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Donor Diversity Through Public Matching Funds
05/15/12
Small donors to 2009 City Council candidates came from a much broader array of city neighborhoods than did the city’s small donors to 2010 State Assembly candidates, according to this report by the Brennan Center and the Campaign Finance Institute. The state is considering a program of public financing for elections similar to the city's.
05/10/12
The city's technology industry is the fastest growing in the nation, according to this report by the Center for an Urban Future.
05/09/12
The MTA has $32 billion in long-term debt outstanding – more than 41 states and more than $14,000 for each worker commuting daily into the central business district, according to this report by the Citizens Budget Commission.
05/08/12
Owners of large rental apartment buildings in the city are subject to a higher effective
property tax rate than owners of one- to three-family homes, and they bear a
disproportionate share of the city’s overall property tax burden, according to this housing and neighborhoods report by NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
Painkiller Prescriptions Increasing
05/03/12
Opioid painkiller prescriptions are rising in the city, according to this report by the Health Department. It found that prescriptions rose 22 percent between 2008 and 2010; overdose deaths attributable to opioids have increased 30 percent since 2005; and only 15 percent of providers are prescribing 82 percent of the drugs.
The Council's Discretionary Funding Process
05/02/12
The council's discretionary funding process remains politicized and does not address the socioeconomic status of districts by any understood objective measure, according to this report by Citizens Union, the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, Gotham Gazette's publisher.
04/30/12
This Independent Budget Office report offers 72 budget options for bringing the city's services and resources into balance, and explores the pros and cons of each.
Health and Hospitals Corporation's Fiscal Challenges
04/26/12
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation expects about $1.6 billion in annual Medicaid supplementary payments to continue over the coming years, but those funds are actually in jeopardy, according to this report by the Citizens Budget Commission. Also, it finds that their plan to close projected gaps in expenses may prove unrealistic.
04/25/12
The 1,248 parking space garage at East Harlem's big box mall, East River Plaza, has gone mostly unused, according to this report released by the American Planning Association. Only about a third of shoppers there drive, it concludes, making the garage a waste of public funds and a lost opportunity for additional development.
04/24/12
The Bronx has only 145 bank branches, according to this report by the University Neighborhood Housing Program.
04/20/12
The New York area ranked sixth in the number of E.P.A. certified Energy Star buildings. About 260 buildings saved $135.5 million and prevented emissions equal to 10,400 homes. Last year the area ranked 5th and the year before tenth.
Grading School Progress Reports
04/19/12
The methodology used by the city's Education Department for school progress reports is a significant improvement over simply basing measures on comparisons of standardized test scores, according to the Independent Budget Office. But they warn that results must be interpreted with caution.
State Budget Reform Report Card
04/18/12
The state's budget process improved this year but reform is still incomplete, according to this report by Citizens Union, which is the sister organization of Citizens Union Foundation, Gotham Gazette's publisher.
New York's Economic Competitiveness
04/17/12
New York state ranks last in economic competitiveness, according to this report by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Solar Power in the Tri-State Region
04/12/12
The tri-state region is, for the first time, positioned to become a national and global player in solar energy, according to this report by the Regional Plan Association's Energy Policy Program, NRDC, and Vote Solar Initiative.
04/11/12
This report by the New York City Transit Riders Council recommends that N.Y.C. Transit make extra efforts to ensure riders see subway service change signage, particularly at station entrances and outside of turnstiles, but also on platforms.
Crime, Safety, Walking and Biking in Bed-Stuy
04/10/12
This report by Transportation Alternatives looks at how perceptions of safety, crime, and violence impact active transportation in Bed-Stuy.
MTA Security Upgrades Behind Schedule
04/05/12
The MTA has pushed back the completion date for its electronic security program by another two years until 2014, putting the program nearly six years behind its original scheduled completion date, according to a report by the state comptroller.
Subway Station Ridership Infographic
04/02/12
This infographic by Visual News plots weekday subway ridership from 2010 station-by-station on a map.
Analysis of the Mayor's Budget Plan
03/30/12
Yesterday the Independent Budget Office released its analysis of the mayor's budget plan and his financial plan through 2016. Some highlights are: The office estimates that the city will add an average of 72,400 jobs per year over the next four years; tax revenues are expected to rise by 4.3 percent this year and total $41.4 billion; and general education spending will decline by 3.3 percent next year.
03/29/12
The number of general education students in first through fifth grade classes of 30 students or more has tripled from 2009 to 2012, with over 31,000 students now in such classes, according to this report by Councilmember Brad Lander. In some school districts, fewer than 1 percent of students were in very large classes in 2009; today, nearly 20 percent are.
03/28/12
Two out of three motorists speed on Greenpoint's McGuinness Boulevard, according to this survey by The McGuinness Boulevard Working Group and posted by Streetsblog. From 2005 to 2009 there were 57 crashes on McGuinness involving pedestrians or bicyclists with four fatalities.
Design and Architecture in the City
03/22/12
New York City graduates twice as many students in design and architecture as any other U.S. city, but the city’s design schools are not only providing the talent pipeline for New York’s creative industries — they have become critical catalysts for innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth, according to this report by the Center for an Urban Future.
State Graded on Risk of Corruption
03/20/12
New York state received a grade of D and a numerical score of 65 on its risk of corruption, ranking it 36th among the states in this national report by the Center for Public Integrity, Global Integrity, and Public Radio International. Our own David King did the reporting for New York.
Reforming the Buildings Department
03/19/12
A new report by the Manhattan Borough President's office says the Buildings Department needs reform. It finds that elevator inspections declined by about 28 percent in recent years and that review periods for new building applications have risen 77 percent since Sept. 08, both while new building applications declined by nearly two-thirds.
How to Fix the State's Hospital Indigent Care Program
03/15/12
This report by the Community Service Society assesses the financial assistance programs of the 201 hospitals statewide which participate in the hospital Indigent Care Pool program.
03/13/12
New York City ranks first among 120 cities across the globe in attracting capital, businesses and tourists, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit report commissioned by Citigroup.
03/09/12
Over 1,200 pedestrians are killed in the New York area every year, according to this report by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Pedestrian fatalities decreased in New York and New Jersey in 2010 but increased in Connecticut. Five of the 13 most dangerous roads are in the city.
High Campaign Donations by Individuals
03/07/12
About 130 donors gave state-level candidates and political parties $50,000 or more over the past year, according to this report by the New York Public Interest Group. Together they gave $16,837,067.93, more than a third of all the money raised by these committees. Many of these donors took advantage of various loopholes in New York’s campaign finance law.
Economic Benefits of Environmental Protection
03/02/12
New York state’s economy receives $7 in financial benefits for every $1 spent on environmental protection, according to a study conducted by the Trust for Public Land.