New York City’s shortage of affordable housing has reached a crisis point in recent years and has only been exacerbated by the economic fallout caused by COVID. The Green New City (GNC) focuses on combatting housing insecurity (which disproportionately affects people of color) while creating sustainable climate-friendly jobs. Focusing on achieving carbon neutrality, GNC uses a renewable energy recovery process to maintain self-sufficiency. Through prioritizing and investing in low-carbon materials such as timber, GNC will generate countless sustainable jobs. Additionally, the use of timber as a dominant building material lowers the carbon footprint of traditional construction methods. Although the initial project covers a 1-block span in Midtown, Manhattan, over time, the GNC has the potential to create affordable and accessible living environments for those who have been historically affected by systematic racial housing inequality. By expanding the boundaries of the city through creating a parallel metropolitan space, GNC aims to diversify areas that have become monolithic – in terms of ethnicity and class.
