The need to preserve and create affordable housing is a perennial issue in New York City, but it has been made all the more critical as the foreclosure and eviction crisis plagues the nation. At the same time, brownfields – properties that are abandoned or underutilized due to the presence or perceived presence of contamination – lie fallow throughout the City and are disproportionately concentrated in low-income neighborhoods, where the need for affordable housing is especially acute.
For all the potential of pairing brownfield redevelopment with the creation of affordable housing, are the public health risks too great, especially as budget shortfalls diminish oversight and enforcement capabilities at local and state agencies? What measures would need to be put in place to make affordable housing a safe and viable option for brownfield redevelopment?
Join us for a conversation with Dr. Daniel Walsh, the director of the newly created New York City Office of Environmental Remediation, and Jody Kass, Executive Director of New Partners for Community Revitalization, about whether or not the City’s fallow brownfields could be fertile ground for affordable housing.
Date: Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Time: Program: 12:30 pm; Registration / Networking: 12:00 pm
Venue: 33 West 60th Street (between Broadway & Columbus), 5th Floor Conference Room
Cost: No charge for WCC Members and Students; $15 Non-Members
RSVP: E-mail register@wccny.org or call 212-353-8070 x201.
Tags: brownfields, housing, program
