Rezoning New York: Class and Racial Inequalities in the Struggle for Space

Although zoning changes are a critical instrument to address housing affordability concerns, its role in reproducing socioeconomic and racial inequalities is under-explored. Doctoral student in sociology Viktor Andre Bensus Talavera will compare the rezoning process in East New York, a low-income, majority-Black and Latino neighborhood in Brooklyn, and SoHo/NoHo, two adjacent, affluent, majority White neighborhoods in lower Manhattan. He will conduct archival research, participant observation, and interviews for his study.