{"id":14098,"date":"2016-11-04T18:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/in-a-torn-up-town-no-post-code-envy\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T18:14:46","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T22:14:46","slug":"in-a-torn-up-town-no-post-code-envy-the-new-york-city-housing-authority","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/in-a-torn-up-town-no-post-code-envy-the-new-york-city-housing-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"In a torn up town, no post-code envy: The New York City Housing Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"

As it wreaked havoc across the Atlantic Coast of the United States in October 2012, Superstorm Sandy took with it lives, homes and businesses causing an estimated damage of over $25bn[i]<\/a>. The hurricane left behind a clear message: the debilitating effects of global warming are here to stay[ii]<\/a>. Perhaps more importantly, the destruction demonstrated that even in a developed country like the United States, low income communities are disproportionately vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.<\/p>\n

In New York alone, 270,000 low-income households and 97,000 senior households were directly in the storm surge of Hurricane Sandy[iii]<\/a>. The storm impacted 10% of all public housing units in New York City, leaving approximately 400 buildings without electricity, heat and hot water. The single entity<\/u> that was had to bear $3bn[iv]<\/a> <\/strong>in damages as a result? The New York City Housing Authority<\/strong>, or NYCHA, which administers public housing in the five boroughs of New York City. \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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NYCHA\u2019s Need for Sustainability: Now or Never<\/strong><\/p>\n

The New York City Housing Authority is the largest public housing authority in the United States with more 400,000 low-to-moderate income residents in mostly in poor-quality, aging buildings. Climate change is an important consideration for NYCHA because the White House\u2019s National Climate Assessment recently found that extreme weather events such as hurricanes as well as the compounded stresses of ongoing heat, poor air quality, flooding and mental health disparately impact low-income communities that NYCHA serves. [v]<\/a><\/p>\n

In addition to the burden on its residents, climate change is likely to exacerbate NYCHA\u2019s costs through a number of channels, including:<\/p>\n