Please review the following information, which I have prepared in response to questions about the white paper:

• Although I originally said your papers should be 4-5 pages in length, I think it will be difficult for you to cover all the important information in that amount of space.  Based on your current and anticipated progress, I think a more realistic length is approximately 3000 words or 7.5 pages single-spaced, Times New Roman font.  It is not necessary for your drafts to be this long- for these, 1500 words will suffice.
• The best sample white paper I could find in terms of scope, length, format, etc.: http://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-Documents/Resilience-Strategies-for-Communities-at-Risk.pdf.
• The DRAFT policy platform of the NYC Community Land Initiative (NYCCLI) which relates to all of your projects.
• Please use the third person in the white paper. While the pronouns “I” and “we” (first person) or “you” and “your” (second person) may seem friendly in a white paper at first blush, they are inconsistent with the expectation of credible, objective information.
• Stick with the facts; avoid posing strong opinions or specifying required courses of action in a white paper. Stating facts rather than offering opinions, describing options and alternatives, and factually explaining the likely ramifications of various actions is likely to resonate better with the information seekers that read white papers.
• Motivate readers by providing useful information — not by instilling fear, uncertainty, and doubt. Most business and technical decision makers do not operate based on these emotions. Instead, they typically evaluate options to implement sound decisions, especially in situations with significant financial implications.
• Include third-party information. By synthesizing related information from various third-part sources on a particular topic, a white paper can be a powerful resource for readers.
• Examples of urban policy white papers written by academics at NYU and targeted at local policy makers: http://furmancenter.org/research/publications/c/white-papers
• Examples pf (not exactly white) papers written on behalf of/with people most affected by the issue, which your white papers should attempt to do:
  • http://cltnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2013-The-Housing-Crisis-and-Working-Poor.pdf
  • http://www.thepeoplesreport.com/ and http://www.thepeoplesreport.com/images/pdf/The_Peoples_Report_final_draft_9-12-13.pdf.. and a related Ted Talk by Yasser Payne on “Street PAR” and the production of the Report
  • https://parkdalecommunityeconomies.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/community-food-flow-report-final.pdf
• And finally, a potentially helpful (if taken with a grain of salt) source on how to write a white paper.