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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
