts to tackle the housing problem, the growing YIMBY movement, accessory dwelling units, missing middle housing, and his book Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It.…
…
continue reading
Is New York a City of Yes? Rafael and Kirk talk to NYC Director of City Planning Dan Garodnick about saving StuyTown, gentrification, member deference, and the Adams Administration's plan to address the housing problem.
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk kick off season 3 by talking to the former Mayor-turned-Cabinet Secretary about his journey from San Antonio, Texas to Washington, DC. Secretary Castro shares his national perspective on the housing problem and lessons learned from cities and towns across the country.
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S2 E12. CRACKING THE CODE: 10 CHALLENGES OF BUILDING HOUSING IN NYC
50:18
50:18
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
50:18
In this episode of "The Housing Problem" podcast, hosts Rafael and Kirk tackle the ten key challenges faced by developers striving to build housing in the bustling landscape of New York City. From navigating the environmental review process to addressing tenant-friendly housing court systems, regulatory barriers, and aging infrastructure, they shed…
…
continue reading
Get ready to decode the secrets of housing data with Matthew Murphy, Executive Director of the NYU Furman Center, on "The Housing Problem" podcast. Join hosts Rafael Cestero and Kirk Goodrich as they embark on an engaging conversation filled with data-driven discoveries, paired with examples from their diverse sets of experiences. Matthew demystifi…
…
continue reading
Join hosts Rafael Cestero and Kirk Goodrich as they embark on a lively conversation with Bea De La Torre, the indefatigable Chief Philanthropy Officer at Trinity Church Wall Street. Bea takes us on a whirlwind journey from Puerto Rico to the concrete jungle of NYC, fueled by a burning desire to tackle housing injustices. Together, they expose the f…
…
continue reading
In this episode of "The Housing Problem," Rafael and Kirk engage in a dynamic conversation with Richard Roberts, Principal and Chief Business Development Officer for Red Stone Equity Partners, LLC. Delve into the world of affordable housing and urban market investments with industry experts who have dedicated decades to finding sustainable and work…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S2 E8. HOUSING: A BUNDLE OF GOODS & SERVICES
43:43
43:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
43:43
Join Rafael and Kirk as they dive into the complex world of affordable housing, exploring the challenges and opportunities that arise when trying to create not just a house, but a home. What does it actually take to turn four walls and a roof into a place where people can truly thrive?From the economics of building and maintaining affordable housin…
…
continue reading
On this episode of The Housing Problem, Rafael and Kirk are joined by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, to discuss the past, present, and future of New York City housing. Together, the three provide a captivating insider look into complex housing issues for the Empire State, drawing on personal lessons from previous experiences living and work…
…
continue reading
On this lively episode of The Housing Problem, Rafael and Kirk take a statewide scope of New York’s housing crisis with the top person in charge – RuthAnne Visnauskas – Commissioner of the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal. They take a deep dive into the history of the housing issue in New York, and the impact of all types of…
…
continue reading
This week, Rafael and Kirk are joined in a thought-provoking conversation by Meredith Marshall, the co-founder and managing partner of BRP Companies, a New York-based development company committed to mixed-income projects throughout New York and nationally. Skillfully using and extrapolating on examples from their respective pasts and learned profe…
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk have a spirited conversation on critical and historical issues to New Yorkers, as seen through their own experiences and those from every generation, joined by CPC Senior Vice President Robert Riggs. Together, they dive deep using on the history and present issue of equitable home ownership opportunity in New York City, the socioeco…
…
continue reading
In this thought-provoking episode featuring Holly Leicht – Executive Vice President of Real Estate Development & Planning at Empire State Development – Rafael, Kirk, and Holly extrapolate the core foundational issues plaguing accessible and sustainable affordable housing for decades. Offering expert insights from their decades of learned profession…
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk are joined by Gary LaBarbera, President of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. Rafael, Kirk, and Gary also take a look at the future of sustainable and affordable housing, how it plays into the forthcoming plans of New York and New York City, what legislation can be put into place by elected leaders to …
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk return for another captivating and informative season of “The Housing Problem.” For the first episode of Season Two, they sit down with the Chief Housing Officer for the City of New York, Jessica Katz, to hear directly from the city how they are managing these problems day-to-day in the present, while concurrently planning for a mor…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S1 E6. POLITICS / COUNCILMEMBER PIERINA SANCHEZ
51:07
51:07
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
51:07
Like with everything in life, perceptions matter, and community perceptions of affordable housing are no different. In this final episode of Season 1, Rafael and Kirk get into how developers, advocates, elected officials, and communities talk about, think about, and plan for the building of new housing with up-and-coming affordable housing leader C…
…
continue reading
Rafael and Kirk look at the growing number of homeless New Yorkers and try to square our homeless crisis with the reality that New York does more than any other city to help those living on the street. Muzzy Rosenblatt of BRC talks about his dedicated team of social service professionals who walk into the subway cars that most of us walk out of.…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S1 E4. RACIAL WEALTH GAP / COLVIN GRANNUM
53:28
53:28
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
53:28
Rafael and Kirk sit down with Restoration Plaza’s Colvin Grannum to talk about how Black and brown communities have been the most vulnerable to the consequences of The Housing Problem. Building generational wealth, race-conscious public policy, and bringing holistic thinking to how and where we build housing are just some of the topics this thought…
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S1 E3. PUBLIC HOUSING / CONGRESSMAN RITCHIE TORRES
39:32
39:32
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
39:32
Despite 1 in 15 New Yorkers calling public housing home, the nation’s largest affordable housing infrastructure has faced decades of deferred maintenance and disinvestment. Congressman Torres dishes with Rafael and Kirk about ways to recoup funding for the city’s beleaguered housing authority and the obstacles standing in the way.…
…
continue reading
The term gentrification is thrown around a lot, but do we really even know what it means? Rafael and Kirk break it down with Yvonne Stennett, a longtime community development advocate in Washington Heights, who has seen firsthand the upside and downside of gentrification.
…
continue reading
![Artwork](/static/images/128pixel.png)
1
S1 E1. INTRODUCTION TO THE HOUSING PROBLEM.
54:43
54:43
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
54:43
Rafael and Kirk look at how we got here, where the city’s made improvements, and the seemingly never-ending challenges that New York City’s housing sector is up against. With former New York City Housing Development Corporation President Marc Jahr, Rafael and Kirk break down the paradoxes that define The Housing Problem.…
…
continue reading
A new podcast mini-series about New York City’s housing industry, the challenges we're up against, how they came to be, and what’s needed to build a stronger and more equitable city moving forward. COMING SOON!
…
continue reading