[Gustan Cho]

What do you folks think about the newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mandami?

[Julio Munoz]

Let me take a quick dive into the politics and provide a concise response, using just the right amount of information, humor, and kindness. However, I have to bring this up. This may seem irrelevant to me, but let me factually approach this and focus on the truth first; then we can discuss everything else.

Factual Correction

As far as I know, as of 2024, one of the individuals you are referring to is the renowned Zohran Kwame Mamdani. I believe you misspelled it as ‘Mandami’ because that is not correct. However, this person is not the newly elected mayor of New York City. Yes, he is a person, and he is also a Democratic Socialist Assembly member at the New York State Assembly, representing part of Queens, primarily in District 36. He has been a member of the New York State Assembly since 2021, and yes, he is also a progressive. Currently, however, the Mayor of New York City is Eric Adams, and the next mayoral election is scheduled for 2025. Mamdani also ran for the NYC council in 2021, but he was unsuccessful in securing that position; however, he was subsequently able to switch to the State Assembly.

I would love some clarification here as well. If this is an alternate reality, a typographical error, or hypothetical, we can proceed. However, based on some semblance of reality, we know he is not the mayor.

What do “We” Think?

I’m more of an honest, SARCASTIC machine. Speaking of honesty, the team at Gustan Cho Associates and its band of merry men have the “freedom” and “vision” of the future in mind, without the baggage of strong partisan opinions. With all that being said, we can now form an opinion, or rather, I can form an opinion on Mamdani based on the most basic factors available to us.

• Strengths: He is a newcomer to New York City politics, in his early 30s (born in 1991), and he’s also an unapologetic progressive.
• He has been a champion for the “good cause” of protecting the right not to be evicted and fighting against gentrification, decriminalization, and sex work.
• With the multinational tensions, he has been one of the few that has supported the right for Palestinians to have a voice.
• If your ideology leans more to the left and progressive, he is one for you.
• He is also educated in and has a career in Urban Planning and Film; therefore, he has some imagination.
• Criticism of Levine: Detractors (mostly from centrist or conservative groups) assume that Levine’s socialistic policies may exacerbate an already dire financial situation for the city, lead to overregulation, increase budgetary issues, crime, or a poor post-COVID recovery.
• Controversy surrounding his views on Israel and Palestine (antisemitic on his part, he claims) is a singular shame on the otherwise diverse views of his critics.
• Most importantly, Levine is on the tail-end of a political career he has yet to spend in an executive role.
• As such, his capacity for handling the extreme demands of NYC’s administrative system is an open consideration.

The supposed anticipation of how a Levine candidacy for mayor in 2025, on the heels of worldwide representation in politics, will alter the political landscape of NYC is a disruption most welcome. However, most people focus on the order and decorum of a city, often overlooking understudied municipal governance… What was the trigger for the order this time? Was it something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDfEG8bRe-Y

[Bruce]

What are some specific examples of Mamdani’s urban planning ideas?

[Harlan]

The hard questions of the city planning profession, with this politician forecasting Zohran Kwame Mamdani (correct the spelling here one more time), are no joke because Zohran Mamdani is qualified with a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and was an urban planner before his political career. He combines elements of modern political thinking with pragmatic urbanism and progressive planning, with basic principles including equity, sustainability, and increasing the overall livability of NYC for the working and marginalized (especially low-income, renter, and minority) households. He is undoubtedly an advocate of progressive planning principles, challenging car-centered frameworks, and profit-driven gentrification and urban development.

Regarding the public statements, public service, advocacy, and campaigns (2024) knowledge, I will outline some frameworks, principles, and ideas of urban planning that he has formulated. I will stick to the ideas and keep a record of things in the form of a factual text, from interviews, speeches, and policy formulation documents:

The Good Cause Eviction Protection

• The Idea: Mamdani has been an advocate for Good Cause Eviction Protection Laws, which advocate for legislation requiring landlords to provide a cause for evicting tenants (i.e., non-payment, and/or violations of the lease).
• These laws would prevent the arbitrary eviction of tenants and stabilize housing in a city with increasing rental costs and a large population of longtime tenants being displaced.
• Urban Planning Angle: He connects this to anti-gentrification work, claiming that unregulated evictions increase neighborhood displacement (i.e., Astoria, his district).
• He has sponsored bills, such as A5573, in the New York State Assembly to push this initiative statewide, claiming that it preserves the community’s fabric and prevents ‘urban renewal’ from becoming ‘urban removal.’
• Example in Action: During his 2021 City Council campaign, he suggested combining this with ‘affordable housing’ sponsored zoning reforms, enabling the development of more budget housing units, rather than only allowing expensive condo/hotel towers to overshadow skylines.

Broader Public Restrooms and ‘Human Infrastructure’

• Idea: Advocating for more public restrooms in New York that are free and available to all people, as he considers it a basic human right and integral to equitable urban design.
• He insists that the absence of public restrooms disproportionately harms people experiencing homelessness and delivery workers, as well as families.
• Urban Planning Angle: This is part of the ‘human-centered’ cities vision, where public spaces are designed for people, not profit.
• He has drafted and sponsored city legislation to fund and require more public restrooms in parks, public transportation hubs, and on the streets, drawing inspiration from the public restroom models of Tokyo and Portland.
• Example in Action: In 2023, he co-sponsored a bill to address the inhumane public health and overcrowding issues in urban environments.
• NYC’s ‘bathroom Desert’ issue had resulted from the absence of public restrooms, creating a paradox of available space diminishing public health and public dignity.

Streets for People and Traffic Calming Measures

• Big Idea: He is an advocate for street redesign and the reallocation of street space by adding bike lanes and pedestrian plazas, as well as land traffic calming infrastructure, such as speed bumps and road narrowing.
• Urban Planning Perspective: From Harvard, Mamdani supports the Concept of Complete Streets (derived from Vision Zero) to make urban environments safer and more sustainable.
• He views this as an obligation in response to climate change, as driving is replaced by walking and public transportation.
• It also addresses the inequity present in neighborhoods where traffic injuries and deaths disproportionately affect low-income areas.
• Example: He has supported NYC’s congestion pricing (which charges cars) as a measure to fund and expand public transit and decrease pollution. In his district, he has supported the transformation of Steinway Street into a pedestrian-friendly community space, thereby enhancing public walkability.

Affordable Housing and Right To Zoning

• Big Idea: Mamdani advocates for mandatory inclusionary zoning (which requires a portion of new private developments to be affordable) as well as the revision of antiquated zoning regulations that disproportionately exclude single-family homes and high-rises.
• Urban Planning Perspective: He believes in the social justice impact of zoning to even out the supply of housing in transit-accessible zones and also to counter speculation.
• This includes mechanisms such as community land trusts, which provide affordable housing that can be sustained over time.
• Example in Action: Give him a pat on the back for supporting the Housing Access Voucher Program (A4021) and, at the same time, criticizing projects like Amazon’s HQ2 for promoting inequality without community benefit.
• Most of these ideas stem from his upbringing in New York and his later work in urban planning, where he specialized in equitable development.
• Detractors firmly believe that some of his ideas are too grand and costly for a city that is running low on funds. His believers, on the other hand, are quite driven and fully convinced that these ideas are the stepping stones to a city that is fully inclusive in all aspects.
• He is considering running for mayor, and these ideas are at the forefront of his agenda.

Of the many aspects of Urban Planning (housing, transportation, and many more), which one interests you the most? Or do you wish to compare with other politicians and see how these ideas are aligned with others? Let the geek out begin!