A Time of Loneliness, and Discovery:The Pandemic’s Long-Distance Run

Our experience now is one of profound exhaustion – and, perhaps, insight.

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseMay 5, 2021march232021-onward

Let Us Now Praise the Humble CDBG

Why budget makers love the way Federal rescue dollars are arriving – and how they might use them.

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseMarch 31, 2021march232021-onward

New Yorkers Get Some Budget Breathing Room – But Still Face Hard Choice

State and City governments both will get a reprieve from the worst-case scenarios forecast at the height of the pandemic-induced recession.

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseMarch 23, 2021march232021-onward

Repairing an Environmental ‘Legacy of Racism’: What the City’s Next Leaders Must Do

Green energy and green jobs: a restorative justice prescription for a healthier New York City.

Covid-19, Racial EquitySeth MoncreaseFebruary 17, 2021UM march23-past

Covid-19 and Environmental Justice: An Agenda for New York’s Next Mayor

Will the city’s next leaders right the environmental wrongs that have worsened the pandemic?

Covid-19, Racial EquitySeth MoncreaseFebruary 9, 2021UM march23-past

‘We Are Still Sick, and We Are Ready to Act’ A Covid Community Struggles to Be Born.

We write from the strange world of coronavirus recovery; we write from this time when Covid-19 in the past tense does not yet apply.

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseFebruary 3, 2021UM march23-past

Elite Schools in a Plague Year: Will Getting in Be Fairer?

How will pandemic-forced changes alter admission to many of New York City’s most sought-after secondary schools?

Covid-19, Racial Equity, EducationSeth MoncreaseJanuary 27, 2021UM march23-past

Five Uneasy Pieces in New York State’s Covid-Era Budget Puzzle

Here’s what to keep in mind as State officials grapple with the pandemic’s dire effects on New York State’s economy and finances.

Covid-19, EconomySeth MoncreaseJanuary 12, 2021UM march23-past

Covid-19’s Impact on Small Businesses, Part Two: Our Q&A with Urban Scholar Rachel Meltzer

Commercial rent regulation? Tax relief? What kind of help do New York City’s small business es, and their landlords, need?

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseNovember 24, 2020UM march23-past

Covid-19’s ‘Monumental’ Effects on Small Businesses: A Q&A with Urban Scholar Rachel Meltzer

Will small businesses survive the pandemic? And what can and should government do to help them weather the tough months ahead?

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseNovember 17, 2020UM march23-past

If Government Doesn’t Work for Black Americans, It Doesn’t Work.

Inequality harms us all. Fair and fairly enforced rules promote economic growth that is strong, stable, and broadly shared.

Racial Equity, Covid-19Seth MoncreaseNovember 11, 2020UM march23-past

The Covid Election: An Undaunted City Makes Early Voting History

Photographer Matias Campa records New Yorkers' historic early voting march to the polls.

Covid-19, PoliticsSeth MoncreaseNovember 3, 2020Photography, UM march23-past

The Pandemic Torpedoed New York City’s Budget. Now What?

In a pandemic-induced emergency, is it a good idea to give City government limited leeway to borrow to cover operating expenses?

Covid-19, EconomySeth MoncreaseOctober 28, 2020Covid-19, UM march23-past

Why Covid-19 Is a Housing Crisis, Too: A Q&A with Urbanist Alex Schwartz

The pandemic has put tenants, landlords, and local governments in a financial vise. Are there ways to ease the squeeze?

Housing and Homelessness, Covid-19Seth MoncreaseOctober 21, 2020UM march23-past

Non-Profits Led by People of Color Confront the Crises of a Watershed Year

In the current unprecedented climate, nonprofits led by people of color have become the vanguard of crisis response in their communities. Yet even as they perform urgent new work, many face profound challenges to their long-term financial stability.

Covid-19, Racial Equity, Immigrant VoicesSeth MoncreaseOctober 14, 2020UM march23-past

Make Covid-19 Safety For Workers the Law

As economic activity continues to increase, it’s time to enact essential, enforceable State workplace safety laws specifically related to Covid-19.

Covid-19Seth MoncreaseOctober 7, 2020Richar Blum, public health, workers, New York City, UM march23-past

Putting Out The Dumpster Fire Of New York’s School Reopening

There can no longer be any doubt that the City’s plan for reopening schools is falling apart. But there’s a way of saving this school year so that children who need the most get it.

Covid-19, Education, Children, Families, YouthSeth MoncreaseSeptember 30, 2020UM march23-past

For Safer Streets, Invest In Community Anti-Violence Groups

Community violence prevention organizations have produced real results in reducing gun violence. They deserve more resources, support, and respect from policymakers looking for community-based approaches to public safety.

Covid-19, JusticeSeth MoncreaseSeptember 23, 2020Covid-19, Justice, UM march23-past

Hospital Care in Black and White: How Systemic Racism Persists

In New York City, skin color helps determine where a patient receives hospital care. It’s a form of systemic discrimination that undermines the health of Black New Yorkers.

Covid-19, Inequality and Poverty, Racial EquitySeth MoncreaseSeptember 16, 2020UM march23-past

Paycheck Guarantees: What Workers – Especially Black Workers – Need Now

A paycheck guarantee program would help an economy that has been hemorrhaging jobs and also address the profoundly racialized impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Racial Equity, Inequality and Poverty, Covid-19Seth MoncreaseSeptember 9, 2020UM march23-past