5 ms·

There are two major policy failures on display here. The first is that there isn't enough housing in the city, and they're basically never going to build it. Th

There are two major policy failures on display here. The first is that there isn't enough housing in the city, and they're basically never going to build it. The second is that the city needs to get better waste management technology, instead of just leaving trash out on the streets to feed the rats.

JshWright 7y ago
Not sure if your "feed the rats" comment was intended to be cruel, or just careless...
- cvs268 7y ago
  possibly a "no pun intended" moment.
- dantillberg 7y ago
  They likely are referring to feeding actual literal rats. Rats get into trash left out by the street for pickup.
  - justinc8687 7y ago
    That was my reading as well
  - bobthepanda 7y ago
    In fact, NYC stopped expansion of a composting program because rats were getting into the compost bins in buildings. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/07/ick-rats-roaches-rank-smells-dampen-nyc-composting-program https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/07/ick-rats-roa...
- fennecfoxen 7y ago
  New York City has the worst rat problem in the world. People referring to rats in NYC are generally referring to actual bona fide rats. Consider this coverage of rats from the same source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/nyregion/rat-infestation-nyc.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/nyregion/rat-infestation-... Or this lovely article by the Brooklyn borough president which opens with a story of a rat gnawing on an infant's face, in the slums of Brownsville. The child then grew up with a scar on his lip. (There's probably another policy failure there, too, with regards to public housing, as NYCHA is not good about extermination.) https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-our-war-on-rats-is-only-beginning-20190918-5cw72y4ka5gvdgxyqct4c6tmjq-story.html https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-our-war-on-rats-... Homeless people (a prime bottle-collecting group) are if anything more vulnerable to rats, as they are likely to be sleeping where they are exposed to said rats. And New York trash policy in much of Manhattan is your building leaves your trash (recyclables and otherwise) out on the sidewalk for pickup, where it is rodent-bait. This needs to change.
hurricanetc 7y ago
There is plenty of housing. Normal market dynamics here are totally fucked because of the rent stabilization, rent regulation, and short term rental companies such as Airbnb. Last I looked nearly half the apartments were in one of those three categories. Rent is fucked because supply is fucked because we fucked it with various programs. At minimum enforce the short term rental ban.

JshWright 7y ago

Not sure if your "feed the rats" comment was intended to be cruel, or just careless...

cvs268 7y ago
possibly a "no pun intended" moment.
dantillberg 7y ago
They likely are referring to feeding actual literal rats. Rats get into trash left out by the street for pickup.
- justinc8687 7y ago
  That was my reading as well
- bobthepanda 7y ago
  In fact, NYC stopped expansion of a composting program because rats were getting into the compost bins in buildings. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/07/ick-rats-roaches-rank-smells-dampen-nyc-composting-program https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/oct/07/ick-rats-roa...
fennecfoxen 7y ago
New York City has the worst rat problem in the world. People referring to rats in NYC are generally referring to actual bona fide rats. Consider this coverage of rats from the same source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/nyregion/rat-infestation-nyc.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/nyregion/rat-infestation-... Or this lovely article by the Brooklyn borough president which opens with a story of a rat gnawing on an infant's face, in the slums of Brownsville. The child then grew up with a scar on his lip. (There's probably another policy failure there, too, with regards to public housing, as NYCHA is not good about extermination.) https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-our-war-on-rats-is-only-beginning-20190918-5cw72y4ka5gvdgxyqct4c6tmjq-story.html https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-our-war-on-rats-... Homeless people (a prime bottle-collecting group) are if anything more vulnerable to rats, as they are likely to be sleeping where they are exposed to said rats. And New York trash policy in much of Manhattan is your building leaves your trash (recyclables and otherwise) out on the sidewalk for pickup, where it is rodent-bait. This needs to change.

hurricanetc 7y ago

There is plenty of housing. Normal market dynamics here are totally fucked because of the rent stabilization, rent regulation, and short term rental companies such as Airbnb. Last I looked nearly half the apartments were in one of those three categories. Rent is fucked because supply is fucked because we fucked it with various programs. At minimum enforce the short term rental ban.