NYC Mayor Plans to Build 1,500 Affordable Houses for Artists

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promises to make 1,500 affordable houses for artists in his State of the City speech.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio gave his second State of the City Address yesterday and provided some good news for the city's artists. De Blasio hopes to make housing in NYC more affordable, and part of that plan includes creating 1,500 cheap homes for artists. 

De Blasio noted artists' importance to the city in the speech, saying, "We know that New York is the city it is today in part because of the contributions from generations of artistic visionaries who at one point struggled to make ends meet." He added, "If we fail to be a city for everyone, we risk losing what makes New York New York. We risk losing the very soul of this place."

The mayor recognizes that people come to New York for the culture, the museums, and the galleries, not for the people living in the overpriced penthouses. "[Artists] also help make our city a mecca for tourists, and are one of the reasons why a record number of people – 56.4 million – visited New York last year," he said. 

In addition to the new houses, de Blasio will also convert city property into "500 dedicated affordable workspaces for the cultural community."

Other cities, like Detroit, are experimenting with even more drastic measures to attract artists. Detroit is currently giving away free houses to interested and qualified writers.  

The move to provide cheap housing to artists is just one facet of de Blasio's larger plan, which includes finding affordable living for army veterans and senior citizens. 

[via Dazed]

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