In his State of the City address on Tuesday New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced plans to create 1,500 affordable living spaces and 500 affordable workspaces for artists across the city, according to the New York Times. “These folks bring joy to everyday New Yorkers; and inspire young people to pursue their natural talents in professions that often don’t promise a big paycheck,” said de Blasio. “We know that New York is the city it is today in part because of the contributions from generations of artistic visionaries who at one point struggled to make ends meet.”

The housing will be rolled out over several years, through partnership of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and a number of private foundations, according to WNYC. On the role of artists in New York City’s economy de Blasio explained, “They also help make our city a mecca for tourists, and are one of the reasons why a record number of people-56.4 million- visited New York last year.” The speech was de Blasio’s second State of the City address since taking office in January 2014.