2025 Theses Master's

Demystifying City of Yes: Bridging the Gap Between Zoning & the Communities It Affects

Nastasi, August

New York City is currently grappling with a severe housing and affordability crisis. Rents and home prices continue to climb beyond the reach of many residents, while housing construction has failed to keep pace with population growth. A major culprit in this shortfall is the city’s restrictive zoning code—often compounded by local opposition to new development. The pattern of development has also been uneven: while wealthier neighborhoods tend to block new housing, lower-income areas face heightened risks of displacement and gentrification.

This issue is not unique to New York. Cities across the United States are wrestling with the legacy of decades-old zoning frameworks that artificially constrain housing supply. As demand surges and availability stagnates, costs skyrocket—pushing middle- and lower-income families out of neighborhoods they’ve long called home.

In response, some cities have taken bold steps to modernize their land-use rules. In 2024, New York City followed suit by enacting its most ambitious zoning overhaul in more than sixty years. This amendment, part of a three-part reform known as the City of Yes, aims to “make it easier to build a little more housing everywhere” by loosening outdated and overly rigid zoning regulations.

Yet this shift has not come without controversy. For many, zoning is more than policy—it’s personal. Gentrification and rapid development have brought profound changes to neighborhoods over the past generation, often accompanied by displacement and community trauma. The City of Yes reforms have sparked anxiety and skepticism, especially in areas already wary of the public and private forces driving change.

This is where the zoning handbook comes in. In partnership with Urban Cartographics, I’ve developed Demystifying City of Yes: Bridging the Gap Between Zoning & the Communities It Affects—a practical, accessible resource that reflects these transformative changes. This handbook is intended as both an objective guide and a foundation for productive, collaborative dialogue between communities and developers.