Jersey City Is Trying to Reimagine Public Housing Redevelopment

Jersey City Is Trying to Reimagine Public Housing Redevelopment

Next to the six-lane highway that bursts westward out of the Holland tunnel, a humble 80-year-old, four-story development is nestled among the sparkling new high-rise condominiums in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Holland Gardens, one of Jersey City’s five public housing complexes, could soon look a lot more like its modern neighbors. After a public-private redevelopment plan was pushed forward this month, the site will be transformed into a 631-unit mixed-income development that preserves public housing and adds affordable senior units, homeownership condos and market-rate apartments.

relates to Jersey City Is Trying to Reimagine Public Housing Redevelopment
The entrance to Jersey City Housing Authority’s Holland Gardens, built in 1944.
Photographer: Patrick Spauster/Bloomberg

The plan to replace Holland Gardens represents an innovative process for financing and designing ways to preserve public housing, and aims to avoid the pitfalls of previous redevelopment projects. The blueprint — which could become reality in as soon as four years — emerged from years of community engagement, and will include new amenities, retail outlets, services and community space. While some tenants and local leaders are excited, others aren’t so sure. The rebuilding requires involuntary relocation with a promise of a right to return when the project is completed.

As cities across the US struggle to fund repairs and maintenance for aging public housing, Jersey City’s approach to mixed-income development and community engagement could hold lessons for other city leaders. The project’s success may hinge on how the city manages the relocation process.

“It’s hard to do this well, even with the best of intentions, which it looks like they have,” said Susan Popkin, senior fellow at the Urban Institute and an expert on community engagement and public housing redevelopment. “I am all for anything that preserves public housing at this point; we’re on the verge of losing all of it.”

Falling Apart

Residents and the city agree on at least one thing: Holland Gardens is in desperate need of repair.

The five-building, three-acre development, built in 1944, “has just fallen apart,” said Ty Matthews, one of the resident leaders at the complex. Matthews has lived in a 750-square-foot (229-square-meter), three-bedroom apartment in Holland Gardens with her family for a decade.

“We have mold and every two weeks there’s no hot water,” she said.

As Holland Gardens has deteriorated, the neighborhood around it has changed dramatically.

Downtown Jersey City boomed, growing its population by nearly 60% from 2010 to 2020. The surrounding Hudson County produced housing at over the twice the rate of New York City from 2010 to 2018, attracting numerous new residents and businesses.

While the median household income for Jersey City public housing residents is around $24,000, in the census tract surrounding Holland Gardens that number is now $111,000. And though 64% of Jersey City public housing residents are Black, Black households now make up only 15% of the surrounding tract.

At Holland Gardens, the city and the housing authority saw an opportunity to preserve public housing while leveraging Jersey City’s hot housing market to create additional affordability. On top of the 192 units of public housing, they’re adding 74 affordable senior units and 28 affordable homeownership units.

“What I think planners have recognized, and particularly in places like Jersey City, is that mixed-income communities are the best for giving people an opportunity to move into better economic situations for themselves and their families,” said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.

To address critical disrepair, tearing down public housing has become a regular practice in US cities. A 2010 study by the Department of Housing & Urban Development estimated that the US is losing 10,000 units of public housing each year to disrepair. Under the Choice Neighborhoods program and its predecessor, Hope VI, public-housing redevelopments often ended up with fewer public housing units than they started with. Since the Faircloth Amendment, passed under President Bill Clinton in 1998, housing authorities cannot legally create new public housing unit; the best they can do is a one-to-one replacement.

Other financing mechanisms, like the controversial Rental Assistance Demonstration program, shift tenants to vouchers they use on site while generating funding for rehabilitation.

Holland Gardens’s planners have consciously steered away from those icebergs. The plan sidesteps the strings attached to federal programs by bringing in market-rate units while rebuilding all existing 192 units as public housing. Jersey City Housing Authority will remain as the owner, with an operating agreement with a private developer.

The complex adds a street grid to the site and includes four buildings: a senior building, a for-sale condominium building, a retail and community building and a residential tower for all the public-housing units and market rentals. “It’s going to be indistinguishable whether you are a market-rate or an affordable resident,” said Vivian Brady-Phillips, former director of the Jersey City Housing Authority.

relates to Jersey City Is Trying to Reimagine Public Housing Redevelopment
A courtyard at Holland Gardens, a three-acre development that’s currently comprised of 192 public housing units.
Source: Patrick Spauster/Bloomberg

Some residents have spent their whole life in Holland Gardens and aren’t eager to leave. Zoey, who preferred to go by her first name only, grew up in the development with her mother, who has been living there since she first moved to the US 55 years ago. “This is home. They’re like family here,” said Zoey.

Others are more optimistic.

“I’m looking forward to the transition and coming back to something bigger and better,” said Matthews. “Why wouldn’t you want something better?” said Olivia Smith, another longtime tenant.

Facilities and services at the new development, which will include a new branch of the Jersey City public library, incorporate what residents asked for in the community engagement process, an approach that planners described as “placemaking.”

“The fact that we’re preserving all of the public-housing units, and that we’re adding home ownership — I think that’s what’s really unique here,” said Brady-Phillips.

“This vision was always co-created,” she said. “It doesn’t mean that residents didn’t have concerns or trepidation, but it reflects priorities that residents raised.”

Even so, experts warn that community engagement processes don’t always reach all residents.

“Charrette processes tend to attract the resident leaders, probably more of the older residents,” said Popkin, referring to the act of involving as many stakeholders as possible in a development plan. “It ends up not representing the whole community because it’s very formal.”

That can mean that when projects start, some residents still feel blindsided by the process, said Brady-Phillips, who emphasized the importance of starting the dialogue early.

Right to Return

Ishmael, who also declined to include his last name, has been living at Holland Gardens for 10 years. For him, the most pressing concern was the promise of a right to return. He said he went to some of the meetings with the housing authority but found the uncertainty about relocation frustrating.

“I don’t know where they’re going to put us,” he said. “I don’t know if we’re going to come back.”

Residents will have several relocation options, and the city is providing counseling services to help each family figure out its best option. They can move to another public housing development, access a housing voucher on a private apartment, test the private market temporarily or take a cash payment and give up return rights.

It’s unclear if everyone will be able to get what they want. Extra public-housing slots are limited, some residents will have incomes too high to qualify for vouchers, which are already hard to use. Meanwhile, the local rental market is getting expensive fast.

Return policies have a messy history in public housing redevelopments, and tenants can fall through the cracks. Urban Institute’s Popkin said that because construction takes a while, some residents don’t end up returning. Mandatory relocations can be stressful for tenants, particularly the elderly and those with health issues. Some 43% of the heads of households in all of Jersey City public housing are over 62 years old, and nearly half of them have a disability, according to 2021 HUD data.

Zoey’s mother, for example, has limited mobility after fracturing her spine. “[She’s] not leaving until they drag [her] out of here,” said Zoey.

The housing authority has said it won’t review credit scores or income requirements for returning residents. Those policies are two best practices that researchers have identified to make redevelopments easier on residents.

“The biggest test for me is making sure that the existing Holland Gardens residents exercise that right of return and come back,” said Mayor Fulop.

When Chicago redeveloped 11 public housing sites around the turn of the century, residents rarely returned, opting instead for vouchers on the private market or staying put in other public-housing developments.

In the throes of a national housing crisis, other cities might look to Jersey City’s blending of public, affordable and market housing as a blueprint for how to finance their own ambitions while preserving public housing. Recently, New York City’s council speaker proposed building new apartments in between public-housing towers, moving tenants next door, and replacing buildings falling into disrepair.

“It’s a very, very complicated and difficult environment because there isn’t a lot of support at the federal and state levels to build new public housing,” said Mayor Fulop. “So you gotta be creative.”

Disable User’s Ability to Install Updates via Autodesk Access

Disable User’s Ability to Install Updates via Autodesk Access

With the new Autodesk Access available since March 18, administrators now have more Users can install updates via Autodesk Access.  We don’t want users attempting to install updates either because:

  • My users don’t have install permissions, and the updates will fail anyway, or
  • I want to control the distribution of updates via another method, such as SCCM or Microsoft Endpoint Manager.

 

Causes:

Autodesk Access is the new desktop application for installing product updates on Windows devices.  This new application provides the ability for users to install their own updates, as long as they have install permissions.  This application is built with administrator controls in mind, so if you want to prevent your users from installing updates from Access, you can do so.  All users will still have Access available so that they can get information about updates that may impact them.

Solution:

The following registry key will disable the “Update” button in Autodesk Access, as well as notifications about new updates for the users where it is applied.

  • Create a new key in the HKCU/Software/Autodesk/ODIS folder.
    • Key name: DisableManualUpdateInstall
    • DWORD value: 1

AccessNewDisable_image.png

To set this key on your user’s devices, do one of the following:

Manually create a registry key on their device

  1. From the Search bar in Windows, type in “regedit”
  2. Browse to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software/Autodesk/ODIS folder.  If it does not exist, create it.
  3. Right-click on the folder, and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
  4. Enter “DisableManualUpdateInstall” for the Name
  5. Enter 1 for the Data.

Distribute the registry key via Group Policy

If you use Group Policy in your company, you can distribute this key to multiple users via this process:

  1. Open the Group Policy Management Console, gpmc.msc
  2. Create a new (or edit an existing) Group Policy Object (GPO) in the Organizational Unit you prefer.
  3. Expand the User Configuration section > Preferences > Windows Settings > Registry
  4. Right click on Registry, and select New > Registry Item
  5. Use these settings:
    1. Action: Update
    2. Hive:  HKEY_USERS
    3. Key Path:  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Autodesk\ODIS
    4. Value Name:  DisableManualUpdateInstall
    5. Value Type:  REG_DWORD
    6. Value Data:  1

Logon Script

You can include the following command in any CMD-based user logon script you may have configured:

REG ADD HKCU\Software\Autodesk\ODIS /V DisableManualUpdateInstall /D 1 /T REG_DWORD

Other methods

Any other system management tool that allows you to write registry keys should also work like the methods used above.

Autodesk Access has replaced Autodesk Desktop App

Autodesk Access has replaced Autodesk Desktop App

On March 15, 2023, Autodesk Access replaced Autodesk Desktop Application (ADA) to provide the foundational capability to ensure you receive the continuous benefits of new features and fixes, making managing product updates easier than ever.

Autodesk Access is just the first step in Autodesk’s plan to further develop the platform to provide you with greater control, easier access, and additional capabilities to achieve your desired outcomes.

How does it help you?

Autodesk has heard from customers that product updates have been frustrating, and that the previous update system, ADA, didn’t meet their needs. Some customers didn’t want their users to install updates themselves. As a result, they uninstalled ADA altogether. Autodesk Access will make things easier for you, so changes are now implemented specifically for admins to address these issues.

Autodesk Access is built with trust, security, and admin controls in mind. Using the latest installation technology, it will deliver fast, reliable updates and offers many benefits, including:

  • Continuous software updates, new features, and hot defect fixes to stay productive without interfering with your workflows
  • Easy admin controls to disable user’s ability to install updates and new update notifications
  • Enhanced security and better performance, reducing risk of downtime

Once Autodesk Access is installed, users will be able to install updates if they have administrator rights. A simple registry key will allow admins to disable a user’s ability to install updates, while also allowing users to see information about available updates.

 

View our blog to see how disable user update access.

 

 

 

How do I get Autodesk Access?

You can get Autodesk Access in four ways starting March 15, 2023:

  1. With any new 2022 or later product installation after March 15th.
  2. As an automatic self-update of the Autodesk installer.  This will be a progressive, percentage-based rollout ending around mid-May 2023.
  3. As an update to ADA starting April 3, 2023.
  4. Direct download of the installer from the Access landing page

 

 

Do you need to uninstall ADA before installing Access?

No, when Autodesk Access installs, it will uninstall ADA.

 

 

Does Autodesk Access work for Enterprise or other large customers?

Yes!  All customers will benefit from Autodesk Access.  We have many plans for new features this year to make getting updates easier.  For those customers that manage their own updates, we included admin controls to disable user’s ability to install updates.  Users at large companies can benefit from Access by getting information about updates that may be available, even if they can’t install them.

 

 

Do the Autodesk Access services consume resources on my device?

All long-running services consume some resources.  Autodesk Access, and specifically the Autodesk Access Core, consumes 34 MB of RAM and 0% CPU while idle.  The only time it is not idle is during startup, and when it is installing an update, where it would consume some resources related to installations as expected.

 

 

Can I remove or uninstall Access?

Currently, Access is part of the Autodesk Installer and can’t be removed.  Admin controls previously mentioned provide the ability for you to control your user’s ability to update products, and because it consumes a very small amount of resources, we believe that it is not necessary to remove it.

Our goal is to provide a great, transparent update experience. This is the first step in an exciting roadmap to give customers control and easy access to new product features. We will continue to build on the new Autodesk Access platform with capabilities to make updates easier and with the controls you are looking for.

Access Twinmotion for Revit 2023 and 2024

Access Twinmotion for Revit 2023 and 2024

Recently included in all Revit subscriptions is access to Twinmotion. With a new partnership between Autodesk and Epic Games, all Revit subscriptions now have access to this real-time visualization tool to produce high-quality images.

Download Twinmotion:

  1. Access your Twinmotion subscription (included now with all Revit subscriptions) from your Autodesk Desktop App or access your Autodesk Account page.
  2. Click on the Twinmotion tile to get access to the Twinmotion installer webpage. You may have to accept their End User License Agreement to continue.
  3. Locate the downloaded .zip file (typically in your downloads folder) and right-click and choose Extract All
  4. Open the extracted folder, and double-click on the .msi file to startup the installer.
    Follow the onscreen prompts to complete the installation.

Exporting your Revit project to Twinmotion:

  1. Open Revit and open any project file.
    You must be within a 3D view to open Twinmotion.
  2. In the View tab > Presentation panel, click on Twinmotion then Open in Twinmotion.
  3. When Twinmotion opens, select New Project and click OK.

Updating your Revit model, and Synchronize back to Twinmotion:

  1. Open Revit again without closing Twinmotion.
  2. Modify your file, such as add new elements, change an element’s properties, etc.
  3. In the View tab > Presentation panel > Twinmotion, select Direct Link Synchronization.
  4. You do not have to save your file before you synchronize.
  5. Switch back to Twinmotion and you will see the changes occur immediately within the file.

Don’t forget to save your Twinmotion project to not lose your hard work!

Reopen a Twinmotion Project:

  1. If you already have an existing Twinmotion project, repeat the previous steps to export your file into Twinmotion
  2. When prompted, select Existing Project at the start window
  3. Navigate to the saved file on your system and click OK.
    You will continue from where you last left in the model.

Thank you for watching, hopefully you will all have fun visualizing your Revit projects in Twinmotion. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. Like and subscribe if you’d like to see more Revit and Twinmotion content!

Optimize Ongoing Building Operations with BIM for FM

Optimize Ongoing Building Operations with BIM for FM

Making the Case for BIM for FM

Your company spends years planning and budgeting for new construction, but in the end, 75-80% of the total cost of ownership of your building takes place after it’s built, in the operations and maintenance stages.

If you use BIM and an integrated workplace management system, you already have the date you need to run more efficient, cost-effective, and comfortable facilities – you just have to connect the data.

 

Understand the gaps in the building management life cycle.

In the drive to capture and leverage data for better business intelligence, many organizations still rely on different data sets for the separate life cycle phases, first with planning and construction and then ongoing operations and maintenance. By disconnecting the data between departments and teams, you slow down processes, reduce asset life cycles, and drive costs higher.

A lack of data flow between life cycle phases causes information to become segregated, and any benefit from the construction and planning phases’ data is lost on future operations and maintenance. This impacts the total cost of ownership (TCO) for a facility and leads to a lack of support for the people who occupy the space.

For example, data used in the design phase, like how many occupants a space was intended to accommodate, could be helpful in the operations phase,and operational data, like average daily occupancy,could help inform future building designs.

Creating a clear path for data from building information modeling (BIM) systems to integrated facilities management (FM) systems closes the life cycle management loop and allows you to monitor and react to changing conditions in real time.

Implement BIM data for FM with three core questions

Creating a set of guidelines for how you use BIM data in your facility management and operations is a process, and these guidelines evolve over time. Though the process may seem overwhelming, the best first step is just to start, even on a small scale. You continue to refine your process over time and from project to project.

First, you need to answer three critical questions with your team:

Who will use the data, and what problems are they trying to solve?

The goal of a BIM-for-FM pathway is to make it easier for your people to perform their jobs as effciently as possible. Make it personal. List the different demands and challenges of each role to help match them with the most effective data. It’s imperative to know who the final consumers in your organization are, and work to
understand what data they need, how they will consumeit, and what they will do with the information once it’s delivered. The needs of a space manager are different than the needs of a commissioning manager or a space reimbursement analyst.

Be as specific as possible. A helpful exercise is to create personas for each role or type of data consumer and treat them like your team. Consider a maintenance
manager who needs to access systems and component information, such as asset locations, maintenance histories, and repair instructions. The maintenance
manager also needs to see how certain systems were designed to operate at optimal levels to be able to prioritize preventive maintenance activities.

Your chief operations officer doesn’t necessarily need to see this level of detail, but they will be interested in efficiency and cost metrics.

Once you have outlined the roles and responsibilities of each person who will need access to building and operations data, you can clearly define what information they need and answer the next question.

What data will you collect and how will you do it?

The role