City of Yes, And… #2

On civic entrepreneurship, lessons from China, RETVRN to office, & trickle-down housing economics

Happy Monday! I recently previewed the first edition of the “City of Yes, And…,” a bonus newsletter for paid subscribers only. This week’s edition includes:

• Quick Hits: A great example of civic entrepreneurship in New York City

• Hot Takes: Should preservationists take a Chinese lesson?

• Outtakes: More thoughts on the future of office buildings

• Good Takes: In support of “trickle-down” housing economics

Read on below the paywall—and consider upgrading your subscription if you can’t. Have a great week!

Quick Hits

Sebastian Hallum Clarke

noticed a problem. In New York, as in most cities, the “political landscape is shaped by those who speak the loudest” while those “who rely on the city’s services, transit systems, and housing policies” often get lost in the shuffle. This disconnect can skew policy results, perpetuating bad outcomes despite widespread desire for change. How to bridge the gap? Sebastian applied a bit of civic entrepreneurship and started the Third Avenue Institute, “a nonpartisan nonprofit research organization dedicated to regularly polling New Yorkers on key policy issues that shape the city’s present and future.” Third Avenue Institute has released its first poll, a survey of New Yorkers’ attitudes to the hot topic du jour, congestion pricing.

It’s an excellent reminder that if a civic problem presents itself before us, we don’t have to wait for someone else to solve it: we can just do things.