Within the current housing crisis in New York City, policy makers have been exploring proactive approaches in using rezoning as a measure to encourage additional development, and subsequently, increase housing supply within the City. Up-zonings, in particular, are critical to this process as they increase the overall allowable bulk, density, and size of developments in certain areas beyond what the existing zoning designations and regulations permit. In 2007, the Bloomberg Administration introduced PlaNYC 2030, a long-term comprehensive plan for the City, which notably included the goal of creating housing for more than 1 million New Yorkers. The legacy of up-zoning continued well into the De Blasio administration with the East New York Neighborhood Plan: an anchor as the mayor's first large scale rezoning policy. However, up-zoning, in many cases remains an enigma in its actual ability to do as is promised.

As such, there lies a unique opportunity to study up-zoning through a spatial lens by investigating this phenomena across varying demographic and built environment characteristics. In doing so, the report seeks to look into what has changed with up-zoning, if anything at all.