Furman Center

Furman Center
Name	Furman Center
Formation	1995
Headquarters	New York City
Parent organization	New York University
Director	---
Website	---

Furman Center

The Furman Center is an academic research center affiliated with New York University that studies housing, urban policy, and land use in New York City. It produces empirical analysis used by policymakers, non-profit organizations, and legal institutions across the United States, drawing on collaborations with universities, municipal agencies, philanthropic foundations, and media outlets. The Center’s work informs debates in municipal planning, housing finance, and civil rights litigation.

History

The Center was established amid discussions involving New York University, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, Columbia University, Princeton University, Harvard University, and urban policy practitioners in the mid-1990s. Early collaborations connected staff with researchers from Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Over time, the Center engaged with municipal actors including the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development, New York City Housing Authority, Mayor of New York City, and the New York City Council. The Center’s evolution paralleled policy debates involving landmark cases like Mount Laurel Township v. Mount Laurel, federal statutes such as the Fair Housing Act, and national programs like the Community Development Block Grant program. Partnerships expanded to include legal scholars from Yale Law School, Columbia Law School, and advocates from Legal Aid Society, as well as funders such as the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Kresge Foundation.

Mission and Research Focus

The Center’s mission concentrates on applied research bridging academia and practice, engaging with topics contested by actors from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to local nonprofits like Enterprise Community Partners and Habitat for Humanity. Core research areas include affordable housing finance debated in contexts like Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs, eviction and tenant protections shaped by litigation involving American Civil Liberties Union, and neighborhood change tracked alongside initiatives by Community Land Trusts and Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The Center analyzes land use law influenced by precedents such as Kelo v. City of New London, zoning reforms advocated by entities like The Municipal Art Society of New York, and housing subsidy mechanisms tied to Section 8 and HOME Investment Partnerships Program policies.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs include technical assistance for local governments comparable to services provided by Urban Institute and Enterprise Community Partners, training workshops used by staff from New York City Department of Finance and community groups like Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development. Initiatives include eviction data projects akin to those by Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, tenant protection research resonant with efforts by Met Council on Housing and Tenant Association, and inclusionary housing studies paralleling Inclusionary Housing Programs in municipalities like San Francisco and Boston. The Center convenes convenings with stakeholders from Federal Reserve Bank of New York, State of New York, New York State Attorney General, philanthropic actors including Open Society Foundations and Annie E. Casey Foundation, and research networks such as Economic Policy Institute and Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management.

Publications and Data Resources

The Center issues annual reports, policy briefs, and empirical datasets used by media organizations like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Reports cite methodologies comparable to work from National Bureau of Economic Research, American Enterprise Institute, and Urban Institute. The Center’s datasets on eviction filings, rent burdens, and housing production are used by scholars at Princeton University, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, and policy teams at Office of Management and Budget. Publications have been referenced in litigation before courts including the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and in testimony before bodies such as the New York City Council Committee on Housing and Buildings and the U.S. Congress House Committee on Financial Services.

Partnerships and Funding

Funding and partnerships have involved municipal agencies like New York City Housing Development Corporation, statewide actors including New York State Homes and Community Renewal, federal entities such as U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Federal Reserve System, academic collaborators at NYU Wagner, Columbia University School of Social Work, and nonprofit partners including Enterprise Community Partners, NeighborWorks America, and Regional Plan Association. Philanthropic support has come from the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Kresge Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and local donors tied to institutions like Columbia University and Fordham University. Research contracts occasionally involve private-sector entities such as Goldman Sachs and consulting firms like McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group for applied analysis.

Facilities and Organization

The Center operates out of offices in New York City with affiliations to academic departments at New York University, including the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and the School of Law. Staff composition includes faculty affiliates from NYU School of Law, researchers formerly at Brookings Institution, fellows from Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, and practicum students from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Governance and advisory boards draw members from institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Yale School of Management, and leaders from nonprofit organizations like Enterprise Community Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Category:Research institutes in New York City