2020 Roundtable

Research & Publishing Archives

Past research has included studies of affordable housing in New York City, New York City Brownfields, development in Queens, and a planning study for the Allen AME Housing Development Corporation. A CUNY Urban Consortium sponsored by the Institute brought together the resources of CUNY schools and departments that focus on urban issues. This interdisciplinary group addressed planning and design issues that affect the future of the city and metropolitan region, and they created symposia and seminars to explore these issues in public forums.

The Institute’s past publications include the journal, "Properties," which served as a forum for identification and discussion of key real estate issues facing New York City and the metropolitan region. Among many titles and subjects: West Side Story; The Future of New York: An International Perspective; The Future of the Manhattan Office Market; A Bronx Profile; A REIT Assessment; roundtables on commercial, residential, and retail Manhattan; and Between Expedience and Deliberation (an assessment of NYC’s and the region’s prospects immediately after 9/11.)

Below are links to more information about this work.

Downtown 2020

Downtown Manhattan can become a vibrant, globally competitive powerhouse and international model of 21st century sustainable development — if public and private investments in infrastructure are made according to six strategic principles, contends a report prepared by a multidisciplinary research team assembled by our Institute. The report, "Downtown 2020," is made particularly timely by the recent erosion of the district’s economy and the prospect of an infusion of federal infrastructure funding for the city.

Undertaken in 2008, the report has been supplemented with a 2009 addendum, “Going Long on NYC: The Case for Strategic Investments in Downtown’s Bedrock Assets.” The addendum updates some data and assessments but affirms the report’s underlying optimism that, over the long term, positive fundamental forces shaping the New York region and its core will persist and prevail.

View/download PDFs for the Downtown 2020 report and its addendum, Going Long on NYC.

The Last Mile: Developing Efficient Freight Operations for Manhattan’s Buildings

Over the past 30 years, freight deliveries to the city have increased by about 300 percent. In contrast, no changes occurred in loading bay requirements since 1972 and none exist for freight elevators. Industry sector studies from 1996 to 2008 identified inaccessible curb space and truck zones, along with insufficient loading bays and freight elevators in “the last mile” as major obstacles to freight efficiency.

Collaboration by freight and commercial real estate professionals is essential to upgrade urban goods movement and traffic flow.

View/download the PDF for The Last Mile.

How Low Can We Go?

The economic volatility of 2008 reversed the boom enjoyed by the Manhattan office market in the immediately preceding years. This paper places the current downturn in the context of prior cycles: 1984 — 1992; 1993 — 2001; and 2002-present.

In each cycle, Wall Street has been a key demand force with its employment count fluctuating between 150,000 and 200,000 at troughs and peaks. As a fundamental driver for New York, though, Wall Street’s multiplier effect in total office jobs magnifies the impact of its swings. The authors trace this history and conclude that approximately 37,500 jobs will be shed in the securities sector by 2010, part of an aggregate loss of about 75,000 Manhattan office jobs.

Over 17 million square feet of additional vacancy will hit the market in this decline, pushing the vacancy rate as high as 12.3%. Recovery is projected for 2011, with a modest uptick in financial jobs stimulating positive space absorption again.

View/download the PDF for How Low Can We Go?


Affordable Housing in New York City

Published in 2005 for the Office of the Public Advocate of the City of New York and the City Council.

The CUNY Urban Consortium

Sponsored by the Institute, the CUNY Urban Consortium brought together the resources of various CUNY schools and departments that focused on urban issues. For the first time, members of these departments in a wide range of disciplines met at regular intervals to discuss planning and design issues that affect the future of the city and of the metropolitan region. They then created symposia and seminars to explore these issues in public forums.

New York City Brownfields

Published in 2005 for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Environmental Coordination.

The Fulcrum: The Crossroads at the Heart of Queens

Published in 2005 for the Queens Chamber of Commerce in response to the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Planning Study for the Allen AME Housing Development Corporation

The development or the redevelopment of urban communities is a focal point for new opportunities. For many years, the positive aspects of urban communities have been overlooked or ignored even though these communities had many attractive components such as infrastructure, population density, public transportation, economic capacity and an educated workforce. Southeast Queens has these attributes as well as catalytic components for progress such as committed community development organizations, churches and governmental entities that are active in marshalling resources to enhance the opportunities to maximize the neighborhood’s potential.