# Vital City
> New York City News, Policy Analysis, Data & Urban Affairs
Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. Use `/llms-full.txt` for consolidated page and post context.
Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`).

## Pages
- [About Us](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/about-old.md) - Vital City seeks to improve civic life by finding great ideas and innovative research and making them available — and understandable — to those who shape urban policy. We also make relevant data accessible to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of how cities work, because we believe an i…
- [Congestion Pricing](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/congestion-pricing.md) - The long-anticipated change to Manhattan's streets now at the mercy of politics
- [Contributors Old](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/contributors-old.md) - Vital City represents the collective expertise of more than 300 contributors. Use the buttons below to filter by last name and discover the diverse voices shaping our work.
- [Crime: What Happened in 2023, and What 2024 May Bring](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-in-2023-and-2024.md) - Breaking down New York City's — and America's — trends in violence and victimization
- [Crime: Looking Back at 2024, and Ahead to 2025](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-looking-back-at-2024-and-ahead-to-2025.md) - Breaking down New York City's, and the nation's, trends in violence and disorder
- [Culture](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/culture.md)
- [Charts & Data Stories](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/data.md)
- [Historical Crime Explorer](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/explorer.md) - Drawing on more than 30 years of New York City crime data that’s available to the public nowhere else, the Vital City Data Explorer lets researchers and the general public dissect crime trends in New York City. Our thanks to Arnold Ventures for their generous support.
- [How Many People Should New York City's Jails Hold?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-many-people-should-new-york-citys-jails-hold.md) - Everything about Rikers Island and what replaces it depends on the answer
- [Inside Rikers](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/inside-rikers-jails-can-be-safer-and-more-humane.md) - Jails can be safer and more humane
- [Big-City Corruption](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-10.md) - Why does it persist? And does anyone know how to solve it?
- [Nonprofits and the City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-11.md) - Do nonprofits have too much power — or not enough?
- [Nuts and Bolts: Solving Gun Cases](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-5.md) - What it takes to reduce firearm violence
- [On Drugs](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-6.md) - How substance use shapes the city
- [Does Evidence Matter?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-7.md) - Research meets the real world
- [Is the Urban Doom Loop for Real?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-8.md) - The death and life of great American cities (again)
- [The Subway](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issue-9.md) - Building better transit
- [The Journal](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/issues.md) - Featuring original commentary, new research and data analysis from leading thinkers, practitioners and neighborhood voices.
- [The Case Against Eric Adams & Co.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-case-against-eric-adams-corruption-issue.md) - Considering the fix the mayor (and the city) are in, from many angles
- [What Makes Cities Tick](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/what-makes-cities-tick.md) - Vital City at Three

## Posts
- [6 Policy Reforms to Make Childcare Dollars Go Further for Families](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/cost-effective-childcare-policy-reforms-nyc.md) - How to cost-effectively reach more children with high-quality care
- [The City Needs 700,000 New Homes — Here’s 57,000](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/unlocking-vacant-rent-stabilized-housing-units-nyc.md) - A city in desperate need of housing must unlock its unoccupied, uneconomic rent-stabilized apartments.
- [The Real Path to Better Government Technology](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/better-government-technologies-strategies-nyc.md) - We need to change the way the City buys software.
- [What a Better Public School AI Policy Would Look Like](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-public-school-classroom-ai-policy.md) - New York City’s new rules provide too little room for rigorous experimentation by teachers and students.
- [A Simple Change That Could Improve the Lives of Millions of New Yorkers](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/early-school-start-times-harm-nyc.md) - By starting school too early, New York City is depriving students of desperately needed sleep. The ripple effects are enormous.
- [She Buys It, He Fires It](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/women-and-illegal-firearm-diversion.md) - Women, straw purchasing and the illegal diversion of guns to criminals
- [Unpacking the Triggers](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/urban-gun-violence-black-women.md) - Arriving at a better understanding of women and girls’ involvement in urban gun violence
- [Stand Your Ground Laws and Women’s Safety](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/stand-your-ground-laws-womens-safety.md) - When statutes theoretically designed to protect do anything but
- [Carrying Care](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-women-think-about-guns-lethal-force.md) - How women think differently about guns, responsibility and lethal force
- [The Recent Rise of Women Gun Owners](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/women-gun-owners-recent-rise.md) - For generations, gun ownership in America has been a man’s world. But that’s changing, and fast. Between 2020 and 2022, more than 7.5 million people bought their first gun, and an estimated 60 million new firearms entered the U.S. civilian market. An unprecedented number of these purchasers were wo…
- [What Data Can’t Tell Us](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-data-gaps-women-firearms.md) - Gaps in the knowledge base on women and firearms
- [That Very Blue Day](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/colum-mccann-9-11-25-years-later.md) - What it meant to me, and to the broader ‘us’
- [How It Felt As It Happened](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-it-felt-as-it-happened-september-11.md) - What we experienced that day and how the media processed it
- [Downtown Manhattan, Split in Two](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/downtown-manhattan-after-september-11.md) - After the attacks, the unthinkable quickly became normal.
- [A City Forgets. Maybe It’s Supposed To.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-nyc-changed-since-9-11.md) - The New York of today is a different city than the New York of 9/11.
- [The City We Remember, the City We Become](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/9-11-a-muslim-american-reflection.md) - A Muslim American reflection on 9/11 and its aftermath
- [The Terrorist Threat, Then and Now](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-terrorist-threat-before-and-after-9-11.md) - New York City is under a different type of risk, but danger still looms large.
- [Much More Than Two Towers](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/evolution-nyc-architecture-world-trade-center.md) - How the feel of New York has changed
- [Why the City Council Must Confirm John Mangin](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/john-mangin-bsa-chair-nyc-city-council.md) - The nominee to lead the Board of Standards and Appeals is the right fit for the challenge ahead.
- [Mamdani’s Childcare Strategy Should Focus on Equity](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-universal-childcare-equity.md) - Quality and access matter especially for the lower-income families whose kids benefit most.
- [Pragmatic Philanthropy: Appreciating Nathan Straus](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nathan-straus-philanthropy-andrew-fisher-book-review.md) - What can today’s do-gooders learn from a department store magnate from the Gilded Age? A recent biography suggests quite a lot.
- [Time to Take on Small Business Insurance Premiums](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/small-business-insurance-reform-nyc.md) - How New York City can drive down rising costs
- [Will New York City Ever Get Open Primaries?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/why-nyc-needs-open-primaries-elections.md) - A diagnosis of why a democratic reform that has succeeded in so many other places has failed to gain traction in New York
- [The State of Crime in New York City, Midyear 2026: The Detailed Picture](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-crime-midyear-2026-felony-assaults-rape-murder.md) - What to know about trends in murder, assault, rape and more
- [13 Fixes for New York City Government That Go Beyond the Charter](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-coge-charter-reform-government-operations-fixes.md) - Where the City of New York can — and should — do more, regardless of what happens in November
- [Mamdani’s PIT Crews: Government Innovation, or Innovation Theater?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-pit-crews-government-tech-problems.md) - New York City needs durable solutions to the tech problems that plague government.
- [Zohran Mamdani's Promise and the Reality of Supermarket Prices](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-city-run-grocery-stores-economic-challenges.md) - An economist explains what food really costs and why.
- [Appreciate Mamdani’s Housing Achievement](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-housing-production-plan-achievements.md) - The mayor has reframed the debate about apartment production in New York.
- [New York Needs New Ornamental Architecture](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-needs-new-ornamental-architecture.md) - Detail and craft make cities better.
- [How To Make Driverless Ride-Hail Work in New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/waymo-driverless-ridehail-strategy-nyc.md) - Waymo passed the road test but failed the politics. Here are the three moves that would let driverless service in on New Yorkers’ terms.
- [Come Again Another Day?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-rainy-day-fund-improvements-mamdani.md) - Mamdani’s proposed improvements to the City’s rainy day fund won’t change much.
- [Complexity on the Menu: The State of New York City's Restaurant Industry](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/state-of-nyc-restaurant-industry-andrew-rigie.md) - Jamie talks to Andrew Rigie about how New York's restaurants, which employ nearly 280,000 people, still face high bureaucratic hurdles.
- [Mamdani Is Hitting Many Milestones on Childcare. Except One.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/childcare-needs-funding-stream-mamdani-nyc.md) - The City needs a sustainable funding stream. Here’s how other cities and states have done it.
- [Bureaucracy Is Just People](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-nonprofit-contracting-reform.md) - Reflections from 17 months spent working to get New York City to pay its nonprofit partners on time
- [How to Survive in New York City, According to Spider-Man](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/spiderman-brand-new-day-nyc-lessons-culture.md) - Life lessons from the latest superhero film
- [A Smarter Way To Roll Out the Pied-à-Terre Surcharge](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-pied-a-terre-surcharge-tax-rollout-mistake-nyc.md) - The City already knows who doesn’t owe. So why cause fear?
- [The Big Hole in Mamdani’s Housing Plan](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-housing-production-plan-financing-challenges.md) - How will 200,000 units of affordable housing be financed?
- [The Road to Producing More Housing Passes Through Meaningful Local Zoning Reforms](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/increasing-housing-production-zoning-reform-nyc.md) - America needs more homes in the right places. That means fixing zoning.
- [When Rent Regulation Makes Sense](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rent-regulation-upsides-nyc-mamdani.md) - An economist explains how restrictions can be warranted in a city like New York.
- [For Inspiration on Mayor Mamdani’s Vision for Community Safety, Look to Newark](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/newark-community-safety-lessons-for-nyc-mamdani.md) - New York’s smaller neighbor has made great strides in broadening responsibility for public safety beyond police.
- [Modern Community Safety Includes More than Police](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/community-safety-police-reform-nyc-mamdani.md) - Mamdani’s new department can work if done right.
- [Mayor Mamdani's First 200 Days and What Comes Next](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mayor-mamdanis-first-200-days-and.md) - The New York Editorial Board's conversation at a live-audience ABNY event.
- [What Mamdani's Efficiency Commission Got Right — and Where it Fell Short](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-mamdani-coge-government-efficiency-ballot-reform-recommendations.md) - Assessing the proposed City Charter revision ballot measures
- [How New Jersey Got a Head Start on AI](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nj-government-ai-innovation-authority.md) - An interview with Dave Cole, chief innovation officer for the State of New Jersey
- [Flooding in New York is a Policy Choice. Mayor Mamdani Should Reject It.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-floodproofing-cloudburst-rain-policy.md) - The City can and must guard against the consequences of extreme rainfall.
- [Government Efficiency Through Stronger Ethics](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/coge-mamdani-department-of-investigations.md) - Advice to Mamdani’s committee from the last Department of Investigation's commissioner
- [A Sweeping Critique of America's Justice System](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/david-garland-law-and-order-leviathan-review-criminal-justice-critique.md) - David Garland’s “Law and Order Leviathan” is a powerful work about how the United States got here and what should happen next.
- [New York Needs a Better Noise Strategy](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-noise-regulation-history.md) - The City needs a smarter approach to its sometimes punishing soundscape.
- [The Lifeguard Fiefdom](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/lifeguard-hiring-problem-nyc.md) - A conversation with Julie Sandorf of the Revson Foundation about two summer necessities: pools and lifeguards who staff them
- [An Agenda for New York City’s Sidewalks](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-department-of-sidewalks-agenda.md) - The city’s most important shared spaces need a new strategy.
- [The Origins of ‘Lived Experience’](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-origins-of-lived-eexperience.md) - Tracing the roots of an increasingly common term
- [Cities Aren’t Putting Police Officers Where They’re Needed Most](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/cities-arent-putting-police-officers-where-theyre-needed-most.md) - On a troubling trend from New York to Chicago and beyond
- [Expert Advice for Mamdani’s Commission on Government Efficiency](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/expert-advice-for-mamdanis-commission-on-government-efficiency.md) - How should COGE change the City Charter? Eight people who’ve seen it all weigh in.
- [The Right Path to a More Efficient New York City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-right-path-to-better-government-coge-mamdani.md) - Some guidance for Mayor Mamdani’s Committee on Government Efficiency
- [A Striving Government for a Thriving City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/a-striving-government-for-a-thriving-city-coge-mamdani.md) - What can Mamdani’s Charter Revision Commission really accomplish?
- [What Has Mamdani Done So Far?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/what-has-mamdani-done-so-far.md) - A concise catalog of his achievements and stumbles six months in
- [Crime in New York City Midyear: The Big Picture](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-in-new-york-city-midyear-the-big-picture.md) - Trends are positive so far this year — but assaults are an exception, and crime remains higher than prepandemic.
- [Assessing Mamdani Six Months In](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/assessing-mamdani-six-months-in.md) - One former city official's view of where he’s excelled and where he’s come up short
- [The History That Was Made at Bowling Green](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-history-that-was-made-at-bowling-green.md) - On this 250th birthday of America, appreciate New York’s part in the Revolution
- [New York: The Revolutionary City We Forgot](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/new-york-the-revolutionary-city-we-forgot.md) - As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, New York should center its story as much as Philadelphia and Boston do.
- [After the Rent Freeze: What Happens to New York City’s Regulated Housing Stock Now and in the Future](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-rent-freeze-conversation.md) - Video and transcript of our conversation with Errol Louis, Michelle de la Uz, Arpit Gupta and Howard Slatkin
- [After the Mamdani Rent Freeze](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-rent-freeze-agenda-nyc.md) - An agenda to fix New York City’s stabilized housing
- [Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani and New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/darializa-avila-chevalier-claire-valdez-brad-lander-mamdani.md) - What to make of this week’s Congressional primaries
- [The Myth of Millionaire Flight](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-myth-of-millionaire-flight.md) - What a leading researcher has learned about what motivates the wealthiest residents to leave cities
- [What AI Can Do for Cities](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/josh-tyrangiel-interview-ai-city-government.md) - A conversation with Josh Tyrangiel, the author of “AI for Good,” on the right uses of the transformative technology
- [Taxing Land: An Old Idea is New Again](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/value-capture-land-tax-transit-funding-nyc.md) - Value capture to fund transit is a solution hiding in plain sight.
- [Put a Price on Street Parking, Generate Billions](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/street-parking-charge-transit-funding-nyc.md) - Why does New York charge more to ride the subway than to store a car?
- [New York is the Town and the Team is the Knicks](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/knicks-champions-new-york-why-it-matters.md) - A tribute to basketball, this squad and the spirit of the city
- [Darializa Avila Chevalier on Housing, Immigration, & Her Run for Congress in New York's 13th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/darializa-avila-chevalier-on-housing.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Darializa Avila Chevalier, a Manhattan Democrat running for Congress in New York's 13th District.
- [Why This Knicks Championship Means So Much](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/new-york-knicks-nba-championship.md) - No city is more closely identified with basketball than New York.
- [Sustaining the Joyful City: A New York City Social Infrastructure Agenda](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/social-infrastructure-nyc-mamdani.md) - Mamdani needs a comprehensive strategy to connect New Yorkers in the physical spaces where we interact.
- [Use AI to Analyze Bodyworn Camera Footage](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/use-ai-to-analyze-bodyworn-camera-footage.md) - Police departments should harness the tech to improve accountability and training.
- [Pelé and New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/pele-nyc-cosmos-soccer.md) - The brief, tumultuous marriage that seeded a love of soccer in New York City
- [The Knicks, the Hooligans and the Cops](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/knicks-hooligans-nypd.md) - How should the NYPD handle celebrations turning into chaos?
- [Borrow and Steal: The Art of Reinvention in Nantes](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nantes-tourism-culture-sophie-levy-interview.md) - An interview with Sophie Lévy, Executive Director of Le Voyage à Nantes
- [Making the Shade](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/adam-lubinsky-interview.md) - New York recently released its first-ever Urban Forest Plan. Now comes the hard part.
- [Economic Growth vs. Economic Justice: A False Choice](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-economic-development-mamdani-administration.md) - Recommendations for the Mamdani administration from former top city economic development officials
- [Before You Surcharge the Penthouse, Fix the Foundation](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-pied-a-terre-surchage-property-tax.md) - The pied-à-terre surcharge is coming. It is being built on a property tax system we have known for decades is broken — and that will shape where it actually lands.
- [How New York City Can Come Out a Winner in the AI Age](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/ai-economic-opportunities-nyc.md) - Bet on the last mile of new technologies.
- [The Prosperity Equation](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-housing-affordability-economic-mobility.md) - Producing housing is only half the challenge. Government must help people climb the economic ladder.
- [Economic Justice Starts With Young People](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/economic-justice-youth-workforce-development-nyc.md) - To make the city affordable, New York must align its education, workforce and economic development strategies.
- [The Affordability Conundrum](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-affordability-conundrum-nyc.md) - Mamdani wants a growing, more livable city — but that goal is in tension with his core affordability promise.
- [Build Wealth, Not Just Wages](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-workforce-development-wealth-gap.md) - The City needs to focus on building its own ownership society, not just boosting incomes.
- [The Job That's Taking Over New York City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/home-care-job-growth-problems-nyc.md) - The ranks of home health care workers are exploding, and that’s a problem.
- [Whither Wall Street?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/wall-street-future-nyc.md) - New York can’t predict the future of its most lucrative industry, but it should pay more attention to the past.
- [New York City’s Job Growth Has a Quality Problem](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-job-quality-problem.md) - Only one-third of residents work in what the City’s Office of the Comptroller has called a “good job.” Here’s why that matters.
- [A Bolder Development Strategy for a Crowded New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-joint-developments-public-land-housing.md) - Build on, and build up, public facilities.
- [Public Sector Unions vs. Mamdani’s Ambitions](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-nyc-unions-efficiency-reform.md) - He won with labor support, but something’s going to have to give.
- [New York Families Are Doing Better Than You’ve Heard](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-families-positive-income-trends.md) - A deeper look at income trends reveals some positive findings.
- [Anchors of Opportunity?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-public-housing-economics.md) - The economics of public housing
- [The Millionaire Exodus That Never Came](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-tax-increase-millionaire-exodus-fears.md) - What really happens to the ultra-rich when states and localities increase taxes?
- [Time to Build Big Again](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-large-scale-housing-development.md) - Major development projects can employ and house people at scale.
- [The Real Cost of a $30 Wage: The View From the Restaurant Industry](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-minimum-wage-increase-restaurant-industry.md) - How rising labor costs would affect businesses
- [How Immigrants Make New York City Go](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-immigrants-economic-vitality.md) - To understand the threat of current enforcement efforts, appreciate what newcomers, documented and undocumented, contribute to the city.
- [Editor's Note](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/editors-note-issue-16.md) - How will Zohran Mamdani’s agenda interact with New York’s economy?
- [The New York City Economy: A Data Story](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-economy-data-story.md) - A data story
- [New York Under Mamdani: At the Crossroads, Again](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-economy-zohran-mamdani-efficiency.md) - Rather than a tax and spending binge, how about a campaign for competence?
- [Twilight of the Union City?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-labor-unions-history-future.md) - Organized labor, though far less powerful than it used to be, still helps thousands of New Yorkers.
- [Voices of the City: The Economy](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/economy-opinion-survey-nyc.md) - What are New Yorkers saying about the condition of the economy?
- [Micah Lasher on Housing, Immigration, and His Campaign for Congress in New York's 12th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/micah-lasher-on-housing-immigration.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Assembly Member Micah Lasher, a Manhattan Democrat running for Congress in New York's 12th District.
- [For Cities, Aggressive Partisan Gerrymandering Has a Silver Lining](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/partisan-gerrymandering-cities-unexpected-benefit.md) - It’s a corrosive phenomenon with one side benefit.
- [What Rikers’ Receiver Should Do Now](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rikers-receiver-jails-reform-lessons.md) - Follow the successful example of jails and prisons from other states.
- [Speeding Up the Bus: Reality Behind the Rhetoric](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/bus-speed-traffic-management-nyc.md) - A tour of transit systems around the world reveals a host of intelligent strategies worth deploying.
- [Charter Revision Politics: A Primer](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/charter-revision-politics-nyc-primer.md) - What Mayor Mamdani’s COGE might accomplish — and why changing the charter has become so common and so complicated
- [Did NYPD's Zone Strategy Cause Crime to Drop?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nypd-zone-strategy-crime-drop-analysis.md) - The NYPD’s numbers are exactly what regression to the mean predicts.
- [What New York Can Learn from the NIMBYs of the 19th Century](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/19th-century-nimby-housing-development-nyc.md) - The city has debated housing production since its inception. The fight isn’t only about density — it's also about design and culture.
- [The LIRR and the Lost Art of the Labor Fight](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/fred-naiden-interview-lirr-strike-labor.md) - Former TWU Local 100 motorman Fred Naiden on the legacy of the 1980 LIRR strike
- [Julie Won on Immigration, AI Regulation, and Her Campaign for Congress in New York's 7th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/julie-won-on-immigration-ai-regulation.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with City Council Member Julie Won, a Queens Democrat running for Congress in New York's 7th District.
- [The Big Picture](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-summary.md) - A summary of the evidence on streetlighting and crime, and what cities should do differently
- [How to Get It Done](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-policy-details.md) - Streetlighting improvement strategies for people who make policy
- [Where Darkness and Crime Overlap: An Interactive Map](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-satellite-crime-map.md)
- [Where 311 Lighting Complaints and Crime Overlap: An Interactive Map](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-311-crime-map.md)
- [50 Years of Evidence](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-policy-primer.md) - A walkthrough of what research says about streetlighting and crime
- [The Research on Street Lighting and Crime](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-evidence-browser.md) - An evidence browser
- [What Well-Lit Streets Should Feel Like](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-design-deep-dive.md)
- [About This Project](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-about.md) - What ‘Rubber Meets Road’ is all about
- [How Dark is Your Block? A Proof-of-Concept Mobile App](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rubber-meets-road-lighting-app.md) - A Vital City demonstration of how a phone’s camera could turn more New Yorkers into streetlight inspectors
- [Hochul's School-Choice Choice](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/hochul-trump-school-choice-ny.md) - What’s behind her startling decision to back Trump’s education tax credit — and what might it mean for Democrats across the U.S.?
- [How Zohran Mamdani Can Help Shrink the Child Welfare System in New York City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-child-welfare-community-safety-nyc.md) - Recognizing the connection between family safety and community safety is crucial to protecting children.
- [Lessons from Tokyo](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/joe-mcreynolds-interview-tokyo-zoning.md) - What the Japanese megacity teaches New York
- [A Diamond, a Mayor and a Citywide Lesson Plan](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/museum-art-repatriation-mamdani-nyc.md) - Mamdani’s offhand remark about the Koh-I-Noor should spark new efforts to educate students about where many museum treasures actually come from.
- [Call It What It Is: A State Bailout of New York City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-hochul-nyc-budget-bailout.md) - Making sense of Mamdani’s budget — and what it signals for his ambitious agenda
- [Mamdani’s Supermarket Mistake](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-city-run-grocery-stores-small-businesses-nyc.md) - His plan to launch five City-backed grocery stores clashes with his promises to help mom-and-pops.
- [Alex Bores on Housing, AI Regulation, and His Campaign for Congress in New York's 12th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/alex-bores-on-housing-ai-regulation.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Assembly Member Alex Bores, a Manhattan Democrat running for Congress in New York's 12th District.
- [New York’s Wooden Water Tanks: A Perfect Fusion of Form and Function](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-wooden-water-tanks-architecture-history.md) - An architectural history lesson
- [Antonio Reynoso on Mamdani, Immigration, and His Campaign for Congress in New York's 7th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/antonio-reynoso-on-mamdani-immigration.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, a Democrat running for Congress in New York's 7th District.
- [The Voting Rights Act in New York City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/voting-rights-act-nyc-supreme-court.md) - How the landmark legislation continues to reverberate to this day
- [A Different Waymo Future Is Possible](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/waymo-nyc-robotaxi-future.md) - On what conditions should New York welcome robotaxis?
- [8 Policy Tweaks City Hall Can Make to Speed Up the Permitting Process](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-housing-permits-fast-track-construction-mamdani.md) - Building housing is a top Mamdani priority — so how to expedite it?
- [The Unions and the Cities](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/public-sector-unions-city-politics.md) - When public sector organized labor conflicts with the public interest — and what to do about it
- [Does When We’re Born Make Us Who We Are?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/robert-sampson-adam-gopnik-interview-transcript.md) - Robert J. Sampson talks to Adam Gopnik about crime, time and life trajectories
- [Claire Valdez on Mamdani, AOC, and Her Campaign for Congress in New York's 7th District](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/claire-valdez-on-mamdani-aoc-and.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Assembly Member Claire Valdez, a Queens Democrat running for Congress in New York's 7th District.
- [How Guadalajara Killed the Paper Permit](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/guadalajara-visor-urbano-permitting.md) - Streamlining that sped up construction and decreased bribery
- [Government AI, the Road to More Bureaucratic Discretion and Accountability](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-government-ai-accountability-discretion.md) - How new tech tools can streamline processes and make hidebound systems more rational
- [Local Politics, After Murder](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-declining-murders-politics.md) - How does the decline of lethal violence change the way New York thinks about government leadership?
- [How the Public Can Help Mamdani Guide New York City Schools](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-parents-nyc-schools.md) - Mamdani can make significant reforms to amplify parental voices using existing powers.
- [Want More Parental Input While Keeping Mayoral Control? Look to Community Schools](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-mayoral-control-parents-community-schools.md) - A proven model can amplify parents’ voices without undermining accountability.
- [The Cost of Freezing the Rent](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/alex-armlovich-interview-rent-freeze.md) - The limits and distortions of Mamdani’s core housing cost control strategy
- [New York's Nameless Knights](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/new-yorkers-help-each-other-despite-stereotype.md) - On a subway platform earlier this month, I witnessed quiet heroism. It’s far more common than non-New Yorkers realize.
- [The Unlikely Tool That Could Transform Second-Chance Hiring](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/second-chance-hiring-insurance-employer-risk.md) - Why insurance could unlock opportunity for thousands of previous offenders
- [Learn from Japan to Get New York City Commuter Rail on Track](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/japan-rail-system-lessons-mta-nj-transit.md) - What the MTA and NJ Transit can learn about rail from Japanese train systems
- [How the MTA Built Its New App In-House](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mta-new-app-subway-omny.md) - What lessons did the agency learn from developing its latest tech tool?
- [To Prioritize Pedestrians, We Need to Walk the Walk](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/pedestrian-foot-tracking-nyc-map-model-mit.md) - Behind a major new effort to track pedestrian flows in New York
- [Why It Takes Four New Housing Units to Get One Person Off the Street](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/why-it-takes-four-new-housing-units-to-get-one-person-off-the-street.md) - Understanding the complexity of troubled populations on sidewalks and subways
- [Homeless Encampments, Expenditures and the Evidence We Keep Ignoring](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-homeless-encampments-spending-81k.md) - What blaring headlines about excessive spending reveal — and what they miss
- [Why It (Almost) Always Makes Sense to Send the Cops](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/policing-alternative-response-cahoots.md) - Civilian alternative response systems are badly oversold.
- [When Push Comes to Budget](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/louisa-chafee-nyc-budget-interview.md) - A conversation with Louisa Chafee of the city's Independent Budget Office
- [Mamdani’s First 100 Days: A Scorecard](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-first-100-days-scorecard-nyc.md) - How’s he doing when it comes to helping the gears of government turn better?
- [Good Government, Beyond the Couch Cushions](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-nyc-vendors-contractors-staff.md) - New York City can run more cost effectively, but it'll require fixing what's broken inside the bureaucracy.
- [Brad Lander on Immigration Reform, Foreign Policy, and His Bid for Congress](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/brad-lander-on-immigration-reform.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with former NYC Comptroller Brad Lander.
- [NYC’s Fiscal Tightrope Act](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-mark-levine-potential-fitch-moody-bond-downgrade.md) - Credit rating agencies have sent a strong message to the city: get your fiscal house in order.
- [Does When We're Born Make Us Who We Are? A New Way of Thinking About Crime and Success in America](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/robert-sampson-adam-gopnik-interview.md) - The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik interviews Harvard sociologist Robert J. Sampson.
- [A Road Safety Blueprint for the Mamdani Administration](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-speed-cameras-road-safety-mamdani-policy.md) - Speed cameras should be the first step toward improved transportation infrastructure across New York City.
- [Karen B. Shaer 1959-2026](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/karen-shaer-in-memoriam.md) - A remarkable New Yorker, and part of the founding team at Vital City
- [Why Your Pre-War Radiator Runs Hot, Clangs at 3 a.m. and is Painted Silver](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/radiator-steam-heat-history-nyc.md) - A short history of steam heat — and what’s at stake as New York City moves to replace it
- [Rent Stabilization: What’s Constitutional, Anyway?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/new-york-rent-stabilization-law-supreme-court-clash.md) - How the Supreme Court is likely to think about New York City’s housing regulation regime
- [Steven Fulop on Fighting for Business Interests in Zohran Mamdani's New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/steven-fulop-on-fighting-for-business.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Steven Fulop of the Partnership for New York City.
- [What’s the Deal with SEQRA?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/whats-the-deal-with-seqra.md) - A conversation with Annemarie Gray about a change in state law that could unlock gobs of housing
- [It's a Jungle Out There](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/navigating-apartment-hunting-rising-rent-in-nyc.md) - One man’s apartment-hunting journey
- [London’s Quest for Low-Traffic Neighborhoods](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/london-low-traffic-neighborhoods-safety-urban-planning.md) - How the U.K. capital made car traffic scarce in some precincts — and how it changed the city
- [Dan Garodnick on What Comes After Yes](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/dan-garodnick-housing-zoning-city-of-yes-interview.md) - The just-departed City Planning chair tells us what he learned in his time shaping the cityscape.
- [New York’s Worst Housing Production Impediment?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-seqra-slows-housing-development-new-york.md) - The state’s environmental review law is a massive obstacle.
- [Can Mayor Mamdani Freeze the Rent? It’s Complicated](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-rent-freeze-nyc-rent-guidelines-board-explained.md) - Two former Rent Guidelines Board chairs explain how the process really works.
- [Landlords: The ‘Good,’ the ‘Bad’ and the Ugly Financial Realities](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/rental-ripoff-hearings-landlords-tenants-economics.md) - Should we see landlords and tenants as rival prizefighters, or as potential partners trapped in a dysfunctional system?
- [Stanley Richards on the Past, Present and Future of Rikers Island](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/stanley-richards-rikers-island-nyc-jails.md) - A conversation with the new correction commissioner
- [What Molly Park Knows About Homelessness and City Government](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/molly-park-dss-exit-interview.md) - An exit interview with New York City's outgoing Department of Social Services commissioner
- [Can Erin Dalton Make Progress in Curbing Chronic Homelessness?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/erin-dalton-data-driven-social-services-nyc.md) - An appreciation of what New York City’s new commissioner of social services accomplished in Pittsburgh
- [Sewer Socialism, Meet Toilet Socialism](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-public-bathrooms-mamdani-plan.md) - Where other mayors have failed, Mamdani can succeed. Here’s how.
- [Tokyo’s Toilet Teachings](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-tokyo-built-clean-accessible-toilets-nyc-wants.md) - What New York can learn from another global city about helping people relieve themselves
- [Reality Check: Why Do New York City’s Crime Numbers Change?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/real-crime-numbers-nyc-nypd.md) - Why the actual state of crime might be worse than initially trumpeted
- [Abundance On a Budget](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/what-can-mamdani-do-nyc-budget.md) - What pro-housing, pro-public service Mayor Mamdani ought to do with limited resources
- [For Whom the Plows Come](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/snow-complaints-staten-island-nyc.md) - A 311 data analysis shows Staten Island got the short end of the snow stick.
- [The Hidden Cost of Trash](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-trash-removal-cost-mamdani.md) - How to make waste removal much more affordable for New Yorkers
- [Of Molehills, Mountains and Snowballs](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-nypd-snowball-fight-police-arrest.md) - Those who hurled snowballs at cops in Washington Square Park committed a crime — albeit not a huge one.
- [A New Mayor’s Trial By Snow](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-snow-emergency-response.md) - What the storms showed Mamdani, and what he showed New York
- [Criminal Risk Assessment and the Character Trap](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-birth-cohort-affects-criminal-outcomes-robert-sampson.md) - People born in different years, even not that far apart, have wildly different outcomes.
- [Dan Goldman on Zohran Mamdani, Donald Trump, and His Case for Reelection](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/dan-goldman-on-zohran-mamdani-donald.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with Congressman Dan Goldman.
- [Evidence Over Intuition](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/jennifer-doleac-book-review.md) - Jennifer Doleac’s new book delivers some hard truths about criminal justice to both progressives and conservatives.
- [The NYPD’s Crime-Reduction Strategy: Chief of Department Michael LiPetri in Conversation](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nypd-crime-strategy-questions-michael-lipetri.md) - Gun violence is way down; assaults and other forms of violence are not. What’s next?
- [How To Deploy AI To Improve Policing in New York](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-to-deploy-ai-policing-nyc-nypd.md) - Powerful new technology has the potential to improve the City’s justice system, but to get it right, the NYPD has to address serious risks.
- [Gang Databases Are Crucial to Shooting Reduction Efforts](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nypd-gang-database-shooting-reduction.md) - Reforms are warranted, abolition is not.
- [The Top Five Crime and Justice Stories of 2025](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/biggest-crime-justice-stories-america-2025.md) - What shaped perception and realities of crime in America
- [CompStat, Meet SafeStat](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/compstat-safestat-public-safety-nyc-mamdani.md) - As he works to build a Department of Community Safety, Mayor Mamdani should pioneer a new way to measure not just crime, but broader public safety.
- [The Invisible Thread That Connects Cases of Excessive Force and Low Clearance Rates](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/ice-impunity-police-law-enforcement-accountability.md) - The underlying problem is impunity.
- [The State of Crime in New York City: 2025 and Beyond](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-in-new-york-city-trends-statistics.md) - What happened in 2025 and what it bodes for 2026
- [New York City’s Crime Puzzle](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/new-york-city-gun-violence-down-major-crime-high.md) - Gun violence and homicides are way, way down. Overall major crime remains high. Why?
- [Historic Declines, Contested Borders](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/crime-reduction-trends-immigration-enforcement.md) - Public safety and immigration enforcement in focus
- [How Prevention Reduced Crime and How To Get More of It](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/how-prevention-reduced-crime-suggestions-analysis.md) - We have to understand what drove 2025 dramatic nationwide declines to build on them.
- [Does Mayor Mamdani Have a Public Safety Strategy?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-public-safety-strategy-nyc.md) - It’s not an easy question to answer.
- [Governments That Get Results](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/gloria-gong-interview.md) - A conversation with Gloria Gong
- [Mayor Mamdani, Here’s What Mass Engagement Looks Like in Practice](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mass-engagement-mamdani-nyc.md) - Hyperlocal democratic decision-making tools are out there, ready to be applied.
- [An Underutilized Tool in the Fight for Good Government](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-department-of-investigation-mamdani.md) - The Department of Investigation is often overlooked and underappreciated. Mayor Mamdani should change that.
- [Too Cold for New York City’s Streets](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/explained-what-is-involuntary-removal-outdoor-deaths-nyc.md) - An explainer on involuntary removal powers, encampments and the Mamdani administration’s response to the deep freeze
- [Hochul’s Going Nuclear. Environmentalists Should Cheer Her On.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/hochul-nuclear-energy-climate-new-york.md) - Nuclear energy is essential to New York’s low-emission, high-electricity future.
- [Where Juvenile Justice Goes From Here](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/juvenile-justice-close-to-home-nyc-results.md) - We must be guided by evidence, not breathless headlines.
- [Evaluating Mamdani’s Diagnosis of New York City’s Budget Deficit](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/eric-adams-zohran-mamdani-nyc-budget.md) - Identifying the real underlying causes is key to fixing the problem
- [Continue Encampment Sweeps — But Do Them Right](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/unhoused-new-yorkers-randy-santos-mamdani.md) - Lessons from recent New York City history for Mayor Mamdani
- [Technology Transformation Will Make or Break Progressive Governance](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/zohran-mamdani-technology-innovation-new-york.md) - Mayor Mamdani should revitalize New York City government’s capacity to innovate.
- [Reducing Crime by Improving Neighborhoods](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/renita-francois-interview-neighborhood-safety.md) - In January, Renita Francois — who has just been appointed as Mayor Mamdani's deputy mayor of community safety — joined Jamie Rubin to discuss helping residents define and co-produce their own safety.
- [Observation Decks for All New Yorkers](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/free-observation-decks-new-york.md) - Bring what’s high above the city down to earth
- [Tokyo and London are Test-Driving Waymo. New York, Take Notes.](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/waymo-robotaxi-autonomous-driving-nyc.md) - How the two global cities could pave the way for Gotham’s adoption of self-driving cars
- [Urban Design as Social Infrastructure](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-parks-public-spaces-nyc.md) - Investments in the physical city are essential to achieving Zohran Mamdani’s goal of creating a fair and affordable New York.
- [How Off the Rails Is ICE? A Q&A With Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/questions-answers-trump-noem-dhs-ice.md) - The Trump administration’s actions in Minnesota are testing the bounds of immigration enforcement.
- [What ICE’s Recklessness Teaches Us About Real Policing](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/minnesota-ice-alex-pretti-policing.md) - The illegitimate Minneapolis surge gives municipal departments an opportunity to demonstrate what legitimacy looks like.
- [Julie Menin on Leading the City Council, Working with Mayor Mamdani, and Tackling Challenges Facing the City](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/julie-menin-on-leading-the-city-council.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with new New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin.
- [Trump’s Unconstitutional Coercion](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/trump-sanctuary-cities-funding.md) - The president cannot constitutionally threaten to withhold funds from so-called sanctuary cities.
- [How Criminals Get Their Guns](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/underground-gun-markets-urban-violence.md) - The underground markets fueling urban violence
- [A Crucial Tool in the Fight Against Pollution](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-local-law-97-enforcement-pollution.md) - Despite the opposition of the real estate lobby, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani should fully implement and enforce Local Law 97.
- [Supporting Children Who Experience Violence at Home](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/children-domestic-violence-acs-family-court.md) - Many vulnerable young people in New York City are falling between the cracks in government systems.
- [Small Children, Big Looming Policy Questions](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-universal-childcare-policy-questions.md) - In expanding child care, Mamdani will have to wrestle with some serious tradeoffs.
- [Mamdani as Mr. Fix-It](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/just-fix-it-after-hours.md) - Jamie Rubin and Vital City founder Liz Glazer dig into a pragmatic to-do list for the new Mamdani administration.
- [Mayor Mamdani, Here’s the Real Reason New Yorkers’ Groceries Cost So Much](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/nyc-grocery-cost-explained.md) - The mayor's public supermarket proposal is a distraction. To get cheaper apples, the Big Apple must correctly diagnose why prices are high.
- [Mamdani’s Affordability Dilemma: The Challenge of Making New York City Housing Less Expensive](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/mamdani-housing-affordability-new-york.md) - He has limited tools to make good on his central promise, but can make a dent using the ones he has.
- [Revealing Hidden Signals in City Hotline Data](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/revealing-hidden-signals-in-city-hotline-data.md) - What Mayor Mamdani’s new administration can learn from one of the longest-running neighborhood engagement initiatives in the U.S.
- [Mamdani, Like Mayors Before Him, Can Have a Foreign Policy](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/zohran-mamdani-trump-maduro-nyc.md) - Why the chief executive of the largest city in America necessarily engages in some global politics
- [Congestion Pricing, One Year In: A Qualified Success](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/one-year-into-congestion-pricing-in-new-york-city.md) - A data-driven look at what the policy achieved and how to improve it going forward
- [Remembering a Talented, Troubled Knick](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/remembering-michael-ray-richardson.md) - Tune in to the latest episode of "After Hours with Jamie Rubin" about a New York basketball legend.
- [2025: A Look Back](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/2025-a-look-back-most-read.md) - Your Vital City favorites and ours from the year gone by
- [From Crisis Response to System Coordination](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/system-coordination-in-crisis-response-to-high-acuity-homelessness.md) - A data-driven roadmap to addressing ‘high-acuity’ homelessness
- [11 Governance Improvements The Mamdani Administration Can Tackle in the First 100 Days](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/government-improvements-mamdani-can-tackle-in-the-first-100-days.md) - The first in a series that needs your input
- [What is the Future of ‘Renewable Rikers’ Island?](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/the-future-of-renewable-rikers.md) - As Mayor-elect Mamdani presses to close the jail complex, what comes after should come into sharper focus.
- [The Other Side of Affordability](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/job-creation-and-upward-mobility-for-affordability-mamdani.md) - Mamdani must work hard to create jobs, train the workforce and unlock true upward mobility for New Yorkers.
- [John Catsimatidis on Donald Trump, Immigration, and New York Republicans](https://www.vitalcitynyc.org/john-catsimatidis-on-donald-trump.md) - The New York Editorial Board's interview with businessman John Catsimatidis.

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