THE BX PLAN: What is the future of housing and land use in the Bronx?
Post #6 in a series on transforming the Bronx economy
Over the last decade in the Bronx, especially in the South Bronx and along Jerome Avenue, we’re seeing our neighborhoods changing. But who are they changing for? How can we accommodate a need for good jobs and good housing opportunities for a growing number of Bronxites in the years ahead, while also developing communities that are resilient to the harmful effects of climate change?
Zoning is the invisible code that cities, mostly corporate land owners and homeowners, use to make decisions about what kinds of buildings and activities can take place in our neighborhoods. For much of New York City’s history decisions about the kinds of housing, stores, jobs and factories, and open space we have in the Bronx have been guided by a principle called “highest and best use.” What this means is that our local elected officials are repeatedly being encouraged to prioritize profits and property values for a few, over what is best for our neighborhoods. Land use in our neighborhoods is too important to be left to a narrow and wealthy few. In dense cities like New York, struggles over land are among the most important ways that we as Bronxites can create neighborhoods where we can belong and thrive. Because land use touches all aspects of the economy and everyday life in the Bronx it should be under broader democratic control. As rezoning has become increasingly common as part of the City’s economic development strategy, community ownership of land (and land use) can lead to more than just a seat at the table, it positions residents and workers as the people with rights to determine how and for whom land is used.
Throughout the history of the Bronx there is a long legacy of fighting back against predatory landlords, private developers, and government neglect. In the mid-1960s a coalition of immigrants, unions, and public officials worked together to transform a section of northeast Bronx from an underused amusement park into a cooperative housing development. Co-op City today continues to be the largest housing cooperative in the United States and for decades provided affordable paths to shared ownership and a democratic governance structure that is accountable to resident cooperators. As large-scale disinvestment during the 1970s destabilized Bronx housing, non-profit housing cooperatives were created to purchase, maintain, and build permanently affordable housing units, thousands of which still exist today across the city. A better Bronx future for the 80% of Bronxites who do not own their home means more housing that creates permanent affordability through shared equity and shared ownership — more Mitchel-Lama, more limited equity cooperatives, more mutual housing associations, and more community land trusts. It means more opportunities for tenants to purchase and take away buildings from abusive landlords and property managers. A new wave of public and community partnership investing in quality housing and more mixed land use for good jobs is an essential part of a better Bronx future for our families and the next generation.
