The NYU Furman Center

What The NYU Furman Center does

The NYU Furman Center is a joint academic research center of the NYU School of Law and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, founded in 1995 and based at 22 Washington Square North, New York. It produces objective, policy-relevant research and data analysis on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy for New York City and, increasingly, national audiences. Its core technology is CoreData.nyc, a data analytics platform that integrates 35+ city, state, and federal datasets into 100+ housing and neighborhood indicators and hosts the only publicly available property-level database of NYC subsidized housing. Supporting tools include the New York State Eviction Tracker (using Housing Court Data and NYC Finance records), a Directory of 200+ NYC Housing Programs, NYC Neighborhood Data Profiles covering all 59 community districts, and a national Land Use Reform Tracker; the annual State of the City report is its flagship publication. The Housing Solutions Lab, an integrated program within the center, extends these capabilities to small and midsize cities through direct technical assistance, a Housing Needs Assessment Tool, and a Housing Policy Library.

The organization operates as a private nonprofit academic entity, wholly embedded in NYU, and does not sell its outputs. All research, publications, and data tools are distributed free of charge to policymakers, journalists, urban planners, and the public, with revenue derived entirely from donations, grants, and sponsorships. CoreData.nyc is sustained by annual funding from the New York City Council, with additional support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Capital One, and the F.B. Heron Foundation; the center also accepts individual gifts and corporate sponsorships. Its 11-50 employee team is interdisciplinary and faculty-led, reaching audiences through publications, a biweekly Housing Starts newsletter, events, and recurring earned media coverage in outlets including POLITICO, Business Insider, THE CITY, The Real Deal, and Gothamist.

Name

The NYU Furman Center

Legal name

The Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy

Website

https://furmancenter.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The NYU Furman Center is a joint NYU School of Law and Wagner Graduate School research center that produces data-driven housing and urban policy research and free public data tools, serving NYC and national policymakers, journalists, urban planners, and small cities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Policy Research and Housing Data Analytics

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM)

Keywords

• Housing policy research
• Urban policy analysis
• Data analytics platform
• Neighborhood data tools
• Affordable housing data

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Individual gifts, event sponsorships, and grants from foundations and organizations provide essential support for research operations. The center accepts donations through NYU's secure giving platform with options for one-time gifts, annual giving (Friends of the Furman Center at $1,000+), and corporate sponsorships.
2. Institutional Funding: CoreData.nyc is supported through annual funding by the New York City Council. Additional support has been provided by Capital One and the F.B. Heron Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The NYU Furman Center conducts objective, data-driven research on housing, neighborhoods, and urban policy, primarily for New York City and, through select programs, nationally. Its offerings center on an interconnected portfolio of free, publicly accessible interactive data tools (CoreData.nyc, the New York State Eviction Tracker, the Directory of NYC Housing Programs, NYC Neighborhood Data Profiles, and the Land Use Reform Tracker), a recurring State of NYC's Housing and Neighborhoods report, peer-reviewed publications and policy briefs, and direct technical assistance to municipalities through its Housing Solutions Lab.

Product overview

The NYU Furman Center operates as a research and data intelligence organization offering a portfolio of interconnected data tools and publications focused on NYC housing and urban policy. Its flagship platform, CoreData.nyc, serves as the central hub integrating over 35 datasets into an interactive mapping and analysis tool. This platform is supported by specialized data tools including the Eviction Tracker, Directory of NYC Housing Programs, NYC Neighborhood Data Profiles, and Land Use Reform Tracker. The organization also produces the annual State of the City Report as a flagship research publication. Through its Housing Solutions Lab initiative, the center extends its expertise to small and midsize cities via the Housing Needs Assessment Tool and Housing Policy Library. The Subsidized Housing Database within CoreData.nyc provides property-level subsidy tracking as the city's only publicly available resource of its kind. Together, these products form a comprehensive ecosystem for housing research, policy analysis, and data-driven decision making.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CoreData.nyc New York City's interactive housing and neighborhood database that standardizes over 35 datasets from city, state, and federal sources into more than 100 indicators on housing and neighborhoods. Includes the only publicly available property-level Subsidized Housing Database for NYC and neighborhood-level indicators on housing markets, demographics, and land use.
• New York State Eviction Tracker Interactive tool that analyzes citywide and borough-level eviction filings, warrants, and trends using Housing Court Data from the New York State Office of Court Administration and records from the NYC Department of Finance. Provides geographic breakdowns of eviction activity across NYC.
• Directory of NYC Housing Programs A catalogue of over 200 city, state, and federal government programs that have created, subsidized, regulated, preserved, or provided affordable housing in New York City, enabling cross-program tracking and policy analysis.
• NYC Neighborhood Data Profiles Interactive neighborhood data profiles with downloadable information on housing market conditions, development trends, demographics, median rents, and additional neighborhood indicators covering all 59 NYC community districts.
• State of the City Report Annual research publication providing a compendium of data and analysis on NYC's housing, land use, demographics, and quality of life across each borough and all 59 community districts. The 2025 edition focuses on the impact of property taxes on multifamily buildings.
• Land Use Reform Tracker A national database of enacted state land use reform bills that includes summaries of bill text, comparative analysis across states, implementation information, and accompanying research commentary.
• Housing Solutions Lab Initiative that helps small and midsize cities plan, launch, and evaluate evidence-based local housing policies through city engagement, policy guidance, peer learning, and tailored partnerships with city leaders.
• Housing Needs Assessment Tool Generates customized reports on a community's housing needs using nationally-available data, helping small and midsize cities establish baseline conditions for local housing strategy.
• Housing Policy Library A policy resource with case studies and implementation details for dozens of local housing policies, supporting small and midsize cities in creating and preserving housing units.

Quantifiable outcome

• The majority of multifamily units completed between 2010 and 2020 were built in NYC using the 421-a property tax exemption (68%)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• City of DetroitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity engagement through Housing Solutions Lab. Detroit's Chief of Home Repair and Neighborhood Services worked with Lab experts, engaged with national data, and learned from successful housing programs in other cities to enhance their housing services.
• City of EvanstoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvanston's Senior Housing Planner received direct technical assistance and policy guidance through Local Housing Solutions, with Lab team analyzing local data to inform strategic housing plan development.
• City of Reno Housing AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to design and implement an evidence-based Direct Rental Assistance (DRA) program. The Lab supported planning, program design, and federal approval process through a six-month DRA Cohort and ongoing Community of Practice.
• New York State Office of Court AdministrationcoreTechnology or IntegrationData provider for the Eviction Tracker. Provides Housing Court Data collected through the Universal Case Management System for Local Civil Courts, containing filing dates, court information, and case details.
• New York City Department of FinancecoreTechnology or IntegrationData provider for Eviction Tracker providing property records and rental unit counts. Also source for Subsidized Housing Database property-level data through Real Property Assessment Data.
• New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary data provider for Subsidized Housing Database and housing subsidy information in CoreData.nyc.
• New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)coreTechnology or IntegrationData provider for subsidized housing information and rental unit counts used in neighborhood indicators and eviction analysis.
• New York State Department of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR)coreTechnology or IntegrationState-level data provider for housing subsidy programs and regulatory information included in the Subsidized Housing Database.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)coreTechnology or IntegrationFederal data provider for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) database and other HUD program data included in the Subsidized Housing Database.
• New AmericasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU Furman Center was selected to join New America's Eviction Data Response Network, providing expertise and data resources for eviction research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• RAND Corporation: Large policy research institution with significant housing and urban policy research portfolio. Comparable as a research methodology-driven policy organization, though far broader in scope and federally oriented.

Direct peers

• Urban Institute: Major Washington D.C.-based policy research organization producing housing, neighborhood, and urban policy research with data tools. Comparable mission of evidence-based housing research, though broader in scope and federally focused.
• Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: Nonprofit focused on land policy research, education, and data tools including land value and use analytics. Overlaps with NYU Furman Center's Land Use Reform Tracker and broader land use research agenda.
• Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University: Harvard-based academic research center producing leading research on housing markets, policy, and neighborhoods. Closely comparable to NYU Furman Center as a university-affiliated think tank focused on housing data, publications, and policy analysis.

Broad incumbents

• Urban Land Institute: Global membership organization focused on land use and real estate research, publications, and convenings. Comparable in producing land use and housing policy research, though more industry-focused than academic.
• Brookings Institution: Major policy research institution covering urban policy, housing affordability, and metropolitan economics. A broader incumbent with housing as one of many research verticals, but producing comparable policy analyses and convenings.

Regional players

• National Housing Conference: Washington-based affordable housing advocacy and policy organization producing research and convenings. Comparable focus on federal housing policy debate though more advocacy-oriented than purely academic.

Emerging players

• Enterprise Community Partners: National nonprofit that develops and preserves affordable housing while publishing research on housing policy and impact. Overlaps on housing policy research output and city-level technical assistance.
• Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC): National CDFI supporting community development with research, lending, and program evaluation. Comparable in producing community and housing development research with city-level engagement.
• Center for Neighborhood Technology: Chicago-based nonprofit producing housing affordability and neighborhood sustainability data tools. Comparable in combining data analytics with policy advocacy on housing and community development.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FurmanCenterNYU
• Facebookfacebook.com/furmancenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyu-furman-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The NYU Furman Center