Commentary/Op-Ed - September 2009
Will Low-Skilled Workers Benefit from Economic Recovery?In this commentary for The Huffington Post, CUF's David Jason Fischer and Brandon Roberts of the Working Poor Families Project sound the warning that low-skilled workersalready bearing the brunt of the recessionmay find themselves left behind as an economic recovery takes hold.
Report - September 2009
Building New York City’s Innovation EconomyThis report finds that New York City's leading universities and scientific research centers have not become catalysts for entrepreneurship and local economic development the way similar institutions have in other regions. It argues that this is a huge missed opportunity for New York, given the need to diversify the economy and create new engines of job growth. The study details why New York is falling short, showing that university leaders have not done enough to support start-up ventures.
The report is accompanied by the city's first-ever "Innovation Index," a package of 49 charts and graphs that show where New York stands compared to other cities and regions on a broad range of indicators measuring both existing science and technology assets and the city's level of success at commercializing these assets.
Report - August 2009
Return of the ChainsOur second annual ranking of national retailers in New York City finds that over 30 percent of the retailers from last year's report actually expanded their presence in the city in the past year, despite the sour economy. Dunkin' Donuts tops our list for the second straight year, with a staggering 429 stores. The list includes a breakdown of 277 national retailers that have two or more stores in NYC, broken down by every borough and zip code.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2009
Job Training: Often Misunderstood But Too Important to DismissIn this commentary for The Huffington Post on behalf of the Working Poor Families Project, CUF's David Jason Fischer and the WPFP's Brandon Roberts examine some of the misperceptions and realities around job training in the United States today.
Report - July 2009
Six Months Later: What Has President Obama Done for New York City?A week before President Obama took office, the Center for an Urban Future published a report that laid out 51 specific recommendations for what the Obama administration and the 111th Congress could do to help New York City and other cities. Now, at the six month anniversary of President Obamas inauguration, we are taking a close look at which of these 51 recommendations have been achieved. Our conclusion: While the administration still has a long way to go to create a comprehensive national urban policy, it has already made an extraordinary amount of progress on issues that matter to New York and other cities.
Report - June 2009
Manhattan’s Declining Share of New York City JobsThis edition of New York by the Numbers shows that over the last 50 years, Manhattan has been gradually loosening its grip on the private sector jobs in New York City. In 1958, the borough accounted for 67.6 percent of all non-government jobs in the city. But by 2008 its share had fallen six percentage points to 61.6 percent. The other four boroughs, meanwhile, have experienced a slow but steady increase in their share of jobs.
Testimony - June 2009
Using Workforce Development As A Tool to Diversify the EconomyAt a June 23 New York City Council hearing on how workforce development can help diversify the local economy, CUF project director David Jason Fischer testified that officials must force alignment between job training programs and the city's economic development objectives and investments.
Report - June 2009
Record RecoveryThis new report concludes that the health IT sector is one of New York City's best bets for reigniting and diversifying the city's economy. It argues that with the right local economic development strategy, the federal government's unprecedented $19.2 billion investment in electronic health records could create thousands of long-term jobs in New York City and make the city a leading hub for the health IT sector.
Report - June 2009
More Help NeededIn 2007, the Center published a report which found that growing number of New York City teens were being turned away from the citys Summer Youth Employment Program as a result of federal funding cuts to the program. Last month, the Bloomberg administration announced that the city will use millions of dollars in federal stimulus money to pay for the summer jobs program. But as this update details, a significant shortfall remains.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2009
Q&A with Anthony Carnevale, Director, Georgetown University Center on Education and the WorkforceAs part of our series of Q&As with innovators, entrepreneurs and policy experts, the Center's David Jason Fischer interviews Anthony Carnevale, former chair of the National Commission on Employment Policy, about the changing labor market, the future of vocational education and the impact of the recession on New York City.
Report - April 2009
A LEEDer in Green Building?This edition of New York by the Numbers shows that the number of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-certified buildings in New York City trails that of many other big U.S. cities. When it comes to the number of LEED-certified new buildings in New York, the city is decisively middle-of-the-pack, behind Chicago, Portland, Seattle, Washington, DC and San Francisco.
Report - April 2009
Central New York’s New WorkforceOur survey of Central New York businesses finds that 40 percent employ workers with limited English proficiency. As immigrants comprise a rising share of the population and workforce throughout the region, upgrading their language skills will be key for local businesses and the areas future economic growth.
Report - March 2009
Transit OverloadThis edition of New York by the Numbers provides a station-by-station examination of the growth in subway ridership between 1998 and 2008 and a borough-by-borough analysis of bus ridership changes. It reveals that the largest gains in transit ridership occurred outside of Manhattan.
Commentary/Op-Ed - March 2009
Working Toward A Workforce SystemAs the U.S. faces the worst economic crisis in decades, New York City is set to receive about $70 million in federal stimulus money for job training and employment services. This Off the CUF commentary evaluates the city's plans for the money and concludes that the influx of federal dollars could serve as the catalyst for positive changes to New York's workforce system that could reverberate long after the recession ends.
Report - February 2009
Reviving the Middle Class Dream in NYCThis major report by the Center for an Urban Future, titled "Reviving the City of Aspiration," concludes that New Yorks longstanding legacy as a place that both sustained a large middle class and elevated countless people from poorer backgrounds into the middle class is now in serious jeopardy.
Commentary/Op-Ed - January 2009
Paying Attention to CitiesAfter years of federal policies neglecting urban areas, Barack Obama has sent some encouraging signals that he understands their importance. Certainly, New York could use a helping hand. In this commentary for Gotham Gazette, CUF director Jonathan Bowles lays out some ideas for what the president could do to aid New York. Bowles and CUF deputy director Tara Colton also appeared on WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show to discuss these ideas.
Report - January 2009
51 Things the Obama Administration Should do for New York CityThe advent of the Obama administration offers great hope that the period of years, if not decades, when the federal government all but turned its back on the needs of urban communities is finally over. But what exactly should the new president do for New York City? Our new report, 50+1: A Federal Agenda for New York City, lays out 51 specific recommendations for what the Obama administration and the 111th Congress could do to help New York City. The ideas range from taking immediate steps to ensure that the 2010 Census does not undercount New York and providing anti-terror funds to localities based on risk to accelerating the rollout of new air traffic control technology to reduce flight delays.
Commentary/Op-Ed - December 2008
Q&A with Eldon Scott, founder of the Union Square Holiday MarketAs part of our series of Q&As with New York City innovators, entrepreneurs and policy experts, the Centers Jonathan Bowles interviews Eldon Scott, who is arguably the person most responsible for creating the city's holiday markets.
Report - November 2008
Capital CrunchThis issue of New York by the Numbers shows that the number of 7(a) loansthe SBAs primary business lending programin the New York metro area that were approved during fiscal year 2008 fell by 40 percent from the previous year, compared to a 30 percent drop nationally. Meanwhile, the number of SBA microloans plunged by 35 percent in the New York region over the last year, compared to a nine percent increase nationally.
Report - November 2008
Coney Island VisionsWhat is novelist Jonathan Lethem's vision for Coney Island? What does the CEO of Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens think the city should do to reinvigorate Coney? What about New York video game developer Eric Zimmerman? In this new report, 23 influential architects, writers, developers and amusement industry experts from New York and around the world offer their "vision" for Coney Island's future.
