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Fact Briefs New York City Housing Affordability

Has Mayor Eric Adams Built More Affordable Housing Than Bloomberg and de Blasio Combined?

The New York City mayor made the claim during a press conference in late July.

Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy   ·   August 19, 2025
Mayor Eric Adams standing in front of an apartment building.
Mayor Adams has not exceeded the combined total of new and preserved affordable housing units of his two predecessors. | Photos: Office of Governor Kathy Hochul; Jimme Deknatel/Pexels | Illustration: Leor Stylar

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No.

Mayor Adams has surpassed each of his predecessors individually in terms of new and preserved affordable housing units, but he has not exceeded their combined total — as he said he did during a press event in July.

According to official city figures, Adams reports 229,800 affordable homes built or preserved since 2022, plus 197,000 units planned through rezonings that may take years to materialize. Bloomberg’s administration produced more than 175,000 units built or preserved in 12 years, and de Blasio’s plan produced about 200,000 in 8 years.

Together, Bloomberg and de Blasio delivered about 375,000 built or preserved units, which is far more than Adams’s current total. Adams’s claim of 426,800 built, preserved, or planned homes only holds if planned rezonings are treated as completed housing, which is misleading since many projects may never break ground, and some began under previous administrations.

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Sources:

  • NYC Mayor’s Office (2025): “Most Pro-Housing Administration ...”: Link

  • NYC.gov (2013): “City Will Reach 160,000 Units ...”: Link

  • NYC.gov (2021): Mayor de Blasio Announces 200,000 Affordable Homes ...”: Link

  • Politico (2025): “Eric Adams says ... ”: Link

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Ferdi Ferhat Özsoy is a strategic program leader with over a decade of experience building global partnerships, leading fact-checking initiatives, and advancing civic integrity across 80+ countries. He specializes in grantmaking, community building, and mission-driven operations at the intersection of journalism, technology, and… more
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