The Center for New York City Affairs presented the second in a 2011/2012 series on the politics of housing and development in NYC.

Affordable housing is a hot topic in these difficult economic times, yet by some accounts, housing conditions for low-income New Yorkers are in decline. Many affordable apartment buildings, some purchased and rehabilitated using government subsidies, are in poor condition, and as apartments deteriorate and collect code violations, tenants fend for themselves. Many landlords say they are consumed by complicated regulation enforcement and Section 8 rent subsidy bureaucracy. Is the city doing all it can to maintain and preserve existing affordable housing in New York? Should we strengthen policy to better ensure stable, safe, clean and quality housing for years to come?

Opening Remarks from: Bill de Blasio, New York City Public Advocate

Followed by a Conversation with: Douglas Apple, First Deputy Commissioner, NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development Dina Levy, Director of Organizing and Policy, Urban Homesteading Assistance Board Harold Shultz, Senior Fellow, Citizens Housing & Planning Council Joseph Strasburg, President, Rent Stabilization Association Gabriel Pendas, Community Organizer, Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition

Moderated by Daniel Massey, Reporter, Crain's New York Business

[youtube width="640" height="360"]http://youtu.be/wIkb1DNTrq4[/youtube]

This event was made possible thanks to the generous support of Edison Properties. Additional funding provided by the Sirus Fund and the Milano Foundation.