How Zohran Mamdani’s Big Goals Could Transform Life In New York City

Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman representing a district in Queens, just won the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. 

He has vowed to implement groundbreaking measures that could transform urban life — many of which Reasons to be Cheerful has reported on.

Fare-Free Buses

As mayor, Mamdani has said he’ll make every bus free to ride. Alexandria, Virginia did something similar, but New York would become the biggest city in the U.S. — and perhaps the world — to eliminate bus fares entirely.

A New York City fare-free bus at a bus stop in East Harlem. Credit: Here Now / Shutterstock

From our archives:

The City Where All the Buses Are Free

When Covid hit, Alexandria, Virginia saw an opportunity to make its residents fall in love with the least-loved transit option of all.

A Free-Transit Prescription for Healthier Communities

From physical activity to access to medical care, how people get around is interconnected with their physical and mental health.

Nonprofit Supermarkets

To lower grocery costs, Mamdani wants to create a network of city-owned supermarkets that are “focused on keeping prices low, not making a profit.” Waco, Texas was home to a nonprofit grocery store that operated successfully from 2017 until earlier this year.

Credit: Mission Waco

From our archives:

The Supermarket That Seeks No Profits

Jubilee Market in Waco, Texas exists for one reason only: to provide quality food in a neighborhood that lacks it.

At This Grocery Store, Shoppers Pay What They Wish

In St. Louis, a pay-what-you-can grocery store stays in business thanks to some customers voluntarily paying more than the price on the sticker.

No-Cost Child Care

Mamdani has promised free child care to all New Yorkers aged six weeks to five years, citing the exodus of young families from the city. For inspiration, he can look to New Mexico, which has come closer than any other U.S. state to offering free child care for all.

From our archives:

How New Mexico Made Child Care Free for Most Families

The state, long known for its challenges with child wellbeing, is now a leader in early childhood education.

City-Built Affordable Housing

Though New York incentivizes private developers to create affordable housing, housing costs just keep rising. Mamdani wants to triple the city’s production of “permanently affordable” housing, creating 200,000 new units in 10 years. Cities like Singapore and Vienna provide affordable housing for many residents — even those in the middle class.

The Reumann-Hof, built in 1923 and named for Vienna’s first Social Democratic mayor Jakob Reumann, was one of the city’s early social housing endeavors. To this day, it’s a sought-after place to live. Credit: Payton Chung/Flickr

From our archives:

100 Years of Urban Housing Success

As cities around the world confront an affordability crisis, a few have spent a century perfecting the art of subsidized housing for the masses.

But Would You Live There?

In Singapore, housing is affordable, diverse and impeccably maintained.

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