Report - December 2024
State of the Chains, 2024Our seventeenth annual ranking of over 450 national retailers in New York City finds a 1.3 percent decrease in chain stores across the five boroughs over the past year. While a wide range of retailers have been closing stores, the nation’s largest retailers are struggling the most.
Report - November 2024
Helping NYC’s Low-Income Adult Learners Succeed at CUNYNearly one-quarter of all degree-seeking undergraduate students at CUNY are over age 25, but too many of these adult learners never get to the college finish line. This report makes the case for new city and state supports that are specifically tailored to the needs of adult learners, ensuring that far more of these students succeed in earning a credential.
Data - November 2024
It’s Time to Launch SUNY ReconnectNew York State is home to 1.5 million working age adults who have already earned some college credits but have not completed a degree. State policymakers should launch an initiative, SUNY Reconnect, that can help adults in every corner of the state to re-enroll at SUNY, complete their degrees, and boost their chances at economic mobility.
Report - November 2024
Maximizing NYC’s AI OpportunityTo build a stronger economy for the long term, New York will need to capture a significant share of the growth expected in a range of emerging tech fields—with none more important than artificial intelligence. The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) proposes five policy ideas for how New York City can seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow NYC's AI economy and help tackle some of New York’s biggest challenges.
Commentary/Op-Ed - October 2024
Vanderbilt University is the new neighbor NYC needsIn this amNY op-ed, Executive Director Jonathan Bowles makes the case for why Vanderbilt University's plan to open a new campus in Manhattan is crucial to helping New York City stay competitive in the emerging post-pandemic economy recovery.
Commentary/Op-Ed - August 2024
Making It Easier for New Yorkers to Care for Their ParksNew Yorkers are using parks and open spaces more than ever, and the city can’t keep up with their growing needs. This commentary highlights why and how the city should make it easier for nonprofit organizations and community groups to help care for public parks and open spaces.
Report - July 2024
5 Ideas to Expand Economic Mobility in New York CityThe path out of poverty and into economic security in New York has gotten more difficult in recent decades. The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) lays out five policy ideas that city leaders can implement over the next year to expand pathways into the middle class as a part of CUF's first ever economic opportunity summit.
Data - June 2024
Expanding Access to Advertising Careers in NYCTo make progress toward a more equitable economy in New York, it will be crucial to expand access to careers in several growing middle- and high-wage industries that employ alarmingly few New Yorkers of color. Advertising is one sector where progress is both needed and possible.
Testimony - June 2024
Preparing Asylum Seekers and Migrants for the WorkforceIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committees on Immigration and Small Business, CUF Senior Editor Dori Block details that more is needed to help build the capacity of the city’s immigrant-serving organizations and support more of the newest New Yorkers, including investing in adult literacy programs and easing restrictions on workforce training programs so they can work with more migrants.
Testimony - June 2024
How NYC Policymakers Can Boost Transfer Student Success at CUNYIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education, CUF Editorial & Policy Director Eli Dvorkin argues that most CUNY students who intend to transfer from a community to a four-year college and complete a bachelor’s won’t reach that finish line. He recommends new and baseline investments in CUNY's transfer student initiatives to boost college completion rates.
Report - May 2024
Solving the Staffing Crisis Facing NYC’s Human Services OrganizationsHuman services nonprofit organizations are critical to New York City’s functioning and well-being, delivering the lion’s share of safety net services to vulnerable New Yorkers. The sector also faces a staffing crisis that directly threatens its ability to deliver these much-needed services. The average human services nonprofit has more than 15 percent of its positions vacant, as well as unsustainably high levels of staff turnover.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2024
NYC needs a new world-class collegeIn this Daily News op-ed, Executive Director Jonathan Bowles and Fisher Brother's Winston Fisher argue that establishing a prestigious new undergraduate university would enable the city to spark new job growth and strengthen the city’s talent pipeline for years to come.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2024
Why NYC Needs a Citywide Cultural FestivalIn this City Limits op-ed, Eli Dvorkin and Winston Fisher call on the Adams administration to launch the city’s first annual five-borough cultural festival—helping the city tackle several challenges at once.
Report - May 2024
50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable QueensQueens is the city’s largest gateway for immigrants, and is also arguably New York’s most important launchpad to the middle class. Yet, given rising rents, climate change, an aging population and other challenges, Queens has significant work to do to ensure all of its residents can fully participate in the borough’s prosperity. This report presents bold policy ideas from 50 Queens leaders for what city leaders can do to create a stronger, more equitable Queens.
Commentary/Op-Ed - May 2024
Investing in the arts and artists to tackle New York’s biggest challengesIn this Times Union op-ed, Editorial & Policy Director Eli Dvorkin and Creatives Rebuild New York's Sarah Calderón urge state policymakers to make the arts and artists a centerpiece of an inclusive economic development agenda.
Report - May 2024
Closing NYC’s College Attainment GapMost well-paying jobs in New York City today go to individuals with a postsecondary degree, and studies suggest that this will only accelerate in the decade ahead. But there are still glaring racial, ethnic, and geographic gaps in college attainment rates across New York City.
Data - May 2024
Preparing for the End of the Affordable Connectivity Program in New York CityFew places nationally have benefited from the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) as much as New York City. With full funding for the program expiring at the end of April, nearly one million households across the five boroughs are poised to lose this subsidy—with the most significant impact felt in the city’s lowest-income communities.
Commentary/Op-Ed - April 2024
To Build a Greener New York City, Start With CUNYMeeting New York City’s ambitious climate goals will require a massive retrofit of its buildings, which make up almost 70 percent of the city’s carbon footprint. To begin, a major new initiative is needed to build a greener CUNY using incoming federal and state funding.
Testimony - April 2024
Harnessing CUNY’s Talent to Build a Green FutureIn this testimony before the NYC Council Committee on Higher Education, CUF Senior Fellow for Climate and Opportunity John Surico calls for the city to build a greener CUNY, not just to help the city meet its crucial emissions reduction goals, but also to provide much-needed infrastructure improvements. CUNY's own sustainability-focused initiatives are the secret weapon to decarbonization of CUNY buildings.
Report - March 2024
Boosting Transfer Student Success at CUNYThousands of New York City public high school graduates every year start at a City University of New York community college and then transfer to a four-year institution to obtain a bachelor's degree. But the large majority of CUNY students who intend to transfer and complete a credential fall short of doing so. Improvement is possible with a few strategic steps from CUNY and modest investments from city and state leaders.
