Commentary/Op-Ed - February 2022
New York City’s economic recovery should be top priorityIn this City & State op-ed, CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles and Winston C. Fisher argue five ways the city’s new administration can help boost economic recovery at a time with rising inflation, fewer jobs than before the pandemic, and a shift to remote work.
Report - January 2022
Reengaging Adult Learners to Complete College Degrees: Learning From TennesseeThe second edition of Economic Opportunity Lab, CUF's series spotlighting innovative policies from other cities and states that are helping to create a more inclusive economy, profiles the Tennessee Reconnect program. The program could provide NYC with a framework to help thousands of adult learners earn a credential.
Report - January 2022
Supporting CUNY’s 79,000 Part-Time StudentsNearly 79,000 undergraduate students attend the City University of New York (CUNY) on a part-time basis, but although these part-time students cope with the same economic challenges as other CUNY students, they have long been effectively shut out of New York State’s tuition assistance programs. It is past time for New York’s policymakers to step up and adapt the state’s financial aid system to the needs of today’s students.
Data - December 2021
State of the Chains, 2021Our fourteenth annual ranking of national retailers in New York City finds a slow rebound of chain stores across the five boroughs, following the most challenging year on record. This year chain stores broke a three-year streak of net losses, increasing locations by 2.7 percent. But this year’s bounce back—largely powered by the reopening of 260 stores that had shuttered in 2020—still leaves the city well short of pre-pandemic levels.
Report - December 2021
Financing Economic Mobility: Adopting New Jersey’s Pay It Forward ModelThe first edition of Economic Opportunity Lab, CUF's new project spotlighting innovative policies from other cities and states that are helping to create a more inclusive economy and which have potential for replication in NYC, profiles New Jersey’s Pay It Forward program. The initiative, which creates a career impact bond, could provide a funding model for New York to scale up the most successful job training programs.
Commentary/Op-Ed - December 2021
To ensure an inclusive recovery, encourage and support minority-owned businessesIn this Crain's New York Business op-ed, CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles and Vice President of Global Philanthropy for JPMorgan Chase Jeanique Druses urge the city to spark the creation of thousands of new Black- and Latino-owned businesses as part of ensuring an inclusive recovery in New York.
Report - December 2021
No Small Relief: Strengthening NYC’s Most Vulnerable Small BusinessesNew York needs a long-term small business recovery plan that is squarely focused on boosting the smallest, most vulnerable businesses—one that supports them on the long recovery ahead and gives them the best chance of coming back even stronger. This blueprint lays out ten actionable policies that New York City and State can implement in the year ahead.
Report - December 2021
Video - Branches To Recovery: Tapping The Power Of NYC’s Public LibrariesTo make progress toward a more equitable city, NYC has an incomparable asset in nearly every neighborhood: its 217 public branch libraries. Check out CUF's new report video that explains why.
Commentary/Op-Ed - December 2021
Harness NYC’s libraries to spread equityIn this Daily News op-ed, CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles urges the incoming generation of city leaders to give libraries the resources they need to keep pace with growing demand for their programs and services — and meet the challenges of the post-pandemic recovery.
Report - November 2021
Branches to Recovery: Tapping the Power of NYC’s Public Libraries to Rebuild a More Equitable CityLibraries are already among the city’s largest and most trusted providers of programs and services aligned with New Yorkers’ greatest needs. With a clear citywide strategy and a new level of investment, their impact could be even greater.
Data - November 2021
Expanding Apprenticeships in NYCWhile New York State has made significant progress in expanding apprenticeships since 2018, New York City has seen little growth. With renewed support, the city has the opportunity to leverage this high-impact training model and make apprenticeships in high-growth industries like tech and healthcare a key component of an inclusive economic recovery.
Data - November 2021
Before the Next Flood: NYC Needs More Progress Building Green InfrastructureWhile the city has made significant progress in ramping up the construction of green infrastructure, it has fallen short of state-mandated targets and struggled to finish construction on thousands of green infrastructure assets in a timely manner. The next administration needs to expand its goals and accelerate construction throughout the city.
Report - November 2021
Making Rezoning WorkThis report—a joint effort between the Center for an Urban Future and JobsFirstNYC—demonstrates the need to integrate a comprehensive workforce development strategy into future rezonings and offers a blueprint for how to do so.
Report - November 2021
The Growing Economic Impact of NYC’s Asian-Owned BusinessesA data analysis finds that Asian-owned businesses now account for nearly a quarter of all businesses in the city—a far greater share than their share of the city’s population—and drove a disproportionate share of the overall growth in businesses citywide.
Commentary/Op-Ed - September 2021
Eight Ideas to Drive New York’s Economic Recovery NowIn this Gotham Gazette op-ed, CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles and Winston C. Fisher urge current and soon-to-be elected city leaders to take swift action on eight ideas that would help create jobs right now and lay the foundation for a stronger and more inclusive economy over the long run.
Report - July 2021
RE:NEW YORK CITY250 Ideas from New Yorkers to Revive NYC's Economy, Spark Good Jobs, and Build a More Equitable City
Report - July 2021
Creative Comeback: Surveying NYC’s Cultural Ecosystem in the Wake of COVID-19Drawing from a survey of 643 community-based arts organizations conducted by Americans for the Arts, this report offers new insights into the severe damage done by the pandemic to the city’s arts ecosystem. Despite the remarkable resilience of artists and organizations, city leaders, including the next mayor, will have to take further action to stabilize the city’s cultural ecosystem and strengthen it in the future.
Commentary/Op-Ed - July 2021
Upward mobility starts underground: Give community college students free MetroCardsIn this New York Daily News op-ed, CUF's Jonathan Bowles urges the city to eliminate CUNY students' transportation costs as a way to help more students remain on the path to a college credential.
Report - June 2021
VIDEO - Opportunity Costs: Affording the True Costs of College in NYCThousands of NYC community college students drop out each year. A leading cause? Their struggle to afford a MetroCard, textbooks, technology, broadband, and other expenses beyond tuition. Check out CUF’s new report video to hear from students themselves and explore solutions to tackle these non-tuition financial barriers.
Report - June 2021
Opportunity Costs: Affording the True Costs of College in NYCEach year, thousands of CUNY community college students drop out without a degree. To help many more New Yorkers earn a college credential and access quality jobs, city and state leaders should focus on helping students overcome nontuition expenses like MetroCards, textbooks, technology, and childcare that add thousands to the cost of college and are a key factor in persistently low graduation rates.
