Episode 106 of Building Knowledge spotlights the work of “Unlock New York’s Future,” a coalition of more than 30 organizations representing housing, environmental, transit, community development, business, and civic interests across the state.

The coalition recently issued a joint letter urging the New York State Legislature to modernize the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) as part of the FY 2026–27 budget.

Our guest is Joshua Berman, Campaigns Manager for the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a coalition member. In this episode, we cover:

• What SEQRA is — and how it has evolved over time
• The key concerns the coalition has raised about how the law functions today
• Why calls for reform are gaining momentum statewide
• How support for modernization crosses both partisan and regional lines
• How targeted reforms could help advance attainable housing, expand child-care capacity, support environmental goals, and prevent critical community projects from being stalled by a small number of opponents

It’s a thoughtful, in-depth conversation on how modernizing SEQRA could help move New York forward.