Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2017
Expanding Economic Opportunity in a City of Aging ImmigrantsThis essay by our own Christian González-Rivera draws on personal history and analysis of Census data to highlight the contributions of grandparents to the economic mobility of immigrant families in New York City.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2017
Op-Ed: Small Investment, Big Return: Federal Microlending Programs Under ThreatThe president’s 2018 executive budget contains trillions of dollars in cuts to some of the nation’s most vital and popular public programs. Overlooked are plans to gut the nation’s premier microlending program, with dire consequences for entrepreneurship in New York and nationwide.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2017
Op-Ed: Preparing for an Automated FutureThe forces of automation will likely lead to a reduction in jobs in a range of New York City industries, from accountants and X-ray technicians to paralegals and taxi drivers. Rather than wait until it’s too late, New York’s policymakers must take swift action.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2017
Op-Ed: From Summer Pell to Summer TAPThe recently passed federal budget bill will do college students around the country a huge favor: extend Pell Grants for year-round study. New York should follow the federal government's lead by adopting this reform for its own need-based financial aid program, the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP).
Report - May 2017
The Aging Apple: Older Immigrants a Rising Share of New York’s SeniorsThe growth in New York’s older immigrant population is far outpacing that of the U.S. born senior population. There are now more people over the age of 65 in the city than there are children ages 10 and younger. And for the first time since the end of World War II, the share of older New Yorkers who were born outside of the U.S. reached 49.5 percent—nearly equal to the native-born share.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2017
Op-Ed: To Keep His Promises, Trump Should Invest in Human CapitalAlthough the Trump administration continues to tout its support for American workers, workforce development and job training programs are conspicuously absent from the White House’s list of accomplishments in the first 100 days. If President Trump and Congress are serious about putting more Americans on the path to the middle class, then Washington should be investing in a 21st century human capital system.
Report - April 2017
More Time in the Stacks: Library Hours in NYC Still Lag Behind Other Big CitiesCUF's third annual assessment of library hours compares New York City’s public libraries with library systems in the nation’s ten largest cities and New York State’s ten largest counties. Although New York City’s branch libraries are now open significantly more hours per week than at any point in the past decade, NYC's libraries are still open fewer hours than most of the largest library systems in the nation and large New York State counties.
Commentary/Op-Ed - April 2017
Op-Ed: Time to Let New York DanceNew York City's vibrant DIY music venues are creating opportunities for emerging artists and new voices, offering a first show, a supportive crowd, and a sense of community. However, archaic laws and a punitive bureaucratic mindset are stifling these small, local spaces that are already struggling to cope with skyrocketing rents.
Testimony - April 2017
The Trump Travel Ban and New York’s EconomyIn this testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Economic Development, CUF's policy director, Matt Chaban, presents data from the Center's decades-long work documenting immigrants central role in New York's economy, and how the White House's travel ban and other policies might undermine this bedrock of the city.
Commentary/Op-Ed - April 2017
Preparing NYC for the Next Wave of AutomationEmerging technologies have the potential to displace workers in range of New York City industries, from accountants and x-ray technicians to paralegals and taxi drivers. Although many of these changes are still years away, a recent Center for an Urban Future policy symposium discussed the steps that policymakers, business executives, and educational leaders in New York should be taking now to prepare for the oncoming wave of automation.
Report - April 2017
Slow BuildThis report finds significant problems with NYC’s process for managing capital construction projects for libraries and cultural institutions, with the median capital project taking more than four years and costing roughly twice as much as a new office building. The study, a collaboration between CUF and the Citizens Budget Commission, puts forth recommendations for creating a more cost-efficient capital construction process for libraries, cultural groups and other nonprofit organizations.
Commentary/Op-Ed - April 2017
From Free College to Student Loan DebtA provision in Governor Cuomo's budget agreement converts free college grants under the free college tuition program into loans that must be repaid if the graduate lives or works outside New York. It should be stripped out before the bill is signed.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2017
Measuring what Matters in Worker Training and EducationA bill before the New York State Legislature seeks to create three regional clearinghouses for labor market data. These research centers would help colleges and workforce development programs across the state harness data to make their programs more effective. With belt-tightening on the menu in Washington, creating these clearinghouses is vital to ensure that New York State’s limited human capital dollars go as far as possible.
Report - March 2017
In Good Health: The Growth Potential of New York City’s Digital Health SectorThe digital health sector has emerged as one of the fastest growing parts of New York City’s tech ecosystem—and an increasingly important generator of well-paying jobs. Today, New York is the nation’s second-largest center for digital health innovation, behind only Silicon Valley.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2017
Building a Better Partnership for New York’s Human Services SectorNew York City has long relied on the partnership between nonprofit human services organizations and government to care for its residents in need. But today that partnership is dangerously frayed. In the inaugural edition of CUF Conversations, the CEOs of two major NYC human services organizations argue that the city needs a new public-private contract to sustain these critical services in the future.
Data - March 2017
The Unkindest Cuts: New York Has the Most to Lose if the NEA Is AbolishedThe Trump administration's plans to dismantle the National Endowment for the Arts will hurt hard-working artists across the country. Nowhere will these cuts be felt more deeply than in New York City, which receives one out of five NEA grants, worth $15.5 million in 2016. These funds support everything from major museum exhibitions to upstart performance groups, and, above all, good jobs for thousands of New Yorkers.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2017
Op-ed: Adults stranded without a credential: The high school equivalency emergencyIn New York, there's no shortage of big ideas in public education. Unfortunately, this does not extend to an area long neglected: adult education. The state’s high school equivalency reaches fewer than 1 percent annually of the 1.6 million adults who lack a diploma—and those efforts are trending in the wrong direction.
Data - March 2017
Taking to TASC: Too Few New Yorkers Are Passing the High School Equivalency ExamAfter the New York State Department of Education switched from the GED to a new high school equivalency exam, TASC, in 2014, the number of New York adults obtaining their HSE fell by half. The Center’s report is a first-ever look at the number of the New Yorkers that are taking and passing the new HSE exam since New York State changed test providers.
Commentary/Op-Ed - February 2017
The Numbers Behind the Immigration DebateAfter the Trump administration launched its ban on refugees and travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries last month, the Center for an Urban Future took a deep dive into our research on immigration to elevate the facts. Here is what we found.
Commentary/Op-Ed - February 2017
Op-Ed: California shows New York how to boost college completion along with affordabilityThe governors of New York and California both issued bold proposals this month placing public colleges and universities at the top of the agenda. Governor Cuomo's investment should be coupled with new strategies to make sure more students reach graduation day. For this, New York should look to the Golden State.
