Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2017
7 Ways New York State Can Expand Economic Opportunity in 2017As Governor Cuomo and the State Legislature set their agenda for 2017, a key theme should be economic opportunity: why it’s vital to take action now and how the state can help more New Yorkers take advantage of today’s economy. These seven policy proposals elevate practical ideas that New York’s leaders can use to invest wisely in its residents.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2017
Op-Ed: New York Can Help Students Afford College—and GraduateGovernor Cuomo’s proposal to make public college tuition free for all New Yorkers, while a bold idea and smart investment, could have an even more powerful impact. New York should make public college tuition-free. At the same time, the state should take steps to help students complete their studies and make the most of this crucial investment.
Report - December 2016
The New Normal: Supporting Nontraditional Students on the Path to a DegreeThe population of nontraditional students is growing—including part-time students, older students, and students with work and family responsibilities—but New York has been slow to develop policies and programs that can help these students succeed.
Report - December 2016
State of the Chains, 2016Our ninth annual ranking of national retailers in New York City shows that the number of chain store locations across the city increased for the eighth year in a row, driven by growth in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, but slowed by a shrinking footprint in Manhattan.
Testimony - November 2016
How to Boost Disconnected YouthIn this testimony before the New York City Council Committee on Youth Services, CUF's senior researcher Christian Gonzalez-Rivera presents several recommendations from our Bridging the Disconnect study on how the city’s youth workforce development programs reach only a fraction of those in need of help.
Commentary/Op-Ed - November 2016
Op-Ed: To Grow Middle-Class Jobs, Shift Focus From Startup to Scale UpNew York City is humming with small-business activity. As small businesses expand, they create more mid-level positions and increase benefits for their workers, including paid sick leave, paid time off, and subsidized healthcare. When it comes to creating middle-income jobs in New York City, it’s time to think small.
Report - November 2016
Innovation and the CityAs urban growth has exploded over the past half century, cities have become the drivers of government innovation. From New York to Medellin to Copenhagen, mayors and city managers are finding novel ways to address some of the biggest challenges facing society, whether combating entrenched poverty, financing new infrastructure projects, or protecting the environment. Yet for all the innovative policies taking root in cities across the globe, there are few reliable mechanisms to share what is working. This report aims to fill the gap.
Report - November 2016
Scale Up New York: Creating Middle Class Jobs By Growing New York City’s Small BusinessesDespite the surge in the number of new small businesses and start-ups, too few of these companies manage to achieve sustained growth. A strategy to help small companies scale up is one of New York’s greatest unrealized opportunities for economic and employment growth—and one of the best chances to expand the number of middle-class jobs.
Data - October 2016
Where Immigrant New Yorkers Go to WorkImmigrants form an essential part of New York City's workforce. This data brief reveals where the city's immigrants go to work, including industries with a surprisingly high proportion of immigrant workers and others where immigrants are almost completely left out.
Data - September 2016
Jobs in Transit: Opportunity in the Transportation SectorThe transportation sector is growing in New York City, creating opportunities for accessible middle-wage jobs across the five boroughs. This data brief, the latest publication of our Middle Class Jobs Project, documents the industry's recent job gains, which have outpaced the city's overall economic growth over the past two years.
Commentary/Op-Ed - September 2016
Op-ed: Arts Funding Strategy Should Keep Pace with Brooklyn’s GrowthThe geography of art and culture in New York City has changed profoundly over the past two decades. Soaring rents have pushed artists to disperse, with studios, galleries, music venues, and performing art spaces opening throughout the five boroughs. City funding, however, has not shifted to reflect the changing landscape.
Commentary/Op-Ed - August 2016
Op-ed: Push hard to create more good NYC jobsMayor Bill de Blasio has made universal pre-K a reality and launched an ambitious plan to build and preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing. The next plank of the mayor’s inequality agenda should be a strategy to create middle-class jobs.
Report - July 2016
Building the Workforce of the FutureIn November 2014, New York City launched Career Pathways, the de Blasio administration’s signature overhaul of the workforce development system. This in-depth, independent report highlights the initial successes of Career Pathways, identifies areas where progress has stalled, and offers concrete recommendations to improve the new system's reach and effectiveness.
Report - July 2016
Making It Here: The Future of Manufacturing in New York CityA new wave of modern manufacturing companies are adding jobs across New York City, breathing new life into a sector that had been left for dead. Three of the city's manufacturing fields are particularly well positioned for growth in the years ahead: 3D printing, metal and wood fabrication, and food.
Data - July 2016
Data from Making It Here: The Future of Manufacturing in New York CityThe following data is part of CUF's 2016 Making It Here report. The report explores the new wave of modern manufacturing companies that are adding jobs across New York City, with a focus on three industries: 3D printing, wood and metal fabrication, and food.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2016
Rethinking New York’s Summer Jobs ProgramCity officials should be commended for expanding the city's flagship summer-jobs program, but a large gap remains between six weeks of summer employment and the beginnings of a career. Christian Gonzalez-Rivera, senior researcher at the Center for an Urban Future, argues for a new approach that invests in quality of experience over quantity of program participants and helps young people prepare for success in the workplace.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2016
Op-ed: Albany blows a chance to streamline city projectsIn this Crain's op-ed, CUF's Adam Forman calls out the New York state legislature's failure to pass a bill allowing cities to benefit from "design-build" contracting for public works, noting that state agencies already enjoy this advantage. In New York City, where infrastructure projects regularly blow through budgets and deadlines, design-build offers an opportunity to save time and reduce costs.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2016
Op-ed: City’s New Arts Funding Should Be Shared More FairlyThe city's recent budget agreement includes a $10 million boost for the Department of Cultural Affairs. In an op-ed for City Limits, CUF's Adam Forman argues that this welcome influx can be spent most effectively by prioritizing individual artists and small and mid-size organizations whose continued presence in the city is in jeopardy.
Commentary/Op-Ed - June 2016
Op-ed: A small boost in arts funding would go a long wayThe arts provides thousands of jobs, enriches communities, enlivens public spaces, and gives voice to immigrant and low-income residents. In this New York Daily News op-ed, CUF's Adam Forman urges the city to prioritize spending on cultural affairs.
Data - June 2016
Libraries Teach Tech: Building Skills for a Digital WorldThis new data brief finds that NYC’s public libraries are playing an increasingly important role in helping New Yorkers develop the technology skills needed in today’s economy. It shows that the city’s libraries provided tech training to more than 150,000 New Yorkers in 2015, an 81 percent increase from just three years earlier.
