Manhattan Institute | Eric Kober

The Office Apocalypse Is a Growth Opportunity

Eric Kober — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Pragmatic local governments shouldn’t waste it. The Office Apocalypse Is a Growth Opportunity

Hochul's Land-Use Planning Revolution: No Little Plans for New York

Eric Kober — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0500

American city planners know well the famous quote from Chicago architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham: “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. . . .

Affordable Housing Made Expensive

Eric Kober — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

New York City officials and activists seek not cost-effective solutions to the city’s housing crisis but ideologically satisfying ones. Affordable Housing Made Expensive

Mayor Adams' Plan for 500,000 New Housing Units Needs Private Support to Work

Eric Kober — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Last fall, New York’s Department of City Planning (DCP) proposed ambitious zoning changes intended to break the regulatory logjam that stops the

New York City's Far-Reaching Housing Proposals Are Still Not Ambitious Enough

Eric Kober — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 -0500

In the fall of 2022, New York City’s Department of City Planning (DCP) began public outreach on a series of ambitious changes to the text of the city’s Zoning Resolution, called “Zoning for Housing Opportunity,” intended to address the ongoing hou

MI Responds: Mayor Adams' “Get Stuff Built” Proposals

Eric Kober — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Senior fellow Eric Kober comments on Mayor Adams' "Get Stuff Built" announcement: "Mayor Adams’ announcement today of the 'Get Stuff Built' report, outlining 111

A Self-Created Bind

Eric Kober — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The New York Times reports a crisis: scarce Manhattan building sites are being “squandered” for large luxury condos. But these sites don’t need to be scarce. A Self-Created Bind

Inching Forward in the Golden State

Eric Kober — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 00:00:00 -0400

New bills represent incremental progress toward building more housing in California. Inching Forward in the Golden State

Inching Forward

Eric Kober — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

A new report moves congestion pricing in New York City closer to fruition. Inching Forward

Is the Rent Too Damn High?

Rebecca Baird-Remba — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

10 Blocks podcast Is the Rent Too Damn High?

Is the Rent Too Damn High?

Tue, 09 Aug 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Eric Adams, Be a YIMBY Hero

Eric Kober — Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The housing shortage has pushed New York City rents to new heights. But a new analysis finds plenty of neighborhoods are ripe for new development — including the Upper East Side.

Adams Should Aim Higher on Zoning Reform

Eric Kober — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

A new report goes only part of the way toward changes that the city needs—it’s up to the mayor to push for more. Adams Should Aim Higher on Zoning Reform

MI Responds: Mayor Eric Adams' New Plan Aiming to Alleviate NYC Housing Crisis

Eric Kober — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The Return of “Key Money”

Eric Kober — Thu, 09 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Excessively stringent rent regulations in New York City have resurrected a black market. The Return of “Key Money”

How to Solve New York City's Housing Crisis

Eric Kober — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 -0400

As New York City recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, market rents have risen sharply. The New York Times reported in early March 2022:

Overpromising and Underdelivering

Eric Kober — Thu, 19 May 2022 00:00:00 -0400

Biden’s new housing-supply plan would likely have only a modest effect. Overpromising and Underdelivering

Throwing Sand in the Works

Eric Kober — Thu, 12 May 2022 00:00:00 -0400

New York City and State rent-control policy is sabotaging post-pandemic recovery. Throwing Sand in the Works

A Growth Strategy for Upstate

Eric Kober — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

The New York region should build on its current advantages, not look to past glories. A Growth Strategy for Upstate

The Other New York: Can Upstate New York Escape Stagnation?

Eric Kober — Thu, 21 Apr 2022 00:00:00 -0400

In the recent past, New York State’s economic performance has been a study in contrasts, with New York City prospering until the pandemic-induced recession of 2020 and the state’s growth spreading moderately to the downstate suburbs.

Few American Cities Are Truly Dense. We Can Do Better.

Eric Kober — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Only a dozen of our big cities have as many people per square mile as the average U.S. city had seven decades ago. The ones that have done best have employed effective strategies.

MI Responds: Mayor Adams' Preliminary Budget

Nicole Gelinas — Wed, 16 Feb 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Manhattan Institute Scholars Comment on Mayor Adams’ Preliminary Budget

N.Y. Gov Touts Pro-Housing Proposals

Eric Kober — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

In a welcome departure from her predecessor’s indifference to the housing crisis in the New York City metropolitan area, New York governor Kathy Hochul included pro-housing development proposals in her 2022 State of the State message.

How Large Cities Can Grow Denser and Flourish: What the 2020 Census Reveals About Urban Sprawl

Eric Kober — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

The latest decennial census revealed that most big cities become populous by spreading over a large land area. Only 12 of the 50 largest U.S. cities in 2020 had population densities as high as 7,500 per square mile—the U.S.

Hinging on the Details

Eric Kober — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:00:00 -0500

If they get it right, Governor Kathy Hochul and the state legislature could bring about a sea change in New York housing policy. Hinging on the Details