News and Updates

Housing

In the News: Money Talks – Living in an Empty Office (Slate Money Podcast)

5BORO Institute Executive Director Grace Rauh joins Felix Simon, host of the Slate Money podcast, to discuss converting offices into housing in NYC. Listen here!

In the News: Co-Housing Plan for Empty Office Buildings (WNYC)

Listen to the full story on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show. — Summary: Grace Rauh, executive director of the think tank 5BORO Institute, and Howard Slatkin, executive director at Citizens Housing and Planning Council, talk about the new report from 5BORO for “flexible co-housing” conversions from office buildings.

In the News: 5BORO Institute releases new report on innovative office-to-housing conversion plan (NY1)

Watch the full interview on NY1. — Excerpt: As office vacancy rates skyrocket and available affordable housing continues to decrease, advocates and the city are looking for new ways to combat New York’s ever-growing housing crisis. While the Adams administration has been pushing to turn empty offices in Midtown into new homes, developers and landlords […]

In the News: Will New Yorkers Move Into Homes With Shared Kitchens and Baths? (The New York Times)

Read the full story on The New York Times. — Excerpt: What if you lived in an apartment that did not have its own kitchen or bathroom? A New York think tank called the 5Boro Institute says such apartments could put a dent in two crises the city is facing — the chronic shortage of […]

5BORO Institute Releases Proposal to Create More Affordable Homes Through Office-to-Residential Conversions

IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: info@fiveboro.nyc New York, NY — Today, the 5BORO Institute released its report, Flexible Co-Living: Advancing a New Housing Model for Office-to-Residential Conversions in NYC. The report proposes a new housing model, called Flexible Co-Living, that eases barriers to housing development and helps provide a viable path to make office-to-residential conversions more […]

Flexible Co-Living: Advancing a New Housing Model for Office-to-Residential Conversions in NYC
Affordable housing initiatives and innovations across the nation

As rents shatter records in the city and mortgage rates remain sky high, 5BORO is taking a look at some of the newest and most innovative affordable housing initiatives taking root in cities and counties across the country. There’s no silver bullet, but these approaches may inspire new ideas for NYC and build on existing […]

Testimony: Joint Legislative Public Hearing on 2023 Executive Budget Proposal – Housing

Wednesday March 1, 2023 Hon. Liz Krueger, Chair, NYS Senate, Finance Hon. Helene Weinstein, Chair, NYS Assembly, Ways & Means Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of the 5BORO Institute – a think tank dedicated to advancing innovative and implementable solutions to tackle NYC’s most challenging problems. We write to express […]

Testimony: New York City Council Hearing on Land Use

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on behalf of the 5BORO Institute – a think tank dedicated to advancing innovative and implementable solutions to tackle NYC’s most challenging problems.  We write to express support for Reso. 0503 to call on the State legislature to: Expand office to residential conversions […]