Student Spotlight: Finlay Scanlon (MPA-PNP 2026)

Finlay Scanlon (MPA-PNP 2026), Chair of the Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN) at NYU Wagner

Finlay Scanlon is a second-year MPA-PNP student and Bloomberg Fellow, specializing in Public Policy Analysis. With a background in urban infrastructure and climate policy, Finlay’s work sits at the intersection of housing, transportation, and environmental justice. Before arriving at Wagner, she spent three years serving the City of New York in various capacities, including roles within the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice and the Department of Transportation.

At Wagner, Finlay serves as the Chair of the Women’s Affordable Housing Network (WAHN), a group dedicated to fostering professional development and workplace equity for students entering the housing sector. She is also a Policy and Communications Research Assistant at the NYU Furman Center, contributing to research on development fees, property taxes, and cash transfer studies. From her early service as a Community Engagement Intern for Refugee Services of Texas to her time as an AmeriCorps Fellow at NYC Parks, Finlay is passionate about building the technical skills and networks that help to move the needle. 

You’ve worked at the intersection of housing, transportation, land use, and climate justice. How has moving between these spaces shaped your perspective on what makes public policy effective?

Moving between these spaces has made it clear that effective policy depends on how these systems connect and the details of implementation. From the Department of Transportation (DOT) to City Hall to the Furman Center, the throughline is that policy is only as effective as its delivery, and how well it aligns institutions, funding, and real-world behavior.

Inspired by your research at the Furman Center, what is one surprising insight about housing and land use that most of us might not know?

One surprising insight is how much local funding tools, like development fees or property tax structures, quietly shape what gets built and who it serves. These mechanisms often play a role in determining feasibility alongside zoning, yet are far less visible in public debates. My research has shown that small changes in these systems can impact affordability, especially as federal support becomes less reliable.

What motivated you to lead the NYU Wagner chapter of WAHN this year, and what are you most proud of accomplishing with your fellow board members?

I was the first-year representative for WAHN last year, during its inaugural year, and wanted to help provide continuity between the founding board and the next phase of the organization. I’m most proud of my fellow board members, who have put so much care and effort into our events this year. Shoutout to Sophia, Gisselle, and Sharon for organizing and conducting outreach for an incredible site visit with the Bowery Residents Committee this past week!

As a Bloomberg Fellow, you’re committed to the future of New York City. In light of Fair Housing Month, what do you see as the most critical challenge—or the most exciting opportunity—for housing policy in NYC over the next decade?

Alongside the never-ending debate over how and what types of new housing we build, I think the preservation of stabilized units is the biggest challenge facing NYC. These units represent our largest pool of affordable housing, yet many owners are struggling to fund necessary upkeep. A lack of transparency around the causes of this financial distress—combined with the speculative investments some owners made in stabilized properties prior to the 2019 Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act (HSTPA)—makes it even harder for policymakers to support maintenance while preserving affordability.

You participated in the NYU Startup Accelerator Bootcamp to build an app designed to make shared living easier between roommates. What are you taking away from this experience, and what advice do you have for students who may consider participating in a bootcamp?

I’d recommend trying something new during grad school—it’s a rare opportunity to have the resources of NYU and a flexible schedule to invest in something not perfectly aligned with your career. My main takeaway from building our app was that there were people who really wanted it, but reaching them was challenging. It depended on finding users in a very specific moment of need, which made user acquisition much harder than expected.