Zohran Mamdani is feeling generous.
The mayor took office with sweeping promises to New Yorkers: Fast and free buses, universal 2-K childcare, investment in public libraries, bathrooms, and schools. The plans center on cutting the price of city services and making it easier to afford living in some of America's most expensive zip codes.
In my reporting for Business Insider's "Cost of the City" series, I've heard from single parents, halal cart operators, small business owners, economists, and riders on one of the many buses Mamdani plans to make free. After the transit story was published, I heard from over 100 readers in a flood of social media comments. We also ran an informal survey asking readers their opinions on the cost of city services. People had very heated feelings about what city services should — and shouldn't — cost.
Turns out, the mayor's most controversial pitch might be free stuff.
The affordability promise
In promising affordability, Mamdani reignited an age-old urbanist debate about what services a city is responsible for providing, and what they're worth. Dozens across Instagram, LinkedIn, and Business Insider's website weighed in — and there was a clear split.
Some thought most everything should be free. Nothing should cost money, "even parking in city center," one said. Several added that the city should provide some big-ticket free services, like childcare, because they benefit the community as a whole.
Others worried that eliminating costs compromises quality and creates unsustainable demand. "There is an obvious issue with making things free: Demand skyrockets," one commenter said.
Another felt that a few dollars is "not worth the trade-off" of potentially worse transit or public spaces. Others said some city services should be free, while others, like public pools, deserve a "nominal fee."
A lot of things are already free in New York. Libraries offer free access to books, computers, the internet, toddler storytime, craft classes, and a quiet place to sit. Parks promise green space, and garbage collection keeps streets clean. The city has free public bathrooms, although they're very limited. Public schools provide free lunches, and kids can learn to swim at one of NYC's 91 public pools.
Mamdani has also made a point to invest in those services, with multimillion-dollar pledges to the public library system and bus lane infrastructure. Universal childcare pilots are already available to families in several neighborhoods. Other things, like his plan to build more public bathrooms or eliminate bus fares, are facing significant funding and regulatory hurdles.
As the mayor sees it, the more affordable city services are, the more accessible they become to all residents, regardless of income. It's the crux of the democratic socialist platform Mamdani ran on — and it's been immensely popular, even among voters who wouldn't typically opt for a left-leaning candidate. The same affordability mantra helped three of Mamdani's allies win their June congressional primaries.
"What many people are talking about and struggling with, and what has been the focus of Mayor Mamdani's campaign and his current efforts, is that costs are very high in New York City," Greg Acs, vice president of the tax and income supports division of The Urban Institute, said. "That's not a shocking new revelation."
Still, it consistently strikes a nerve.
Are good things worth paying for?
All the aforementioned city services — libraries, buses, childcare — do cost money. Residents pay for them through their annual taxes, and governments allocate the funds. Many commenters were quick to remind me that "Nothing in this world is free."
What was most striking, however, was the number of New Yorkers and internet commenters who would rather pay a small fee for higher-quality service. As one commenter put it: "People just want things that work. It isn't as if a public good can't work if it's free, but it does change the ROI calculus needed." Another said, "Reliability trumps 'free' every time."
The jury's out on whether the free and reliable priorities can meaningfully coexist. A free bus pilot in NYC slowed buses, and Kansas City recently rolled back its fareless transit plan because the cost was too high to justify meager improvements. Universal childcare policies, on the other hand, reliably improve labor force participation for working parents, which is great for the economy.
"Some families can make that trade-off, some families can't," Acs said. "But allowing folks to stay in the labor market generates earnings, generates tax revenue, generates economic activity, and keeps them stably employed."
There's one sentiment I heard from almost all New Yorkers and commenters: Reliable, accessible city services make it easier to shoulder the overall cost of living. Sometimes, that's a savings measured in time or quality of life; Or it's a win calculated in dollars. In one of America's priciest cities — where the average family spends $159,000 annually to afford the basics — free childcare and cheaper groceries might help families see a future where they stay.
Acs said that the question of whether city services should be completely free is more philosophical than economic, but progress toward affordability is a win.
As one New Yorker told me, public goods "elevate the entire community, not just a few."
