The Future of New York City: Charting an Equitable Recovery for All

On March 31, 2022, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York hosted “The Future of New York City: Charting an Equitable Recovery for All,” a day-long hybrid event featuring some of the city's—and the nation’s—key leaders and thinkers on topics including the future of remote work, the role of cities in a post-pandemic economy, and the role of transportation in the city’s future.

The global pandemic was a historic blow to both New York’s people and its economy. This event focused on charting a path to an inclusive recovery, featuring presentations and discussions on why New York City has thrived through pandemics, depressions, wars, and recessions; how to foster a recovery that reduces urban inequality; and big ideas from local innovators.

Among the speakers were New York Fed President and CEO John C. Williams, who delivered opening remarks; Stanford University Professor of Economics Nicholas Bloom, Harvard University Professor of Economics Edward Glaeser; National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial; and U.S. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy Christopher Coes. See all speakers.



watch the event

Welcome Remarks & Session I


Session II


Keynote Discussion


Session III


Blueprint for NYC & Ideas at Work


Event Details

Date & Time

March 31, 2022
9:00am - 5:00pm EDT


Audience

This hybrid event was open to the public and media. Limited in-person seating was available by invitation only. All remarks were on the record and the event was livestreamed with a recording to be made available afterwards. For media inquiries, please contact Ellen Simon at ellen.simon@ny.frb.org.


Agenda
Agenda

9:00am-9:15am Welcome Remarks

John C. Williams, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
9:15am-10:45am SESSION I: IS THIS TIME DIFFERENT? WILL REMOTE WORKING CHANGE THE URBAN LANDSCAPE?
Moderator: Steve Todd, Global Head of Workplace, Nasdaq; Founder, Open Sourced Workplace

Chris Herd, Founder & CEO, Firstbase

Alexander Heil, Vice President of Research, Citizen’s Budget Commission

10:45am–11:00am Break
11:00am–12:30pm SESSION II: ARE BIG CITIES STILL GOOD PLACES TO WORK AND LIVE?
Moderator: Lauren Weber, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal

  • Have Big Cities Lost Their Productivity Advantage?
    Gilles Duranton, Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

  • Will People Want to Live in Big Cities Again?
    Jessie Handbury, Assistant Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

Marc Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League

Kathryn Wylde, President & CEO, Partnership for New York City
12:30pm–12:45pm Lunch Break
12:45pm–1:30pm KEYNOTE DISCUSSION: THE ROLE OF TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN NYC’S FUTURE
Moderator: Jack Gutt, Head of Communications & Outreach, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Christopher Coes, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation

Tom Wright, President & CEO, Regional Plan Association
1:30pm–3:00pm SESSION III: WILL THE PANDEMIC ACCELERATE URBAN INEQUALITY?
Moderator: Emily Badger, Urban Policy Writer, The New York Times

Rafael Cestero, CEO, Community Preservation Corporation

Christine D'Onofrio, Ph.D, Director of Poverty Research, Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity
3:00pm–3:30pm Blueprint for NYC: Rebuild, Renew, and Reinvent

Andrew Kimball, President and CEO, NYC Economic Development Corporation
3:30pm–5:00pm Ideas at Work: Tackling Poverty in New York City
Moderator: Dominic Ramos-Ruiz, Community Development, Federal Reserve Bank of New York

Donnel Baird, Founder & CEO, BlocPower

Abby Jo Sigal, Founding CEO, HERE to HERE

Gabriela Ariana Campoverde, Founder, Miren; MBA Candidate, Wharton

Stephen Ritz, Founder, Green Bronx Machine

Dr. Lorna Thorpe, Ph.D., MPH, Professor of Epidemiology, Director of the Division of Epidemiology, and Vice Chair for Strategy and Planning in the Department of Population Health, New York University

Baaba Halm, VP, New York Market, Enterprise Community Partners

Speakers


Emily Badger
Urban Policy Writer
The New York Times


Donnel Baird
Founder & CEO
BlocPower


Nicholas Bloom
Professor of Economics
Stanford University


Gabriela Ariana Campoverde
Founder, Miren, MBA Candidate
Wharton


Rafael Cestero
CEO
Community Preservation Corporation


Christopher Coes
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy
U.S. Department of Transportation


Christine D’Onofrio
Ph.D, Director of Poverty Research
Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity

Gilles Duranton
Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania


Ingrid Gould Ellen
Professor of Urban Policy and Planning and Director, Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy
New York University

Lance Freeman
Professor of City and Regional Planning, and Sociology
University of Pennsylvania

Edward Glaeser
Professor of Economics and Chairman, Department of Economics
Harvard University

Jack Gutt
Head of Communications & Outreach
Federal Reserve Bank of New York


Baaba Halm
Vice President, New York Market
Enterprise Community Partners


Jessie Handbury
Assistant Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School
University of Pennsylvania


Alexander Heil
Vice President of Research
Citizen’s Budget Commission


Andrew Kimball
President and CEO
NYC Economic Development Corporation


Chris Herd
Founder & CEO
Firstbase


Marc Morial
President & CEO
National Urban League


Stephen Ritz
Founder
Green Bronx Machine


Dominic Ramos-Ruiz
Community Development
Federal Reserve Bank of New York



Abby Jo Sigal
Founding CEO
HERE to HERE


Dr. Lorna Thorpe, Ph.D., MPH
Professor of Epidemiology, Director of the Division of Epidemiology, Vice Chair for Strategy and Planning in the Department of Population Health
New York University

Steve Todd
Global Head of Workplace
Nasdaq


Lauren Weber
Reporter
The Wall Street Journal


John C. Williams
President & CEO
Federal Reserve Bank of New York


Tom Wright
President & CEO
Regional Plan Association


Kathryn Wylde
President & CEO
Partnership for New York City


presentations

Flexibility And Conversions In New York Citys Housing Stock Building For An Era Of Rapid Change
Ingrid Gould Ellen, Professor of Urban Policy and Planning and Director, Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, New York University (co-author Noah Kazis, Legal Fellow, Furman Center)

Urban Winners and Losers After Covid-19
Edward Glaeser, Professor of Economics and Chairman, Department of Economics, Harvard University (co-author David M. Cutler, Professor of Applied Economics, Harvard University)

Covid and Cities, An Interim Report
Gilles Duranton, Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Jessie Handbury, Assistant Professor of Real Estate, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

The Promises and Perils of Racial Equity Planning
Lance Freeman, Professor of City and Regional Planning & Sociology, University of Pennsylvania

What is the Future and Impact of WFH?
Nicholas Bloom, Professor of Economics, Stanford University

Special Conference Issue: The Future of New York City


This special issue includes three papers presented at the conference. The papers explore how cities changed during COVID and how those changes will shape the future of cities, how the conversion of commercial spaces into housing might help cities adapt to new conditions, and how racial equity analysis can help remedy existing inequalities stemming from past and present land use regulations and planning.
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