ts of construction and that ôonly in particular areasùespecially New York City and Californiaùdo housing prices diverge substantially from the costs of new constructionö (Glaeser and Gyourko 2004, 35).
Still other factors have an impact on the access to affordable and safe housing in New York City, including the condition of those units that are classified as affordable housing. Last year Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the Childhood Lead Poisoning Act (Intro 101A), making many middle and lower-class residents perceive the Mayor as giving them a choice between affordable housing and unsafe housing. Mayor Bloomberg argued that such legislation would lead to developers being unable to afford escalating insurance costs. Councilman Bill Perkins questioned why the Mayor is ôprotecting slumlordsö (Perkins 2003, 13).
Other factors are also undermining the availability of affordable housing, like large-scale renovation projects. The revitalization of Harlem has put upward pressure on real estate purchase and rental prices
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