Report - February 2012
New York’s Oscar PartyThis edition of New York by the Numbers reveals that when it comes to documentary films, NYC-based directors and producers are always in the spotlight at the Academy Awards.
Report - January 2012
Bad EnglishCommunities from Albany and Syracuse to Queens and Staten Island are experiencing an influx of immigrants, many of whom lack English proficiency—but the number of state-funded ESOL classes has declined in recent years.
Report - November 2011
Chained UpOur fourth annual ranking of national retailers in NYC shows that the growth of chain stores has slowed over the past year. While the number of chain stores is up by 1.6 percent over last year, more retailers reduced their presence in the city than expanded. And though Dunkin Donuts tops our list again, for the first time it did not have a net gain in stores.
Report - November 2011
Mobility MakersThis report finds that community colleges are crucial platforms for economic mobility in today's knowledge economy, but shows that too few of those enrolled in these institutions actually graduate.
Report - October 2011
New York in the WorldNew York in the World: This new report jointly issued by the Center for an Urban Future and the SUNY Levin Institute provides the first comprehensive impact of how globalization has impacted NYC and NYS. It finds that no state has benefited more and suffered worse from globalization than New York.
Report - September 2011
Failing the TestIn today's knowledge economy, those without a high school diploma are literally at the end of the line when applying for jobs, particularly those that pay decent wages. Unfortunately, the GED system has failed to provide a second chance to these New Yorkers, with only one percent of those eligible getting their GED each year and very few of those who do attain their GED going on to postsecondary education and training. This report examines several options for improving the GED system: whether New York should charge a fee for test takers, the benefits and costs of the official practice test, availability and quality of preparatory instruction and providing a bridge from GED to postsecondary education and training.
Report - September 2011
Fostering CareersThis major new study reveals that an alarming share of young people who age out of New York City's foster care system are failing to obtain and hold on to jobs, and that part of the problem is that city government and foster care agencies are either not adequately focused on providing workforce preparation services to these youngsters or not equipped to do so. The study concludes that these dismal employment outcomes are a leading reason why an unacceptably large number of foster care alumni go from being minor wards of the state to adult wards of the state.
Report - August 2011
The No Child PenaltyOur new policy brief shows that while growing numbers of working New Yorkers without kids are struggling to get out of poverty, the federal government's main anti-poverty program—the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)—almost exclusively benefits tax filers with children. The report reveals that hundreds of thousands of low-income working people in New York—and millions more around the nation—are effectively barred from receiving benefits from the EITC, while the relatively few who do qualify receive extremely small credits.
Report - June 2011
End of an ARRAThe 2009 federal stimulus brought a huge infusion of funds to New York City for job training and workforce development, but the money is now running out. This report looks at how the funds were spent and what the end of this funding stream means at a time when countless New Yorkers are still out of work.
Report - June 2011
Growth by DesignThis report details the powerful economic impact of New York's architecture and design sectors. It shows that New York has far more designers than any other U.S. city, but concludes that far more could be done to harness the sector's growth potential.
Report - May 2011
Staten Island: Then and NowBetween 1990 and 2010, no other borough changed as much as Staten Island. This report shows just how the borough has been transformed, with more than 80 graphs and charts detailing trends in demographics, the economy, development, commuting and education
Report - March 2011
Giving Small Firms the BusinessOur survey of nearly 200 small businesses shows that becoming a corporate supplier typically leads to significant revenue and job growthbut breaking into the corporate supply chain is a huge challenge for many small firms.
Report - February 2011
Behind the CurbThis report finds that a disproportionate share of the city's recent job growth, transit ridership gains and population growth have occurred in the four boroughs outside of Manhattan, yet transit service in the boroughs has not kept pace-and the biggest losers have been the city's working poor. We argue that New York's bus system could step in and fill the gaps, but not without major improvements.
Report - February 2011
Pathway to ProsperityNew York's Career Pathways initiative represents a significant step forward for workforce development in the city; while there is room for improvement, it breaks ground by going beyond short-term job placements and focusing on getting low-income individuals the skills to obtain decent paying careers.
Report - January 2011
Subsidizing Care, Supporting WorkThis report finds that the supply of subsidized child care in NYC has slipped in recent years even as affordable child care has become increasingly critical for low-income parents to get and hold jobs or complete a postsecondary degree.
Report - December 2010
A Chain ReactionOur third annual ranking of national retailers in NYC finds that despite the sluggish economy, the 280 national retailers listed in our 2009 report now have 4.1 percent more stores in the city than a year ago, with every borough registering a net increase in this period. Brooklyn had the largest net gain of any borough. And, for the third year running, Dunkin Donuts comes in as the national retailer with the most stores in the city.
Report - October 2010
Time to be CreativeThis report argues that the sharp downturn in New York City's real estate market presents a unique opportunity to address the serious space needs of the city's artists, arts groups and creative entrepreneurs. It includes 17 recommendations for taking advantage of the downturn to strengthen New York's creative sector.
Report - September 2010
Breaking into the Corporate Supply ChainThis new report reveals that strikingly few small businesses become suppliers to the nation's largest corporations but argues that helping more of them make this leap could give small firms a much-needed boost and help spark an economic recovery.
Report - June 2010
New Visions for New York Street FairsNew York City street fairs need a makeover. But just what should be done to improve these much-maligned staples of summer? This report features the visions of 25 architects, urbanists, artists, developers and other innovative thinkers, including the founders of successful public markets like the New York City Greenmarket, Union Square Holiday Market and Brooklyn Flea, as well as the creator of Chowhound.com, the organizer of Red Hook Food Vendors and musician David Byrne.
Report - March 2010
An Action Agenda for ESOLThis concept paper written by the Center for an Urban Future and the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy includes eight recommendations for supporting and strengthening the state's English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs. The action agenda, which was endorsed by an unusual coalition of the state's leading business groups, immigrant advocates, literacy providers and workforce training professionals, calls on New York policymakers to guarantee level funding for state-run ESOL programs even in this difficult fiscal environment. It argues that supporting ESOL programs is increasingly important to New York's economic competitiveness since immigrants represent the fastest-growing part of the workforce in nearly every corner of the state.
