Rent Regulation Research Project
Rent Regulation in New York City: How Can it Be More Effective? Or Should it Cease to Exist?
In this semester-long research project, you will apply the information you are learning (and have already learned) about the shaping of New York City, and cities in general, to examine the issue of rent regulation in New York City. New York City is the only large city in the U.S. that still has a significant system of rent regulation. Every spring, the NYC Rent Guidelines Board, of which I am a member, meets to determine the appropriate rent increases for rent regulated housing units, so it is a good time to be studying the issue. You will work both individually and in groups. In Class 3, we will begin to scope out the project and determine what groups we should have – they will be substantive in nature (e.g., tenant issues; owner issues; state v. city control/responsibility). The project is divided into several short written and oral assignments and one long final product, a group presentation at the Futures of New York Conference that is the culminating event of the course. In the presentation, you will identify and explain a problem with rent regulation, and propose a solution or a set of solutions. You will work on your presentations in small groups.
Much has been written on rent regulation, in New York and elsewhere, and it is a topic that evokes strong opinions from tenants and owners (and their advocates). I have assigned a number of readings on the topic, both in the background section of the course and in the section in which we focus on rent regulation, but there are many other sources. Part of your work within your groups will be identifying and reviewing these sources. In addition, there is a section of the eportfolio site titled “Links,” where I will post additional resources as I come across them, and you should feel free to do the same.
Assignment 1: Interview of a rent-regulated tenant or owner, or an advocate for rent-regulated tenants or owners (Due April 10)
You will do this assignment individually, but you will work with your group and with the entire class to determine who you will interview. We will spend part of a class talking about interview strategies, and about how you might identify someone to interview. We will also preview interview questions, which will depend on who you are interviewing. You will prepare a 2-page written description and a 3-5 minute informal oral description of the interview.
Assignment 2: Observing a Rent Guidelines Board meeting (Due April 26)
You will do this assignment individually, but your findings will contribute to your group project. The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) will officially announce its meeting schedule in February, and the meetings will be posted here: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/rentguidelinesboard/meetings/2018-meetings.page. The meetings will be on March 8, April 5, 12, and 19. You are required to attend part of the April 19 meeting, which will last all day; and you should attend one additional meeting, which will be held in the morning. If your class schedule conflicts, video of the meetings will be posted, but be warned that they will be deadly boring viewing! The meetings are on the 9th Floor of the NYC Municipal Building at 1 Centre Street, which is at the Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall stop on the 4 and 5 train, and near many other subway stops. Please allow time to get through the security screening.
The purpose of this observation is to see the subject matter of the RGB meetings, observe some of the major players, and get a sense of the key issues. You should observe and take notes. You will prepare a 2-page written description and a 3-5 minute informal oral presentation of the meeting. Your description should include, but not be limited to, observations on the following topics:
- Who is in charge of the meeting (both officially and practically)?
- What are the major issues discussed?
- What are the major issues NOT discussed?
- Does it feel like the meeting is an accurate reflection of rent stabilized tenants and owners in NYC?
- How could the meeting be more effective?
- How useful is the information presented? What additional information would you like to have?
You will also attend the RGB’s preliminary vote, which will take place on the evening of April 26, at Cooper Union’s Great Hall. We will discuss this meeting and observation in class.
Rent Guidelines Board Observation Paper
Assignment 3: Presentation (due at the Seminar 4 Futures of New York Conference, and in final form on May 15)
Within your groups, you will develop a presentation, using Prezi or PowerPoint, that describes one problem with rent regulation in New York City, and develops a solution or a set of solutions to that problem. We will work throughout the course on presentations skills, and you will be graded on both your content and your presentation.
Grading
Please see the syllabus for information on how each assignment will be weighted in determining the final grade. Note that 5% of your final grade will be calculated based on a peer assessment of your work completed by the members of your work group. I will distribute a peer assessment form that will be due on the last day of class along with your final papers.
Working in Groups
Working in groups allows you to leverage each other’s skills and interests in order to produce the best possible product. I understand that working in groups can sometimes be difficult. When difficulties arise, I urge you to try to resolve them within your groups whenever possible. If for some reason you are unable to come to an agreement within your group, you should contact me, but keep in mind that I will most likely involve the entire group in the resolution.
Groupings:
- State and City Division of Responsibility – Saturday May 5, 12:45-3pm
- Victoria, Sierra, Serena, David
- Should Rent Regulation Exist? – Sunday May 6, 9:45am-12pm
- Michelle, Roy, Asiyah, Richard
- Owner Interests – Sunday May 6, 9:45am-12pm
- Christian, Brianna, Joseph, Paul, Jacqueline
- Tenant Interests – Saturday May 5, 12:45-3pm
- Dil, Matthew, Deanna, Simona