Writing + News
In The New York Times: How New York City Has Changed for You
I’d walked down Vanderbilt Avenue many times before, but walking through Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets on a September evening last year was a revelation.
In The New York Times: White Privilege at the Capitol
Americans are systematically criminalized for nothing more than their poverty and the color of their skin. It is heartbreaking to see what it takes to prompt action.
Quoted in The New York Times: Bronx Night Market
On May 22, 2019, the “Summer in the City” series from The New York Times published my recommendation for an activity in the Bronx as part of an article highlighting the possibilities of a daylong adventure in the borough.
In The Boston Globe: Graduate Programs Must Reflect the World They Study
In March 2019, The Boston Globe published my letter to the editor about inadequate diversity at Harvard graduate schools. I argue universities cannot treat cities as living laboratories if they do not prepare students sufficiently.
The Process of Preservation: Marketing to Property Owners to Maintain Affordability
When cash-strapped landlords need to make improvements to their buildings, they turn to HPD as a lender of last resort. They need to know about these services to use them, however.
Undesigning the Redline in the Bronx and Beyond
In 1938 — as the New Deal infused capital into cities and Robert Moses molded New York — the federal Home Owner’s Loan Corporation (HOLC) carved America into the unequal landscapes it is today. We still see those effects in the Bronx to this day.
Planning by the Book: HPD and the Neighborhood Planning Playbook
Introduced at the end of 2015, New York City’s Neighborhood Planning Playbook creates the framework for a planning process that encourages collaboration between city agencies and with local communities.
Why I’m Working on Housing New York This Summer
New York claims to be a welcoming city, but housing costs are changing our neighborhoods. HPD is trying to plan for a fairer, more inclusive city.
Quoted in The Associated Press: “Shock, then ambition: Ocasio-Cortez hopes to shake up House”
“She understood us because she is one of us. The real highlight of her campaign was just how genuine she was. Her voice felt very true.”
What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Victory Means to Me
I can’t adequately explain how much this means to me. I haven’t been this inspired by political energy since Barack Obama soared into office.
Interview: Growing Community, Gardens, and Land Trusts—Raymond Figueroa, Jr. in the South BronxRaymond FigueroaInterview: Growing Community, Gardens, and Land Trusts—Raymond Figueroa, Jr. in the South Bronx
Raymond Figueroa, Jr. is a man of many hats: a leader in Brook Park, President of the New York City Community Garden Coalition (NYCCGC), and Visiting Instructor at the Pratt Institute.
In MIT CoLab Radio: Fertile Ground for Community Development in the Bronx
Municipal disinvestment made the Bronx the poster place of planned shrinkage, but concerted efforts by public, private, and nonprofit sectors—including residents themselves—have allowed our resilient community to flourish in its wake.
Why FoodCorps?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1GikRndSKs With any new job, everyone wants to know who one is working for and why. This video expresses beautifully the pressing nature of the problems FoodCorps seeks to address and the solutions it is implementing to address them.
New Yorkers, Vote Because Our Lives Depend on It
It’s easy to brush these elections off, but New Yorkers should take them seriously; our lives hang in the balance.
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Syed Ali 