U.S.: Hogan Lovells New York City and the future: Real estate and beyond

Disclaimer: Answers have been abridged and edited for clarity from the original discussion.

• Moskowitz: You and Mayor Bloomberg connected initially over your quest to bring the Olympic Games to New York City. You started the NYC2012 bid effort before you were in government, while you were still a private citizen, as Managing Director of Oak Hill Capital Partners.  There are those that believe that hosting the Olympic Games is too expensive and doesn’t yield real benefits for the host.  Why would the Olympics have been good for New York?
• Doctoroff:  While serving as Deputy Mayor, I used the external deadlines imposed by the International Olympic Committee as a catalyst to expedite projects through the City’s regulatory process. These projects included Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Hudson Yards, The Highline, Barclays Center, Governors Island, and the Williamsburg and Long Island City Waterfronts. Today, Sunnyside Yard would be the best place for a future bid, as it is ripe for development, however New York is not a likely host for an upcoming Olympics.

• Moskowitz: You served as Deputy Mayor starting just months after 9/11, and then went on to help engineer the rebuilding of New York after a catastrophic hit to its economy. The city, particularly New York City real estate, is currently undergoing another transformation and has found itself in a similar situation following the slow return to office post-pandemic. What do you think is the biggest challenge that New York City is currently facing?
• Doctoroff: New York City’s population decline is the biggest threat to its progress.  Attracting more residents will spark growth in the economy and the number of jobs, and therefore will increase the quality of life of New Yorkers. The main focus of the current administration should be to increase the number of housing units by 500,000 units within the next decade. The current administration should also focus on creating housing opportunities in Sunnyside Yard, an area primed for development. I regret not facilitating more housing during my tenure, but I’m particularly excited about Mayor Adams’ City of Yes initiative, as it is rethinking the limitations on businesses, housing, and development throughout the five boroughs.

• Moskowitz: The New York housing market has gotten incredibly expensive, making it more difficult for the average New Yorker to afford to live in NYC. In addition to creating more affordable housing units, what other ways can the city address the increased living costs to keep New Yorkers here, particularly in the post-pandemic world of remote working?
• Doctoroff: Expanding mass transit accessibility will make the City more affordable to residents and will spark job growth and more opportunities for all residents. To improve the City, we need to generate more public space. This can be done by reimagining the way people move around the City to focus on mass transit rather than cars. I’m a believer in congestion pricing. With fewer cars on the street, there will be more public spaces for pedestrians, and residents to utilize in their daily lives.

• Moskowitz: In one of your past interviews, you identified the Steam Engine, Electric Grid, and Automobile as the 3 biggest technology movements for urban development. You have also said that digital technology is now the fourth. In your view – what are the most significant changes digital technologies will create moving forward?
• Doctoroff: New York has the ability to revolutionize urban technology and should harness that ability to modernize key parts of the City. In the future, digital technology is going to purvey every aspect of city living. Above all, digital technology may most significantly impact the mass transit system.

• Moskowitz: It is said that Robert Moses favored automobiles over people and his plans displaced many residents.  You’ve been compared (favorably) to Robert Moses.  How do you distinguish your approach, your values, and your impact from Moses?
• Doctoroff: The dynamics of government are now so different as compared to the dynamics at the height of Moses’s power. To get things accomplished under modern government, government officials need to work hard for public approval. In order to get that approval and get tasks accomplished, there is a four-step approach governments should follow: (1) finding a catalyst (such as 9/11 or an Olympic bid), (2) developing a philosophy (such as to prioritize growth), (3) creating a strategy for incorporating that philosophy, and (4) executing that strategy through having great people, collaboration and extensive communications.

• Moskowitz: Tell us a little about the book: The Urbanist: Dan Doctoroff and the Rise of New York. Can you discuss some of the key points since it’s on back order?
• Doctoroff: I was not involved in the book, and it was a surprise to me. The book details my government work through essays from prominent journalists and others I worked with throughout my tenure, with a particular focus on the transformation of New York City after 9/11.

• Moskowitz: Can you tell us a little more about the great work of Target ALS? Reports are that you’ve taken a revolutionary approach to fund and accelerate ground breaking research.
• Doctoroff: I founded Target ALS in 2013. Target ALS is a transformative biomedical research non-profit dedicated to accelerating discovery of effective treatments for ALS. I was diagnosed with ALS in 2021, after both my father and uncle died of the disease. Unfortunately, about one in every 400 people is diagnosed with ALS. The good news is that ALS research is on the precipice of major advances. We have already seen reversal of symptoms in rare genetic cases, several clinical trials are underway or in process, and dozens of drug discovery programs are underway at biotech and pharma companies. Target ALS is working to facilitate those advances.

To find out more information about Target ALS or to donate, please visit www.targetALS.org.