New York City Hasn't Built Artist Housing In A Decade

Should the city invest in more affordable housing for artists?

Jan. 29, 2026 at 3:47pm

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A new report found that the number of artists living in New York City has dropped 4% in the past seven years, as the city has not built any new affordable housing for artists in over a decade. The last such development, El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in East Harlem, opened in 2015 after a lottery that received over 53,000 applications. Advocates argue that investing in affordable artist housing is crucial to supporting the city's creative economy and identity, but others question whether that should be a priority given the broader housing crisis.

Why it matters

New York City has long been a hub for artists, but the lack of new affordable housing options for this community over the past decade has led to a 4% drop in the number of artists living in the city. This raises concerns about the health of the city's creative economy and its identity as a global center for the arts, which could have ripple effects on tourism and the overall vibrancy of the city.

The details

The last time New York City built new affordable housing for artists was in 2015, when the 89-unit El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 development opened in East Harlem after receiving over 53,000 applications for its lottery. Since then, no new artist-specific affordable housing has been created, even as the city's artist population grew by 35% between 2004 and 2019 before declining by over 4% in recent years. Advocates argue that building 5,000 new affordable artist apartments by 2030 could help reverse this trend, but there are questions about whether that should be a priority given the broader housing crisis, with over 100,000 people in city shelters and thousands more unsheltered or living in overcrowded conditions.

  • The first residents moved into El Barrio's Artspace PS 109 in 2015.
  • The number of artists living in New York City grew by 35% between 2004 and 2019.
  • The number of artists living in New York City has dropped by over 4% in the past seven years.

The players

Glendalys Medina

A 46-year-old multidisciplinary visual artist who lives in El Barrio's Artspace PS 109, the last affordable housing development for artists built in New York City.

Eli Dvorkin

The policy director at the Center for an Urban Future and a co-author of the report on the decline of artist housing in New York City.

David Giffen

The executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless, who argues that the city should prioritize housing for the most vulnerable residents over artist-specific housing.

Peter Madden

The executive director of Westbeth Artists Housing, a 384-unit affordable housing development for artists in the West Village that was created in 1970.

Johnny Thornton

The executive director of Arts Gowanus, who advocated for the inclusion of over 100 affordable art studios as part of the Gowanus rezoning in Brooklyn.

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What they’re saying

“This is one of the best places I've ever lived. There's always an event. There's always an opportunity to engage not only with the people that live in the building, but the external community.”

— Glendalys Medina, Artist (THE CITY)

“Something fundamentally broke in 2020 that has not been repaired. The consequence of that is that we're losing not only our artists, but our identity as a city, and I would say with it, not only a key engine of our economy, but one of the key factors that makes New York a place where people from all over the world want to visit and want to live.”

— Eli Dvorkin, Policy Director, Center for an Urban Future (THE CITY)

“As a guiding principle, when you have a limited resource, you'd start with the people who are most in need. That indicates that we need to start with the people who don't have homes, whether they're artists or work in the food service industry or as home health aides, whatever their occupation. Who is most in need of that resource?”

— David Giffen, Executive Director, Coalition for the Homeless (THE CITY)

“Though we're extremely proud of our work advocating for artists' workspaces, we would have loved to be able to secure affordable housing for artists as well. Allowing artists to live in the neighborhoods where they work creates an even more tight-knit, flourishing community.”

— Johnny Thornton, Executive Director, Arts Gowanus (THE CITY)

What’s next

The city council is considering a bill that would specify that housing that gives preference to artists does not violate the city's human rights law prohibiting housing discrimination based on occupation.

The takeaway

The lack of new affordable housing for artists in New York City over the past decade has contributed to a decline in the city's artist population, raising concerns about the health of the creative economy and the city's identity as a global arts hub. While some argue that artist-specific housing should be a priority, others question whether that is the best use of limited affordable housing resources given the broader housing crisis facing the city.