Citizens Budget Commission conducted an analysis on behalf of the Center for an Urban Future to assess timelines and costs for capital projects undertaken by the New York City Department of Design and Construction for cultural institutions and libraries during fiscal years 2002 to 2012. The analysis reveals the median project took over 3 years to complete, and once funded, most projects took longer to begin construction (thanks to lengthy design and bidding processes) than to build.

The findings of CBC's analysis are published in CUF's report, Slow Build.