Mar
16
Jessica: Class 13
March 16, 2015 | Leave a Comment
After reading the article about the housing in New York City and the burden some residents face, it makes me wonder why people decide to live here. I know of many individuals who work in Midtown Manhattan yet live far off in New Jersey. More so because they can afford it and necessarily do not need to live here to work here. Why are residents so willing to pay the burdensome rents here and going to work in a city that does not treat them well? New York is an attractive city to visit and what not due to its rich culture of the arts and overall presence, however it seems sad to me. At the end of the day we are all just cogs in the machine whether you are a corporate worker with your own office space with four walls or a service worker. We all have to go home after work some day, whether it be a cozy two hour train ride away to a spacious home or a long walk to a shoebox apartment.
One thing that confuses me is why the massive skyscrapers that are being built as luxurious, opulent buildings do not reserve the lower floors as affordable housing units. No one is going to be paying millions of dollars for a view of CVS across the street. These buildings are also in great locations that are accessible to public transit and parks, which makes it a great opportunity for affordable housing units and the penthouse suites for the rich foreigners who never visit and just enjoy the status of stating they own a grand New York apartment. Some floors could be used for the planned hotels as well. But in my honest opinion, no one cares. Tourists can sleep far away elsewhere and commute to New York to sightsee. Endure the commute, tourists, soon you will know what it feels like and you won’t want to live here anymore.
Additionally, the fact that people pay 50% of their income to rent shocked me. I understand I am in no place to judge as I spend 50%-60% of mine on food. I eat $20 lunches and then go back to my office to do my work. I definitely do not deserve a $20 lunch, and there are definitely cheaper alternatives I could turn to that are more suitable to me. This is exactly the root of the problem. The situation here is those who are spending 50% of their income on rent do not have options to choose from. The 50% that goes to their rent are not for spacious, super cozy living situations. It is what they make the most of and are unable to resolve in within this housing market. The lack of affordable housing easily shows the lack of attention the government shows on the residents and how foreigners are more welcome here than the ones who help keep this city thriving.
Even though, the article stated affordable housing is improving. My question is why was it ever poor to begin with? As a city why are we so irresponsible for giving our own citizens the proper needs to thrive? Many people have located outside of New York even though they work in Midtown. When I hear someone commutes from the depths of New Jersey or Connecticut to work here, I question their initial motives. Was it because they wanted a large backyard or could not deal with the housing New York had to offer. In the future I hope to continue to work in New York at whatever company I’m working for headquarters, mostly as an ego boost, knowing that I am a valuable asset to be placed in HQ, but I wonder if i will want to be one of the residents of a penthouse suite or looking for a spacious home out of state.
Overall, it is a great trend to see that awareness and action is being taken against the housing crisis and citizens are able to know they have stable housing to return to after a hard day’s work. However, no matter how much improvements are being made, it still exasperates me that there was ever a problem to begin with.
