Broke City Agency Mulling Ads On Public Housing

The future for the John F Hylan houses? (original image from EricaJoy's flickr)

As has been made pretty clear by now, there isn't much money in the government's coffers these days. Which means that the city is getting creative with the ways it raises cash-and that is why the New York City Housing Authority is currently exploring the pretty audacious move of putting advertisements on the 334 developments it runs across the city. You'll be shocked (shocked!) to know that not all NYCHA residents are thrilled at this prospect!

"This is where we live, we shouldn't have to see that stuff here," 50-year-old Edwin Jackson, who lives in the Gowanus Houses in Boerum Hill, told the News. More than just the advertising, folks are worried about just what kind of advertising this move could bring. "Advertising always follows geography and demographics," Aurora Wallace, NYU professor of media studies, said. "Look at low-income neighborhoods already: There is a real concentration of distinctly 'not good for you' products being advertised. Tiffany's, let's say, probably isn't going to be interested in advertising there."

And that's true—it is unlikely that you are going to see luxury car advertisements on public housing anytime soon (unless they are by a major thoroughfare). But the idea shouldn't be written off just because people don't like the theoretical ads that might go up. New York City already has a tremendous amount of visual pollution (hello CEMUSA!) and there is a good reason for it: ads make money. The blowback, considering how tricky getting this idea to move forward is going to be politically, would just be too much. Which is why the NYCHA, before selling any ad space, is working with residents on guidelines for what kinds of ads it will and will not accept. And anyway, it is highly unlikely that the NYCHA is going to let inappropriate ads start showing up if they follow through with the project.

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By Garth Johnston in News on September 22, 2011 4:55 PM

Comments [rss]

bernieSaunders

why not city would whore out city hall for naming rights

Gadea

I live in Pubic Housing, 344 East 28th Street, NY NY.
Citibank bought the building.

JackyLane

Marcy tennis courts. Best tennis courts in Bed- Stuy. On the corner of Marcy and Mrytle.

Jessica Jones

This is so demeaning. People deserve to live in a place that's nice and comfortable. They should not have to look at unsightly ads for things. This is their home. They are entitled to enjoy it. How dare someone suggest putting up ads to raise money. They deserve better than that. We should think about how we can improve the projects with swimming pools and tennis courts. There is no reason a person should have to live without a stable for their ponies. I went to the project once to visit a friend and noticed his door knocker was broken. I was so disgusted to find that a person in this day an age is being forced to live in an apartment with a broken door knocker. You expect me to just bang on his door with my bare hands like a common oaf. I propose we raise money to ensure that every one of those apartments has a working door knocker. A SOLID BRASS door knocker that has been recently buffed to a warm glow. The poor aren't animals. Come on people!

Emmily_Litella

...

DietSodas

Re: Luxury Automobile Ads around projects---Oh how wrong you are sir!

Check out the tenant lot of any project city-wide. You'll see Range Rovers, BMWs, Escalades, Mercedes, and the ever-present Lincoln Navigator. Advertising for iPods, iPhones and Sharp flat screen TV's would also be hitting alot of potential customers considering the abundance of them owned by the city's many productive, contributing-to-society NYCHA tenants!

Joe

Like the kid (18?) I saw in a range rover parked at the projects near me? He also had an Iphone. Of course he could have won the lottery or something *sarcasm*

coolcat9944

Public housing is already less desirable with the shootings and all. We love to trample on the poor don't we?

Emmily_Litella

What an insult to human dignity. The phone booths have been converted into billboards, the newsstands too, the bodies of railcars and now this? What better way to reinforce the ‘you are worthless’ message than to bring visual pollution to people’s front lawns.

nycpwt

Umm. Do you even live in nyc? Good lord. Advertising is on every block. In fact, I think those hoods are the only ones in the city who don't have ads up. Don't be so melodramatic. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Emmily_Litella

Just because negative change is gradual doesn’t make it not worth opposing. If NYCHA have funding problems, they won’t be solved by whoring out their real estate to billboards. Think of the place you call home and try to imagine illuminated ads placed there, maybe in view of your window. If I told you I could lower your taxes by $8 per year by accepting such ads on your block, would you take it?

JackyLane

Emily you are out of touch with the needs of people in NYCHA.

A few observatiopns from time spent in NYCHA properties.

NYCHA elevators ALWAYS smell like pee. I will say always again. I am sure someone will say they were in a NYCHA elevator that did not have pee in it. I will respond to them you hit the NYCHA elevator lottery, congratulations! Or you couldn't smell it because your full of sh*t yourself. Which is way more likely. Don't believe me? Easy enough. Goto the projects, ask a resident to take you to the elevator, smell the pee, admit you were wrong. See? That was easy.

Stairs in projects are an easy place to find a steaming pile of human #2.

When the compactor backs up a handy tenant will drop some paper on fire in the chute which lights up all the garbage and belches smoke on all floors with a chute door. The smell is hard to describe. Changing diapers would be a pleasure in comparison.

Old couches too large to fit in elevator are left in staircase hallway which are subsequently lit on fire. (2 people died in Frederick douglas houses 1995 while in staircase above fire started in a couch)

If the toilet waste line for the the building backs up tenants above the blockage will begin to experience the toilet vomiting excrement and pee under pressure when an upstairs neighbor flushes.

Emily there are a tremendous quality of life issues in NYCHA housing projects. Billboards are a neutral addition imho.

Emmily_Litella

I’m sure you enjoyed writing all that, but what does that have to do with your perception of my awareness of the condition of poor people? You are basically saying it is okay to add insult to injury, and that the bad behavior of a few is a reason to shit on everybody. Anyway, forget about the residents of the projects, and ask yourself, is this good for the city at large to increase the amount of outdoor advertising? Do you really want to look at more of it? Are you so numb that it doesnt bother you at all to be have your intelligence insulted and your mind distracted at random moments by commercial idiocy?

JackyLane

I do enjoy writing this Emily: You are delusional. I did not say anything about bad behavior being ok. I give no reasons to shit on anyone. You assume I share your belief of outdoor advertising being detrimental to project residents. I do not. When you have raw sewage in your apartment outdoor ads will have little effect on your phsyche.

Projects need money for basic repairs like sound roofing, working plumbing, clean interior spaces(the list goes on and on but you don't give a crap so I'll stop there). NYCHA does not have this money. If These ads can provide even a little of that great. Sorry(actually this is where I don't give a shit) about your sensitivity to outdoor ads, with luck you will live.

"forget about the project residents........"
You have zero awareness of the condition of poor people. You can forget about the resdidents of projects.

You have an agenda on outdoor ads. Bravo! Crusade all you want against them. In the meantime I need a good graphic desinger to start working on my new ad for the Marcy Houses!

Guest

You just said it all Emily in that one little sentence. Forget about the residents of the projects. Nice. heartfelt.

FU Boy

You raise an interesting point, but are missing the mark.

Personally, I don't own the building I live in. If the owner wanted to put signage and ads on the front of the building, there's nothing I could do about it. I wouldn't like it, and would probably move out.

Similarly, the people that live in public housing don't own the land or the buildings, and have no real say in how it appears. If they don't like it, they're free to protest and write to the NYCHA to try and block the choice.

But, something to consider: to do so would be to stop / limit funding for the place they live. They contribute very little to the building's funds themselves, far less than required for proper maintenance. If they want a properly maintained home, they'll need to accept measures like this.

Or, you know, start paying in full themselves.

Jessica Jones

You clearly mean the place YOU call home.

Emmily_Litella

Your clarity is refreshing. Tell us more.

FU Boy

"This is where we live, we shouldn't have to see that stuff here"

Then move. You live in government subsidized housing - want to live someplace nice then save up some cash and get out of the projects.

That being said, I kind of like this idea for that exact sentiment. Make the public housing less desirable and maybe people will start to move out on their own accord.