Policy brieftransit
Making the late-night commute safe for shift workers
Three low-cost fixes the MTA could pilot before the next budget cycle: lit platforms, real-time late-night maps and a ride-home guarantee.
Research & Ideas · JCI New York Policy Lab
The city's young people, on the record.
We're an action-oriented civic think tank. We research what's broken in New York, write down the fix, and then go pilot it. Every paper here ends with something you can do.
Flagship publication
The big one.
Our annual agenda, written by members and built on a survey of New Yorkers under 40.
Flagship report[2026]
The Next New York: what young professionals need to stay, build and lead
JCI New York Policy Lab
Flagship publicationhousingfuture-of-workcivic-life
The Next New York — a [XX]-page agenda from the people the city most needs to keep.
We surveyed [XX] New Yorkers under 40 about housing, work and civic life — and turned what they told us into proposals we're now piloting in [XX] neighborhoods.
The library
Briefs, positions, op-eds.
Filter by format or by topic. Or just search.
Policy briefhousing
A starter home for the 30-year-old renter: a shared-equity pilot
What if the city co-owned the first 30% of a home? How a shared-equity model could keep young families in their boroughs.
Policy brieffuture-of-work
The freelance gap: portable benefits for New York's 1099 workforce
Nearly every young creative in the city works gig to gig. Here is how a city-level benefits fund could follow the worker, not the job.
Position statementsdgs
JCI New York on the UN Summit of the Future: our [X] commitments
What New York's young leaders will deliver locally on the global agenda, and what we are asking of City Hall in return.
Position statementhousing
On zoning reform: more homes in every borough, near every train
Our members' position on the city's housing-supply proposals, and the three amendments we want to see before the vote.
Position statementcivic-life
Community boards need a youth seat. Here is how to create one.
A short, specific proposal: reserve seats for members under 30 and open the meetings to people who work nights.
Op-edcivic-life
Stop calling us apathetic. Give us a seat at the table.
Why community boards are missing a generation, and how to fix it in one term.
Op-edhousing
Roommates are not a housing policy
At 34, I still split a two-bedroom with a stranger. I am not an anecdote. I am the median.
Op-edentrepreneurship
Opening a business in New York shouldn't take a law degree
I spent six months on permits for a four-seat coffee bar. A one-page checklist would have saved me five.
Policy briefentrepreneurship
One door for first-time founders: a single-window permit service
Mapping every license a new storefront needs, and the agencies that could share one application.
Policy briefcivic-lifesdgs
Closing the primary turnout gap for voters under 40
Where young New Yorkers drop off between registration and the ballot, and the fixes that moved the needle elsewhere.
Op-edsdgs
The Global Goals are a New York problem, too
Clean water, decent work, safe cities: the UN's agenda isn't abroad. It's on the 7 train.
Nothing matches that combination yet.
Try clearing a filter, or pitch us the piece that's missing.
Got a take? Pitch an op-ed.
Members and non-members, ages 18–40. Send us 150 words on a New York problem and the fix you'd try first. We edit, you byline, we pitch it to city outlets.
Send your pitch
Tally form Replies within [X] business days.
Research areas
Six problems.
Zero spectators.
Each area has a member-led working group. Open to anyone who wants to do the reading.
01
Housing
Supply, affordability and who gets to stay. Zoning, shared equity and the renter's reality at 30.
02
Transit & mobility
Subways, buses, bike lanes and the late-night trip home. How a city moves its night-shift workforce.
03
Future of work
Freelance, gig and hybrid careers. Benefits, skills and fair pay for a workforce that doesn't clock in.
04
Civic life
Voting, community boards and getting a generation into the rooms where decisions are made.
05
SDGs & global agenda
Bringing the UN Sustainable Development Goals home, informed by JCI's consultative status at the UN.
06
Entrepreneurship
Permits, capital and first customers. Making New York the easiest city to start something in.
The people behind the papers.
Volunteer researchers, writers and analysts, all under 40, all working on real city problems.
[Fellow name]
Housing · [Day job]
[Fellow name]
Transit · [Day job]
[Fellow name]
Future of work · [Day job]
[Fellow name]
Civic life · [Day job]
Become a fellow.
Fellows commit about [X] hours a month for one term: researching, drafting and presenting a paper with an editor and a mentor. You get a byline, a network and a seat at the table when we brief City Hall.
Apply for the next cohort
Tally form Applications close [Mon DD]. JCI membership required for fellows.