❄️Snowstorms❄️: the only time every New Yorker becomes a municipal management expert. Some thoughts on what this one revealed about how the city governs 👇

ICYMI: Abundance NY 2025 Wrapped: Members: 1,400 → 4,300 Endorsed wins: 13/18 Community Board members: 100+ (and growing) And countless other wins across the city. Check out our full breakdown in our Substack!

I honestly think the fact that most prominent NYC YIMBY groups ( @opennewyork.org, @abundanceny.bsky.social) took a constructive “yes and” approach to engaging with Zohran is a large part of the reason he has embraced our policies. we genuinely want him to succeed, and he can tell!

The year is winding down but next year’s elections are heating up! With seats opening up across the city, Abundance-minded candidates are stepping up. Check out our latest Substack for s breakdown of who’s retiring, who’s running, and what it could mean for NYC

Gridlock Sam's 100-day roadmap is abundance in action: more space for people, faster buses, safer streets, and return traffic enforcement to the DOT.  If we can deliver even half of this, NYC will move like a real 21st-century city.

One of the biggest drivers of high housing costs is that a small, highly motivated group of incumbent homeowners block new housing in their neighborhoods and almost no one is organized to push back. Young people bear the brunt of that imbalance. Be a housing fan.

That's the tea. Want to show up? We'll help: www.abundanceny.org/join-us

This is 100% true. If you live in NYC, you should join your local community board — right now they’re much richer, older, whiter, more conservative, and more likely to be drivers+homeowners than the communities they represent. That distorts our politics on every issue, especially housing.

It’s expected to be a wet winter in NYC this year and we need investment in real infrastructure: better drainage, upgraded subways, flood-proof housing, & strong community safety nets.

The trash revolution is underway, but the city’s plan still lets recycling pile up on sidewalks. If we want cleaner streets and fewer rats, bins must include recyclables (and, while we’re at it, compost too!).

Green energy has more benefits than just reducing emissions: it lowers cost and increases innovation. The possibilities for improvement in quality of life are endless, and the time to invest is now!

In a housing crisis, flexibility is a plus—SROs provide just that. @ebottcher.bsky.social proposal to allow their construction would create small, safe, modern rooms. That means more options for singles, newcomers, and anyone priced out of $3K studios!

We’re heading toward the end of the year, & the end of an era The Adams/Adams chapter is closing & the Mamdani/Menin era will soon begin As we look ahead, we’re gearing up for community board applications & we’re ready to help you apply! Learn more now in our latest Substack!

Outdoor dining made New York City streets more vibrant—so why do we have less of it now? It’s not a lack of desire: it’s the rules that make it unfeasible to operate. We need a streamlined system that helps businesses flourish and makes our streets more vibrant.

For decades, NYC capped vending licenses so tightly that people were forced into an underground market. The new bill is simple: legalize what already exists, regulate it well, and stop punishing largely immigrant vendors—already under attack—just trying to make a living.

Footnote: this superfluous federal parking garage should have been an affordable housing development site years ago

5th Avenue should connect—not clog! The 2021 DOT plan for Fifth Avenue had broad community support: 13,000+ signatures, local boards, and elected officials. Let’s make it happen @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social

Running red lights isn’t “just how NYC works.” It’s deadly. 101 New Yorkers were killed by red-light runners in just three years. Speed limiters, red-light cameras, and fair enforcement are common sense and will make our streets safe for everyone.

👏👏👏 A round of applause for public e-bike battery swapping stations! This kind of infrastructure investment will make our city safer, support delivery workers, and modernize our streets.

Long lines, endless forms, bureaucratic hoops—if Thanksgiving worked like NYC’s service systems, hardly anyone would get fed. In today’s Substack, we dig into why basic supports are so hard to access and how prioritizing efficiency (rather than risk-aversion) can change that!

NYC’s subways are decades behind the rest of the world. Legally requiring two-person crews is needlessly costly in a moment when we need to invest in expanded and improved service. @governor.ny.gov veto this misguided bill. Let’s move NYC’s subways forward—not back in time.

Housing affordability will be the key to electing the next president, and housing abundance is how they can deliver. CAP’s new plan is clear: more homes, fewer barriers, and real accountability for places that block growth.

This alliance is no surprise to us—it’s the abundance coalition. We know abundance isn’t a point on the left-right spectrum: it’s a different axis. New Yorkers who believe in growth and change won congestion pricing, and we’ll keep winning on housing, transit, energy, and more.

The success of the affordable housing amendment campaign is proof positive that the tide is turning in favor of abundance. These gains aren’t just benefiting NYC—they’re serving as an example for cities around the country. Change is possible. Let’s keep it up.

Penn Station’s eternal stagnation is a case study in bureaucratic gridlock. A new vision for the beating heart of our regional transit is critical—but we must also address the underlying structural issues that have got us here, or riders will continue to suffer.

There’s no good reason to require two-person train crews forever, while other cities move to single-conductor or fully automated running. The MTA has already invested in communications-based train control—let’s not waste that money just to stay stuck in the past.

Very encouraging that @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social's first deputy mayor appointee Dean Fuleihan is identifying the snail's pace of municipal hiring as a challenge the next admiration will tackle! Government can't deliver if we can't get passionate, talented New Yorkers into the right roles.

Addressing the housing crisis includes making the current affordable housing stock safe and liveable. We can’t lose these units to disrepair—but we will if these financial realities aren’t addressed.

@zohrankmamdani.bsky.social didn’t just win City Hall—he won the power to actually build housing. Voters approved huge reforms to speed up approvals, address member deference, and open new neighborhoods to homes. We’re ready to build more, build faster, and build everywhere.

Preserving every single free parking spot, or enjoying a city not overwhelmed by trash? The Council chose correctly—containerization is here to stay. Next, @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social says he’ll take it even further. That’s how we create a modern city built for the people (not the rats!).

The bulky, green sidewalk scaffolding that wraps around many buildings in New York City is as familiar a sight as rush-hour traffic — and just as reviled. But on Tuesday, city officials unveiled six designs that reimagine the structures. nyti.ms/3XxvNLU

Broken websites, tedious paperwork, endless delays… As we said in today’s Substack: Mamdani’s real test is fixing the unsexy systems. Let’s start by un-graying the box.

Mamdani has the mandate—but fixing the unsexy stuff like civil service chaos, broken property taxes, and sky-high insurance will require a real transformation. His win broke the mold. Now it’s time to do it again. Read more about how he can in our Substack.

Free parking spots aren’t worth the lives of 50 children. Daylighting works: Hoboken hasn’t had a traffic death in 8 years. New York deserves the same.

“New York just reminded the country that the fight for democracy doesn’t only happen at the ballot box. Sometimes, it happens in the zoning code.”

Long Island City just won big. OneLIC is bringing 14,700 homes, deep affordability, Queensbridge upgrades, new schools, parks, and $2B in investment, creating the infrastructure and housing LIC has been denied for years. Let’s keep this pro-housing momentum going!

The FiDi-Seaport plan is generational infrastructure: protecting the city from floods *and* creating a waterfront for all New Yorkers. We understand the stakes & the opportunities, now we need leaders at every level who will fund the climate future NYC deserves.

Transportation costs are the second largest burden on American family budgets (17%), after housing (33%)! To address the affordability crisis, we must create cities with abundant housing of all types (subsidized, social, coop, market rate) and make walking, biking, and taking transit convenient.

Utilizing technology like this is the way to make our city work better. Anything that gets NYC buses moving faster is a win 🏆

NYC’s new e-bike speed limit does nothing to fix what actually makes streets unsafe. If we want safer streets, we need fewer car crashes—not more tickets for cyclists.

There were 78 fire fatalities in 2024, and 253 traffic deaths. Former Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh is right when she says interagency accountability is the way to achieve Vision Zero. We all have a responsibility when it comes to street safety.

Dense housing 🤝 public transit🤝 lower emissions @pewilliams.bsky.social is right: one of the most impactful climate actions @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social can take is building lots more homes in NYC.

ICYMI: Our post-election Substack covers what we’re loving, lamenting, and learning from Tuesday's election results. @catherine-vaughan.bsky.social takes us through how the ballot questions demonstrate how popular building more housing is across the city—new council members take note!

There’s only a few more hours left to vote in this year’s election! Voting YES on the charter amendments will better our city. Here’s how 👇

New Yorkers—don’t forget to flip your ballot today! Voting YES on the charter amendments will help create more affordable housing, modernize our city, and increase voter turnout.

Happy Election Day! Want a more affordable NYC? Here’s what to vote for 👇

New Yorkers, @jesskcoleman said it best - if you’re sick of a rigged housing market, flip you ballot and vote YES on props 2-6.

NYC will add benches to all bus stops by 2035. That’s something, but does the implementation have to be slower than our buses are? Let’s try to get the benches and the buses here faster.

🕸️Happy Halloween, NYC! 👻 With only four days left till Election Day, we wanted to share the tale of “A City Without Charter Reform.” Let this serve as a spooky reminder of what NYC could be if New Yorkers don’t vote YES on Questions 2-6!

The Interborough Express could be NYC’s biggest transit expansion in a century. What’s more, over 70K new homes could be built less than a half mile from the IBX—a chance to build the connected, affordable city we deserve.