Think New York

Think New York
Name	Think New York
Formation	2010s
Type	nonprofit think tank
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	New York metropolitan area
Leader title	Executive Director

Contents

Overview
History
Programs and Initiatives
Governance and Funding
Impact and Reception
Criticism and Controversies
See also

Think New York is a New York City–based nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and advocacy on urban policy, public finance, transportation, housing, and civic innovation. The organization produces reports, hosts forums, and partners with academic, philanthropic, and municipal actors to influence policy debates in City Hall, state legislatures, and federal agencies. Think New York engages with elected officials, journalists, and community groups to shape implementation of laws, regulations, and capital projects.

Overview

Think New York positions itself at the nexus of municipal policy research and civic engagement, emphasizing data-driven analysis and comparative studies that draw on examples from New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and London. Its staff and fellows often include alumni of Harvard Kennedy School, Princeton University, Columbia University, New York University, and Stanford University who collaborate with experts from Brookings Institution, Urban Institute, Manhattan Institute, and The Century Foundation. Publications and events reference statutes and programs such as the Affordable Care Act, the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, and capital plans like the New York City Housing Authority redevelopment proposals and the Second Avenue Subway. Think New York often benchmarks policy outcomes using datasets from United States Census Bureau, New York State Department of Health, and transit agencies such as Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

History

Founded in the 2010s by former municipal advisers and policy researchers, Think New York emerged during debates over postrecession recovery, municipal labor contracts, and infrastructure investment tied to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Early projects addressed responses to Hurricane Sandy and the city's resilience planning alongside entities such as Rebuild by Design and the Rockefeller Foundation. It expanded its footprint through grants from philanthropic organizations including Ford Foundation, Lilly Endowment, and local foundations affiliated with families like the Rockefeller family and the Guggenheim family. Leadership transitions involved figures with prior roles at the Office of Budget and Management (New York City), New York State Assembly, and federal agencies like the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Programs and Initiatives

Think New York runs research tracks on housing affordability reforms, public transit optimization, and municipal finance innovations such as debt restructuring and tax policy. Programs have included policy labs partnering with Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs, pilot evaluations with the NYC Department of Education and incubators modeled on Code for America. Initiative topics invoke comparative case studies from San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Toronto, and Berlin to inform zoning reforms, inclusionary housing, and congestion pricing mechanisms akin to proposals debated around the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Congestion Pricing (New York City) plan. Fellowship cohorts have included staff seconded from Mayor of New York City offices, former aides to members of the United States Congress, and policy fellows from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Governance and Funding

The organization is governed by a board composed of civic leaders, former elected officials, and academics drawn from institutions like Columbia Law School, New York University School of Law, Yale University, and think tanks including Hudson Institute and Center for American Progress. Funding sources reported in public filings typically list philanthropic grants, foundation awards, individual donations, and sponsored research contracts with municipal agencies including the New York City Department of Transportation and state offices such as the New York State Governor's Office. Financial oversight and auditing practices reference norms used by nonprofits registered under laws administered by the New York State Department of State and filings with the Internal Revenue Service.

Impact and Reception

Think New York's reports and testimony have been cited in media outlets and by policymakers during debates over zoning reform, the Right to Counsel for tenants pilot programs, and expansion of Citi Bike. Coverage and citations have appeared in outlets like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, and broadcast programs on WNYC and NY1. Policymakers from the offices of the Mayor of New York City, members of the New York City Council, and state legislators have referenced its analyses during hearings at venues including New York State Capitol committees and City Council subcommittees. Academic citations appear in journals published by presses such as Oxford University Press and Routledge.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have questioned Think New York’s funding transparency, potential conflicts of interest with developers and financial institutions, and policy recommendations perceived as favoring market-oriented solutions over tenant protections. Opponents and community groups, including chapters of Community Boards and tenant advocacy organizations linked to Metropolitan Council on Housing, have disputed analyses on rezonings and displacement risk. Editorials in publications such as The Nation and activist campaigns aligned with unions and coalitions around 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East have challenged its role in public debates and the framing of proposals related to public pensions and municipal bond issuances.