Annual Report

Annual Report 2015

Research & Publications

The New York Building Congress, in collaboration with the New York Building Foundation, has developed a strong research and analysis program that serves as a go-to resource for information on current and future market conditions as well as insights into emerging trends and challenges related to capital budgets and private development throughout the five boroughs.

Drawing on a broad array of data sources and the expertise of leading economists, budgetary analysts, and public policy professionals, the Building Congress consistently produces reliable, relevant reports on issues that impact the industry and the City’s long-term economic growth.

Building Congress publications are quickly delivered to members, government officials, the media, and other interested parties through email blasts and periodic direct member mailings. Select reports are posted on the Building Congress website.

PRINT PUBLICATIONS

New York City Construction Outlook
A continuing series begun in 2000, this annual forecast and analysis focuses on three years of construction spending and employment, while also providing deeper insight into factors that could shape the industry and New York City’s economy in the coming years. The report remains a Building Congress signature publication and is widely circulated among business, labor, and policy communities.

NYC•EDU: Building a 21st Century College Town
In its groundbreaking report, NYC•EDU: Building a 21st Century College Town, the Building Congress quantifies the extraordinary breadth of recent, ongoing, and planned investments in the physical campuses and facilities of New York’s 105 colleges and universities, which collectively educate more than a half million students citywide. The report also measures the enormous economic benefits the City derives from these institutions and their capital projects. It concludes with a series of recommendations designed to ensure continued progress on higher education projects, while also leveraging these investments as a means of diversifying the economy, creating jobs, and sparking new industries.

ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS

New York City Construction Outlook Update
Now in its seventh year, the Building Congress New York City Construction Outlook Update series accesses the latest data on a range of building industry indicators to provide a monthly snapshot of conditions and trends affecting all sectors of the industry. The publication, which blends raw data with timely commentary, focuses on such areas as construction starts, employment, economic impacts, residential spending, and workforce demographics, as well as the outlook for commercial and institutional development. Recent editions have examined capital investments made by cultural institutions, spending activity on alterations and renovations, and the status and allocation of disaster recovery funding received by New York City in response to Superstorm Sandy.

Infrastructure Update
In early 2010, the Building Congress launched Infrastructure Update, a data-driven analysis of infrastructure policy and budgetary programs. The web-based publication examines the prospects and challenges facing the various City, State, regional, and federal entities entrusted with the maintenance and expansion of the City’s critical infrastructure systems. Recent editions have focused on the City’s Preliminary Fiscal Year 2016 Capital Budget, the MTA’s Capital Plan for 2015–2019, and a Building Congress request that the State of New York dedicate the more than $5 billion from legal settlements with major banks to fund badly needed infrastructure investments.

(e)Update
In keeping with the need for members, policy makers, and the news media to remain up-to-date on late-breaking developments and industry priorities, the Building Congress publishes periodic, policy-focused (e)Updates. Recent editions of the electronic publication, which combines policy updates with a call to action, have addressed the Building Congress 2015 Policy Agenda, the importance of the MTA Payroll Mobility Tax, and the formation and goals of the Building Congress Task Force on Innovation and Best Practices.

RoundUp
Launched in 2014, the Building Congress bimonthly newsletter, RoundUp, provides updates on recent activities within the diverse Building Congress program areas and the latest news from Building Congress members. RoundUp also announces upcoming special events and committee meetings.