Climate & Environmental Justice as the Framework for Affordable Housing & Economic Development in New York City

New York City faces dual challenges: an affordable housing crisis and the worsening impacts of climate change. This project examined the intersection of these crises - focusing on the lack of affordable housing, NYC’s climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, and the need for equitable, sustainable housing, particularly for low-income communities of color and women. The Capstone team worked with the New York Women’s Foundation (NYWF), a philanthropic organization working to advance gender, racial, and economic justice, to guide the organization’s grantmaking. The final report offers intersectional, long-term, community-driven solutions, exploring how public, private, and nonprofit sectors can work together to address the housing and climate crises. The team conducted extensive desk research and interviews with stakeholders in the housing and climate spaces in NYC.  

The Capstone team analyzed the disproportionate impact of both unaffordable housing and climate change on people of color, low-income communities, and women. The team focused on Queens and the Bronx as case studies to illustrate two of NYC’s climate challenges - extreme heat and extreme rainfall - and their negative impacts on housing and health outcomes. To provide NYWF with an overview of the housing and environmental justice landscape in NYC, the team also conducted an analysis of key government and non-government stakeholders and initiatives. The team’s recommendations center on supporting education and outreach for housing and climate adaptation assistance programs, advocating for legalization of basement apartments, investing in inland communities and neighborhoods with high heat vulnerability indexes, and utilizing the Community Land Trust model when feasible for communities.