I’ve long since said that NYC is a culturally dense, and rather interesting place to live that presents some opportunities you’d never see elsewhere. At the same time I’ve always been transparent that it’s mostly an allure that ultimately fades and exposes it for what it is. Quality of life is bad but the rationale to live there is subsidized by some of what you mentioned earlier on in this piece. Living there as opposed to visiting or being transient is absolutely not the same thing and most people I come across who move there and think they truly “live” there or see it as a viable long term place to anchor in and call home are typically people who are naively blinded by that allure as it’s extremely obvious that it’s not a feasible or sustainable environment for virtually everyone.
Culturally it’s living in the nearly hallowed husk of its former self with its new generation of inhabitants convinced that they’re the contemporary culture/creative minds who we’ll soon praise and memorialize - which I’m not against as I do think some level of absurd confidence is required to push creative limits for net new or forward thinking techniques in any craft. At the same time, I’m not quite sure I see them in the same light as those of the past they seek to emulate in terms of story and creative output. Everything is to be consumed. Most things stream down into homogeneity. People take fewer risks for mass appeal and those who do take risk don’t get the credit, appreciation, or simple visibility for it. It’s not entirely their fault given the circumstances. I’m simply pointing out my perspective of the current state rather than total condemnation. Keep creating, folks.
Now 2 years removed, I will say that I love New York and my time there was life changing. At the same time, I saw the writing on the wall within my first 18 months and made my peace with it. I wish and hope that the city can somehow save itself on multiple fronts. It needs better policies/leaders paired with a true cultural awakening that borders renaissance. Some areas of NYC also need to solve their “community crisis” which is a problem that places across the country suffer from but I think NYC used to be exemplary on that front and I think restoring that can help turn the ship around.
Wish I could join the release event. I’ll be getting a copy to support.
Overall liked the post and have been a fan of building optimism. I am one of the suburban transplants who came to NYC in my 20s and is unlikely to be here more than a dozen years. Maybe I am the enemy. I can't speak to life here pre 2021.
On culture:
- The New York I experience is consumptive. Everything is about spending money on food, drinks, and "experiences". If one ever makes something it's a paid class $60-100/head whether it's pasta, paint and sip, or pottery.
- Thru Instagram, beli, tiktok, and worth of mouth there is extreme hedonic concentration - everyone loves the same food and has the same hobbies. The prices then skyrocket with high and inelastic demand.
- Much caters to the young aspirants who have no personal sense of taste and homogenize the world and the upper class is at the mercy of the professional dealers and critics.
- That being said there remains amazing comedy in the city and lots of weird avant garde stuff that isn't always my cup of tea but is real creative work. I used to go to weird little shows with <25 person audiences all the time. There remains a lot of cool things but most of it just isn't powerful enough to break through.
I am a YIMBY; I believe in building more housing (especially missing middle). But I totally disagree on stabilization- that is the best solution to the cultural issue you identified. Stabilization is what keeps families in homes vs being displaced by the 20 somethings making 150k each who pay $10k/month for a three bedroom.
Stabilization (when done well) means new supply can always be built at current market supply while current/long-standing residents get stable pricing and can stay in their homes. It's economically efficient but shifts unplanned surplus from owners to renters. This has helped the Bronx, Queens, lots of Brooklyn (just not Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedstuy, or Bishwick) remain affordable and community centric.
Destabilization killed family life in lower Manhattan. We had a system with perverse incentives - tenant leaves you increase rent 20% - so you got massive illegal harrasment, landlord neglect and forced buyouts. Same with condo conversion. There was no oversight of renovation costs or capex so you had rampant fraud. Once you reached a certain price units destabilized permanently creating windfalls for landlords and destroying current tenants abilities to keep up with richer newcomers.
Also buildings need to be maintained proactively. We saw decades of owners/landlords shirking here which is why there's “suddenly” crumbling stabilized buildings. The issue is the bandits responsible likely already sold the buildings years ago and new owners are screwed.
The other big problem is cost disease. Unions and licensed firms (e.g. extermination) extort massive fees well in excess of true labor markets. Crazy regulations on renovation make it impossible to rehab old units. Code changes, impact fees, minaffordable allotments etc make building expensive as hell.
Where I agree is stabilization has been done very poorly. You cannot stabilize below operating cost increases. Rent guidelines board has failed here and been politicized - Mamdani’s freeze will be destructive. We need to accurately survey costs and use those to adjust allowed rents. Tthe good for cause eviction rules and 10% max hikes on market rate units are good.
We can create a system that meets the demands of new apartments for new comers (or upwardly mobile residents) while maintaining predictable stable housing costs for existing residents. It doesn't have to be either or.
I am really thankful for this detailed piece and for the print edition that I will reference. Besides all of the stated hassles of being an artist housed in NYC, I am sick of talking about it. It seems like so many conversations with other creative types are too often dominated, highjacked by “rent’s too dam high” economics. This piece gives some practical solutions. Bravo for mentioning SROs, I know from experience this can work fabulously in NYC.
I'll wait for my print copy, but I'm in for anything excoriating NYC.
- a Bostonian.
Looking forward to the arrival of my print edition!!
Love all of these ideas - well done!
i beg your pardon.
Congratulations guys!
I’ve long since said that NYC is a culturally dense, and rather interesting place to live that presents some opportunities you’d never see elsewhere. At the same time I’ve always been transparent that it’s mostly an allure that ultimately fades and exposes it for what it is. Quality of life is bad but the rationale to live there is subsidized by some of what you mentioned earlier on in this piece. Living there as opposed to visiting or being transient is absolutely not the same thing and most people I come across who move there and think they truly “live” there or see it as a viable long term place to anchor in and call home are typically people who are naively blinded by that allure as it’s extremely obvious that it’s not a feasible or sustainable environment for virtually everyone.
Culturally it’s living in the nearly hallowed husk of its former self with its new generation of inhabitants convinced that they’re the contemporary culture/creative minds who we’ll soon praise and memorialize - which I’m not against as I do think some level of absurd confidence is required to push creative limits for net new or forward thinking techniques in any craft. At the same time, I’m not quite sure I see them in the same light as those of the past they seek to emulate in terms of story and creative output. Everything is to be consumed. Most things stream down into homogeneity. People take fewer risks for mass appeal and those who do take risk don’t get the credit, appreciation, or simple visibility for it. It’s not entirely their fault given the circumstances. I’m simply pointing out my perspective of the current state rather than total condemnation. Keep creating, folks.
Now 2 years removed, I will say that I love New York and my time there was life changing. At the same time, I saw the writing on the wall within my first 18 months and made my peace with it. I wish and hope that the city can somehow save itself on multiple fronts. It needs better policies/leaders paired with a true cultural awakening that borders renaissance. Some areas of NYC also need to solve their “community crisis” which is a problem that places across the country suffer from but I think NYC used to be exemplary on that front and I think restoring that can help turn the ship around.
Wish I could join the release event. I’ll be getting a copy to support.
Overall liked the post and have been a fan of building optimism. I am one of the suburban transplants who came to NYC in my 20s and is unlikely to be here more than a dozen years. Maybe I am the enemy. I can't speak to life here pre 2021.
On culture:
- The New York I experience is consumptive. Everything is about spending money on food, drinks, and "experiences". If one ever makes something it's a paid class $60-100/head whether it's pasta, paint and sip, or pottery.
- Thru Instagram, beli, tiktok, and worth of mouth there is extreme hedonic concentration - everyone loves the same food and has the same hobbies. The prices then skyrocket with high and inelastic demand.
- Much caters to the young aspirants who have no personal sense of taste and homogenize the world and the upper class is at the mercy of the professional dealers and critics.
- That being said there remains amazing comedy in the city and lots of weird avant garde stuff that isn't always my cup of tea but is real creative work. I used to go to weird little shows with <25 person audiences all the time. There remains a lot of cool things but most of it just isn't powerful enough to break through.
I am a YIMBY; I believe in building more housing (especially missing middle). But I totally disagree on stabilization- that is the best solution to the cultural issue you identified. Stabilization is what keeps families in homes vs being displaced by the 20 somethings making 150k each who pay $10k/month for a three bedroom.
Stabilization (when done well) means new supply can always be built at current market supply while current/long-standing residents get stable pricing and can stay in their homes. It's economically efficient but shifts unplanned surplus from owners to renters. This has helped the Bronx, Queens, lots of Brooklyn (just not Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bedstuy, or Bishwick) remain affordable and community centric.
Destabilization killed family life in lower Manhattan. We had a system with perverse incentives - tenant leaves you increase rent 20% - so you got massive illegal harrasment, landlord neglect and forced buyouts. Same with condo conversion. There was no oversight of renovation costs or capex so you had rampant fraud. Once you reached a certain price units destabilized permanently creating windfalls for landlords and destroying current tenants abilities to keep up with richer newcomers.
Also buildings need to be maintained proactively. We saw decades of owners/landlords shirking here which is why there's “suddenly” crumbling stabilized buildings. The issue is the bandits responsible likely already sold the buildings years ago and new owners are screwed.
The other big problem is cost disease. Unions and licensed firms (e.g. extermination) extort massive fees well in excess of true labor markets. Crazy regulations on renovation make it impossible to rehab old units. Code changes, impact fees, minaffordable allotments etc make building expensive as hell.
Where I agree is stabilization has been done very poorly. You cannot stabilize below operating cost increases. Rent guidelines board has failed here and been politicized - Mamdani’s freeze will be destructive. We need to accurately survey costs and use those to adjust allowed rents. Tthe good for cause eviction rules and 10% max hikes on market rate units are good.
We can create a system that meets the demands of new apartments for new comers (or upwardly mobile residents) while maintaining predictable stable housing costs for existing residents. It doesn't have to be either or.
I am really thankful for this detailed piece and for the print edition that I will reference. Besides all of the stated hassles of being an artist housed in NYC, I am sick of talking about it. It seems like so many conversations with other creative types are too often dominated, highjacked by “rent’s too dam high” economics. This piece gives some practical solutions. Bravo for mentioning SROs, I know from experience this can work fabulously in NYC.