Browse Special Investigations
City Topics is one of New York City's best resources for coverage of issues that define the fabric of urban affairs, which includes City Limits current stories and coverage, and archival history. Discover more about public policy issues in New York City and utilize the tools we provide to inform citizens to learn more about what's happening that affects the five boroughs.
Artificial Turf in New York
City Limits' award-winning investigation in how New York City became the world’s biggest buyer of fake grass.
Atlantic Yards
In a matter of months the Nets will be playing ball at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic, as envisioned more than eight years ago by developer Bruce Ratner. British financial firm Barclays will pay ... READ MORE»
Bail (Prisoner's Dilemma)
"Prisoner's Dilemma" looks at New York City's bail system and investigates why city jails are populated with pre-trial detainees who mostly can't afford bail.
Beyond Promises: Bloomberg and Homelessness
In 2004, Mayor Bloomberg pledged a comprehensive effort to dramatically reduce homelessness in New York. Today, more people live in shelters than ever before. Figuring out the ways in which the plan s... READ MORE»
Black Male Unemployment
The recent recession etched deep pain across New York and throughout the United States. Yet no group fared worse than black men, a fifth of whom are now unemployed--more than twice the rate for whites... READ MORE»
Broken Adoptions
Sixteen years ago the federal government put new pressure on states to facilitate adoptions. But it never bothered to track how many of those adoptions fail. Now, there's increasing concern about chil... READ MORE»
Brooklyn Borough Presidency
If independent, Brooklyn would be the fourth-largest U.S. city, with a mayor to speak for its people. Instead, its spokesperson is a borough president. What has incumbent Marty Markowitz had to say? W... READ MORE»
Buy or Bust (War on Drugs)
Sean Gardiner's 2009 in-depth investigation on the 40-Year War on Drugs in New York City.
Campaign Consultants
A handful of influential firms in New York State lobby elected officials while also serving as consultants for political campaigns, a practice that is perfectly legal but raises several ethical questi... READ MORE»
Civil Liberties
City Limits' 2008 investigation into the shift in residents' civic liberties and essential freedoms in New York City, following the 9/11 attacks.
Firefighter Fatalities
Ten years after September 11th, City Limits revisits the day's very costly lessons and what the New York City Fire Department has learned them. This investigation was supported generously by the Fund ... READ MORE»
Five-Borough Ballot
The city faces an important election in 2013. Instead of only covering the candidates, why not cover the voters? In cooperation with City & State and WNET, we'll be following groups of residents in fi... READ MORE»
Gun Politics
A special investigative look at the effect of gun politics on the gun industry and policing in New York City
Harlem Children's Zone
Founded by a committed advocate for low-income children, nurtured by the politically powerful and Wall Street titans, and lauded by media around the world, the Harlem Children's Zone has raised a nati... READ MORE»
Lunchtime Tuesday, Hunger in Brooklyn
On Tuesday, September 13, we sent reporters to a dozen food pantries or soup kitchens in Brooklyn to learn what the people who run them are seeing, and what the people who need them are going through.
NYC in Congress
Of the 13 people who represent parts of the city in Congress, 10 are seeking—and very likely to win—reelection. But what do they do in Washington, on legislation, for their party and for their distric... READ MORE»
Occupy Wall Street
When the Occupy Wall Street protest began on Sept. 17, it was a "leaderless resistance movement" of a few hundred people without clear demands. Exactly a month later, thousands had joined the movement... READ MORE»
Participatory Budgeting
Borrowing an experiment in direct democracy from Brazil, constituents in four City Council districts are getting a direct say in how $1 million of discretionary capital funding is spent.
Payday Loans
New York State has one of the nation's toughest bans on payday lending, which involves small loans that come with high interest rates. But the ban hasn't stopped online lenders from operating in the E... READ MORE»
Private Contractors
City Limits special investigation "Beyond City Time" reports that the past 10 years have seen a profound change not just in the amount New York City spends on outside contractors, but what they are b... READ MORE»
Public Housing (Last Stand)
City Limits' 2009 investigation on the complicated past, troubled present, and uncertain future of the nation's oldest and largest public housing system. This project was funded by the Independence C... READ MORE»
Searching for El Primero: Latinos & the Mayoralty
In the 43 years since the first serious mayoral candidacy by a Latino, the community's numbers in New York have only grown. But to break the ethnic barrier in 2013 or beyond, a Latino candidate must c... READ MORE»
Sexual Abuse of Female Inmates
Behind Bars: Female Inmates, Male Guards, and Sex Crimes in New York's Prisons is a special investigation funded by the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Stop and Frisk Policy
No precinct saw more police stops in 2011 than the 75th Precinct in East New York, Brooklyn. Within that sprawling district, one seven-by-nine block area was the site of more police encounters than an... READ MORE»
Straphangers Speak
Providing 5.3 million rides a day, the New York City subway system is a city underground. We sent a team of student reporters to ask commuters how they felt about schedules, crowds, crime and their fe... READ MORE»
The Bronx Votes
No county in true-blue New York state boasts a higher proportion of Democratic voters than the Bronx. But even though the 2012 vote in the Bronx will largely be taken for granted, hundreds of thousand... READ MORE»
The Class of 2013
Over the current academic year, City Limits will follow a few members of the class of 2013 to see how this group of young people navigates the final hurdles of their public school careers, and to look... READ MORE»
The Federal Poverty Line
The United States defines the poverty line as $18,000 per year for a family of three. By this measure, over 1.5 million New Yorkers, approximately 18 percent, live in poverty. City Limits provides on-... READ MORE»
Three-Quarter Homes
Three-quarters houses give people who are homeless, leaving prison or seeking substance-abuse treatment a place to stay, and government agencies indirectly fund them. But critics say the houses are un... READ MORE»
Trucks
Whether we're breathing their exhaust or stuck behind one on an exit ramp, most New Yorkers hate trucks. But trucks' imprint on the city is complex: They don't cause most traffic, but they have a bigg... READ MORE»
Waste to Energy
New York is thinking about diverting garbage from out-of-state landfills and using it to generate electricity locally. The plan pits concerns about city spending and carbon emissions against fears of ... READ MORE»
PEOPLE
Raymond W. Kelly
Raymond W. Kelly is the current police commissioner for the New York Police Department. Kelly was appointed in 2002 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve once again after representing the organization u... READ MORE
Veterans
New York City is home to a number of veterans who served in several wars throughout history. The New York Mayor's Office of Veteran Affairs strives to find housing and jobs for veterans once they retu... READ MORE
- Campaign Consultants
- Brooklyn Borough Presidency
- How To NYC
- Beyond Promises: Bloomberg and Homelessness
- Straphangers Speak
- hate crimes
- Broken Adoptions
- income inequality
- Latino
- Searching for El Primero: Latinos & the Mayoralty
- Campaign 2013
- The Class of 2013
- NYC in Congress
- Hurricane Sandy
- The Bronx Votes
Partners
CITY LIMITS EVENTS
Defining Brooklyn Launch
City Limits celebrates the launch of its March 2011 issue: Defining Brooklyn.The 35th Anniversary Celebration
City Limits celebrates its 35th Anniversary at BMCC in Tribeca.Brooklyn Bureau Launch
The Brooklyn Bureau launch as part of Social Media Week 2012.Tackling Poverty
The Tackling Poverty Series at Galapagos Art Space in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn.Tackling Poverty (Manhattan)
City Limits & the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness
