No matter what we are reading and discussing on a given week, there always seems to be related press!

On the power relations surrounding recent rezonings: https://www.indypendent.org/2015/04/09/tale-two-bronxes-de-blasio-gives-gentrification-progressive-spin

On the subject of intergovernmental politics: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/nyregion/mayor-de-blasio-on-midwest-trip-hopes-to-lead-a-national-shift-to-the-left.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=Moth-Visible&module=inside-nyt-region&region=inside-nyt-region&WT.nav=inside-nyt-region

On the issue of low wages: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/16/business/economy/in-test-for-unions-and-politicians-a-nationwide-protest-on-pay.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below&_r=1

and http://www.metropolitiques.eu/Precarity-and-Gentrification-A.html

And even a TV show!  http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121538/stealth-villain-netflixs-daredevil-gentrification

What was funded last year:  http://pbnyc.org/content/participatory-budgeting-results-2014

On the ballot this year citywide: http://m.pbnyc.org/maps/?d=08&display_type=ballot_items

And in East Harlem: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150414/east-harlem/mark-viveritos-district-could-get-waterfront-makeover

Hey guys!  Just wanted to bring your attention to a few new cultural exhibits and a tour that might be of interest to you, all of which illustrate important and inspiring chapters of NYC history:

One Way Ticket (featuring the work of Jacob Lawrence and others, about the Great Migration of Southern Blacks to Northern Cities post WW1) , Museum of Modern Art

Unknown Notebooks (of Jean-Michel Basquiat), Brooklyn Museum

Hip Hop Revolution (photos from 1977-1990), Museum of the City of New York

Occupy Wall Street, the Tour

I will award extra credit to anyone who attends, reflects via blog post, and presents for 10 minutes to the class on any of the above!

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.

White papers are informative, persuasive documents written by an experts some issue, for a particular outside audience.  They typically provide a concise overview of a complex problem, and propose specific actions that the target audience can and should take to address the problem.  Each of your groups has a complex problem related to the Future of NYC that you are working with a community contact to address.  The white papers you develop should be informed by the expertise of your community contact and by your research, and should be targeted to City Council, NYC’s legislative body.  For help with this, please review the following:

Policy Recommendations are solutions that you propose that will make a systematic change to a problem you have identified through your research; these are specific, targeted to a particular person or entity with the power to make the change that you propose, and generally fall under one of 5 categories:

• Legislative: involves changes to existing laws or introducing new laws.  These laws can be local laws, state laws or federal laws; i.- The Mayor and City Council should pass a living wage law.
• Enforcement: calls for the enforcement or implementation of laws that already exist on the books but may not be implemented in practice; i.e.- The Department of Labor should enforce the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights.
• Budgetary: calls for funding changes, such as increased or decreased funding for a particular program or community or opposition to budget cuts; i.e.- The Governor should allocate $20 million dollars for housing for people living with HIV/AIDS in the state budget
• Oversight: calls for monitoring and oversight over a particular issue, agency or program from either governmental or citizen committees or individuals; i.e.- The Mayor should appoint an independent monitor to oversee the New York Police Department.
• Democratic Participation: calls for increased public and citizen participation or democracy in an issue or government body; e.- The Mayor should appoint a new Charter Revision commission, which includes low-income people of color, to revise the city charter.

Tips for Developing Recommendations for your White Paper:  Brainstorm 2-3 policy recommendations for the each of the categories above. Start by identifying and categorizing the policy recommendations that have already been suggested/ are being advocated for, especially but not exclusively by your community contact. Next, work to develop your own recommendations, based on your analysis of the problem and of potential responses.  It is possible that some categories will more relevant than others for each of your projects. For each recommendation, discuss which category it is in and why, who the target is and why, and what information is still needed to make it a strong policy recommendation. Finally, try to prioritize a few recommendations that you will elaborate in your report, based on the following:

• Which recommendations seem most in line with the vision of our community contact and the priorities of those most affected by this issue?
• Which recommendations will have the biggest impact for those most affected?
• Which recommendations seem the most winnable in the short term?
• Which recommendations seem like more long-term fights?
• Which recommendations are going to be the most difficult to win?

Once you decide which recommendations to pursue, use these guidelines to produce your white paper.

And Remember!  Your white papers (and public engagement products) should be in tune/conversation with how your focus issues and their broader contexts are developing politically, how different types of responses are being portrayed in the media, etc.

Dear Class,

Please take note!  Our visit to the Interference Archive has been scheduled for Friday, May 8th at 3pm, during which we’ll get a tour from one of the exhibit’s curators.  Attendance is strongly recommended!  Also, please review the following and take into account:

A recap of our activity on Wednesday and some questions to help guide you forward.

A new article by Sam Stein, on Mayor DeBlasio’s (not so) progressive record. 

See you next week!

Hillary