From Consequence of Sound:
“New York has closed itself off to the young and the struggling,” Patti Smith said in 2010. “But there are other cities. Detroit. Poughkeepsie. New York City has been taken away from you. So my advice is: Find a new city.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is now seeking to dissuade young musicians and artists from taking Smith’s advice with a new housing initiative. During his State of the City address on Tuesday, de Blasio announced plans to provide 1,500 units of affordable housing reserved exclusively for low-income creatives.
The plan is to develop 150 units a year over the next 10 years, alongside a separate 500 total units of work space. Exactly where these units will be located is still being worked out, though one of two city-owned pieces of land will be chosen by December for the first part of the project. Overhauls of existing structures may take place, but most of the project is expected to be brand new construction.
