When I think about it, it is actually quite impressive that New York is able to contain and hold the number of people that it does. With the total number of housing units only increasing by a mere 450,000 in a span of 30 years, the lack of affordable living space is evident in the slow migration and population increase in the areas surrounding New York City.

What grabbed my attention was what Peter Salins says about how the housing infrastructure was partly to blame for the excessive need for affordable living. Similar to the subway system in New York, the housing places in New York City are pretty old and have not been up kept for a while. The slow deterioration of these living spaces and the lack of actions taken to stop this from happening are part of the problem. Salins also says that the renovations would be too expensive for the amount fixed. I think that the policies for rent regulation that are in place now were primarily placed there with the purpose of maintaining the status quo, but there should be projects put into place for the future.

 

What comes to mind for me would be those who are not in legitimate housing situations. My parents have been there before where they were only living in a single room. In a city with over 8 million people, there is most certainly many of those who are in a similar situation. So, unlike the debate about reparations, the discussion for rent regulation and government intervention in living needs to happen sooner.