Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2024
Why NYC Needs a Citywide Cultural FestivalIn this City Limits op-ed, Eli Dvorkin and Winston Fisher call on the Adams administration to launch the city’s first annual five-borough cultural festival—helping the city tackle several challenges at once.
Report - May 2024
50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable QueensQueens is the city’s largest gateway for immigrants, and is also arguably New York’s most important launchpad to the middle class. Yet, given rising rents, climate change, an aging population and other challenges, Queens has significant work to do to ensure all of its residents can fully participate in the borough’s prosperity. This report presents bold policy ideas from 50 Queens leaders for what city leaders can do to create a stronger, more equitable Queens.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2024
Investing in the arts and artists to tackle New York’s biggest challengesIn this Times Union op-ed, Editorial & Policy Director Eli Dvorkin and Creatives Rebuild New York's Sarah Calderón urge state policymakers to make the arts and artists a centerpiece of an inclusive economic development agenda.
Report - May 2024
Closing NYC’s College Attainment GapMost well-paying jobs in New York City today go to individuals with a postsecondary degree, and studies suggest that this will only accelerate in the decade ahead. But there are still glaring racial, ethnic, and geographic gaps in college attainment rates across New York City.
Data - May 2024
Preparing for the End of the Affordable Connectivity Program in New York CityFew places nationally have benefited from the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) as much as New York City. With full funding for the program expiring at the end of April, nearly one million households across the five boroughs are poised to lose this subsidy—with the most significant impact felt in the city’s lowest-income communities.
Commentary/Op-Ed - April 2024
To Build a Greener New York City, Start With CUNYMeeting New York City’s ambitious climate goals will require a massive retrofit of its buildings, which make up almost 70 percent of the city’s carbon footprint. To begin, a major new initiative is needed to build a greener CUNY using incoming federal and state funding.
Testimony - April 2024
Harnessing CUNY’s Talent to Build a Green FutureIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education, CUF Senior Fellow for Climate and Opportunity John Surico calls for the city to build a greener CUNY, not just to help the city meet its crucial emissions reduction goals, but also to provide much-needed infrastructure improvements. CUNY's own sustainability-focused initiatives are the secret weapon to decarbonization of CUNY buildings.
Report - March 2024
Boosting Transfer Student Success at CUNYThousands of New York City public high school graduates every year start at a City University of New York community college and then transfer to a four-year institution to obtain a bachelor's degree. But the large majority of CUNY students who intend to transfer and complete a credential fall short of doing so. Improvement is possible with a few strategic steps from CUNY and modest investments from city and state leaders.
Testimony - March 2024
Implementing Innovative Ways To Fund Parks and Open SpacesIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Parks and Recreation, CUF Senior Fellow for Climate and Opportunity John Surico makes the case for why, and how, city leaders can establish sustainable sources of recurring funding for parks.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2024
Generating the new revenues needed to support NYC’s parksIn this amNewYork op-ed, CUF’s Senior Fellow for Climate & Opportunity John Surico and Editorial & Policy Director Eli Dvorkin argue that city leaders need to get creative and seek out new sustainable sources of funding for parks—and put forward actionable ideas to do just that.
Report - March 2024
Big Ideas to Help NYC Thrive in the Post-Pandemic EconomyNew York has overcome the immediate economic tests of the pandemic, but the city still has to keep pace with a vastly changed landscape. Meeting this moment will require a seismic shift in how city officials approach economic development. This report offers five big, immediately actionable ideas that city policymakers can implement to make New York even stronger.
Testimony - March 2024
The importance of investing in CUNYIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committees on Finance and Higher Education, CUF Senior Editor Dorian Block strongly encourages the Council to fully fund CUNY in the FY 2025 budget, outlining four key areas where these investments can have the greatest impact.
Report - March 2024
50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable BrooklynIn many ways, Brooklyn is a shining star of the city's post-pandemic recovery. Despite all its progress, Brooklyn has significant work to do to ensure all of its residents can fully participate in the borough’s growing prosperity. This report presents bold policy ideas from 50 exceptional Brooklynites for what city leaders can do to create a stronger, more equitable Brooklyn.
Report - February 2024
50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable BronxIt will be nearly impossible to create a more equitable economy in New York without putting the Bronx at the forefront. This report presents bold policy ideas from 50 exceptional Bronxites for what city leaders can do to create a stronger, more equitable Bronx.
Testimony - February 2024
Supporting the Needs of Immigrant Older AdultsIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Aging and Committee on Immigration, CUF Data Researcher Rachel Neches details the need to support the rapidly growing older immigrant population in New York.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2024
Job training sector needs funding to help asylum seekers prepare for workforceIn this Times Union op-ed, Jonathan Bowles argues that to prepare asylum seekers for independence, more investments in English classes, job training programs, and immigrant-serving workforce development providers will help these newcomers prepare to enter the workforce and become productive New Yorkers.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2024
To build a stronger middle class, boost paid internships for CUNY studentsIn this Crain’s New York Business op-ed, Jonathan Bowles and Winston Fisher urge New York City leaders to harness CUNY as an engine of economic mobility by ensuring that far more CUNY students have access to paid internships during their college careers.
Report - January 2024
Paying for the Growing Needs of NYC’s Parks: 20 Fresh Ideas to Fund Parks and Open SpacesThe cities that will prosper in the years ahead are those that boast an exceptional quality of life, and great open spaces are essential to that goal. Yet there is virtually no agreement on how to pay for parks' growing maintenance and infrastructure needs, while investing in new parks and open spaces in the places they’re needed the most. This report puts forth 20 concrete and achievable ideas to do just that.
Report - December 2023
State of the Chains, 2023Our sixteenth annual ranking of national retailers in New York City finds a 3.1 percent downtick in chain stores across the five boroughs over the past year. This is the second-largest single-year decline in chain stores since the report began in 2008, and breaks a two-year streak of modest recovery after the unprecedented plunge of 2020.
Testimony - November 2023
Supercharging CUNY Reconnect to Support Returning StudentsIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education, CUF Senior Fellow John Surico, on behalf of CUF Policy Director Eli Dvorkin, makes the case to further support the CUNY Reconnect program to help ensure that far more returning students succeed the second time around in postsecondary education.
