Week 2

Hello everyone, welcome back to my senior project blog! This week for my senior project I continued my literature review from the previous week continuing my research in rezoning as well as starting to research the different ways in which affordable housing is implemented.

Continuing my focus on rezoning I looked towards the MSMX rezoning plan which is the proposed plan to rezone portions of the Midtown South neighborhood to mixed-use spaces. The MSMX plan is currently viewed as the primary solution for midtown south’s current economic troubles as it is focused on creating roughly 4000 new units of housing with around 1000 being labeled income restricted through the city’s mandatory inclusionary housing program. Through my research into this plan, I learned about VIH (voluntary inclusionary housing), a government program focused on creating affordable housing spaces through a FAR bonus, and MIH, mandatory inclusionary housing. During my review of the proposal I also came across the stakeholder engagement roundtables led by the Department of City Planning to garner feedback from community members, real estate developers, and businesses in the area. This tool will help during my stakeholder interviews as they provide a solid basis of what topics and concerns are of interest to those affected by Midtown South’s rezoning and revitalization

Having learned about MIH and VIH I performed a policy review where I went through the DCP’s publication of MIH and a DCP-led financial study on MIH’s performance. Through this, I learned about the role that MIH plays in promoting diversity in growing and evolving neighborhoods. I plan to continue my research of inclusionary housing to compare MIH and VIH and their applicability to Midtown South.

Concerning my internship placement, I am still working on regaining contact to solidify my placement in the upcoming weeks.

Thank you for your time.