Politics vs Housing: How NYC’s Mayoral Race Became a Battle for Affordability

Season 4, Episode 8: Jack Stone and Alex Gornik sit down with Alicia Glen, Founder of M Squared, former Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development in NYC, and Co-Chair of the Gateway Development Commission, to unpack what it really takes to get housing and infrastructure built in America. Glen brings a rare insider view on how public and private sectors collide, the realities of financing affordable housing, and the lessons she learned managing the country’s most complex urban markets. She also shares how M Squared is reimagining capital to drive social impact while staying commercially disciplined, and what cities must do now to stay livable and competitive. TOPICS 00:00 – Introduction 02:10 – From Goldman Sachs to City Hall 06:28 – Inside NYC’s Housing Agenda and Early Lessons 10:15 – Building M Squared and Its Mission 14:47 – Politics and Production of Affordable Housing 18:59 – When Public and Private Sectors Collide 23:40 – The Gateway Project and Federal Funding Realities 28:22 – Market Constraints, Zoning Reform and Affordability 33:31 – Structuring Capital for Impact and Scale 38:26 – Lessons From City Hall and Cross-Sector Leadership 47:51 – The Next Chapter for Cities and Urban Development Shoutout to our sponsor, Lev. The AI-powered way to get real estate deals financed. For more episodes of No Cap by CRE Daily visit https://www.credaily.com/podcast/ Watch this episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NoCapCREDaily About No Cap Podcast Commercial real estate is a $20 trillion industry and a force that shapes America’s economic fabric and culture. No Cap by CRE Daily is the commercial real estate podcast that gives you an unfiltered ”No Cap” look into the industry’s biggest trends and the money game behind them. Each week co-hosts Jack Stone and Alex Gornik break down the latest headlines with some of the most influential and entertaining figures in commercial real estate. About CRE Daily CRE Daily is a digital media company covering the business of commercial real estate. Our mission is to empower professionals with the knowledge they need to make smarter decisions and do more business. We do this through our flagship newsletter (CRE Daily) which is read by 65,000+ investors, developers, brokers, and business leaders across the country. Our smart brevity format combined with need-to-know trends has made us one of the fastest growing media brands in commercial real estate.