‘We Really Changed the Structure of Housing Production’: Vicki Been on the De Blasio Administration's Affordable Housing Record & What Comes Next

*Reposted from Gotham Gazette. Written by Lachlan Hyatt. (photo: Demetrius Freeman/Mayoral Photography Office) *

Mayor Adams must set the tone that housing is a priority in his administration and pursue holistic, aggressive approaches to address the housing crisis in New York City, according to ​​former Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development Vicki Been.

Appearing on a recent episode of the Max Politics podcast from Gotham Gazette, Been spoke about her experiences as deputy mayor and, before that, housing commissioner under Mayor Bill de Blasio, including affordable housing policies, the implementation of Mandatory Inclusionary Housing, neighborhood rezonings, and advice for Mayor Adams.

“If he’s going to experiment with a different structure, which I am in favor of innovation and experimentation, the position has to come with absolute clarity about the importance of housing and the importance of all agencies in city government cooperating with whatever is needed to make sure that that housing gets financed, built, operated, maintained,” Been told host Ben Max about Adams’ approach, in part responding to news reports that Adams was considering not naming a deputy mayor for housing. “It has to be a strong, clear statement.”

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