Data
Issue 15
Mamdani, the Morning After
What New York’s new mayor should do now
Recent Highlights
A New Era in New York City Political History?
Mason B. Williams
Putting Mamdani’s huge win in perspective — from La Guardia to today
A Housing Roadmap for New York’s Next Mayor
Alex Armlovich
How Mayor-elect Mamdani can rise to the central challenge facing the city
How Things Really Get Done
Vital City
Four former deputy mayors offer candid advice to New York City’s new mayor.
Tough Budget Choices Ahead
Carol Kellermann and Charles Brecher
Mamdani the manager should work hard to find savings in the sprawling New York City budget.
The Devil Is in the Details (of 911 Dispatch)
Jessica Gillooly and Barry Friedman
Helping people with serious mental illness hinges on giving better tools and guidance to those who take emergency calls.
Which Way Mamdani?
Ben Krauss
Chicago’s Brandon Johnson and Boston’s Michelle Wu are progressive mayors with very different approaches. Whose lead will Mamdani follow?
Journal Issues
Issue 4
Summertime!
How life changes when things get hot
Issue 5
Nuts and Bolts: Solving Gun Cases
What it takes to reduce firearm violence
Issue 6
On Drugs
How substance use shapes the city
Special Online Issue
Crime: What Happened in 2023, and What 2024 May Bring
Breaking down New York City’s — and America’s — trends in violence and victimization
Special Online Issue
How Many People Should New York City’s Jails Hold?
Everything about Rikers Island and what replaces it depends on the answer
Issue 7
Does Evidence Matter?
Research meets the real world
Special Online Issue
Congestion Pricing*
*The long-anticipated change to Manhattan’s streets now at the mercy of politics
Issue 8
Is the Urban Doom Loop for Real?
The death and life of great American cities (again)
Issue 9
The Subway
Building better transit
SPECIAL ONLINE ISSUE
Inside Rikers
Jails can be safer and more humane
SPECIAL ONLINE ISSUE
The Case Against Eric Adams & Co.
Considering the fix the mayor (and the city) are in, from many angles
SPECIAL ONLINE ISSUE
Crime: Looking Back at 2024, and Ahead to 2025
Breaking down New York City’s, and the nation’s, trends in violence and disorder
Issue 10
Big-City Corruption
Why does it persist? And does anyone know how to solve it?
Issue 11
Nonprofits and the City
Do nonprofits have too much power — or not enough?
Issue 12
What Makes Cities Tick
Vital City at Three
SPECIAL ONLINE ISSUE
Trump: 100 Days and Beyond
What impact is the administration having on cities and the people who live in them?
SPECIAL ONLINE ISSUE
Zohran and Andrew and Eric, Oh My!
The race for City Hall heats up.
Issue 13
400 Million Guns (or More)
The supply side of America's gun problem
Issue 14
Housing, Housing, Housing
How New York City can produce and preserve many more homes
Issue 15
Mamdani, the Morning After
What New York’s new mayor should do now
More to Explore
What To Do (and Not To Do) About Subway Safety
Vital City policy recommendations to fix an urgent set of problems
The State of Crime in New York City at Midyear 2025
Progress in reducing some offenses, but a long way to go
Reality Check: Does the NYPD Need To Hire More Cops?
This is the first in an occasional Vital City series putting public policy debates in context.