By Mark Chiusano
New York City’s gig economy is staggeringly influential by almost every measure. Delivery bikers make close to 3 million takeout dropoffs a week. Ubers and Lyfts dwarf the 14,000 green and yellow taxis on city streets. Roughly 6% of all workers in the five boroughs rely on gig work as their main income, a number that is likely a significant undercount. Their labors have changed consumption patterns and powered restaurants, small … <Read More>
By Mark Chiusano
The post-Independence Day missive from Mayor Eric Adams had notes of grandeur: the city was announcing a new “Department of Sustainable Delivery.” Funding was on the way. Once again, New York was taking the reins to regulate the nascent gig economy — a timely move, since the field has shaped how New Yorkers shop and experience the city, as companies turned streetscapes into workplaces for tens of thousands of bikers and drivers, … <Read More>
On July 1, 2025, the Department of Parks and Recreation joined elected officials and community members to celebrate the reopening of the Strong Street playground in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx.
On June 22, 2025, the Adams administration announced the launch of new teams to add in the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce rat populations citywide. The city has reserved $877,000 in permanent funding to create the teams and hire twelve full-time staff for inspections and related services for street tree beds.
On June 23, 2025, Mayor Eric Adams announced an agreement to create over 600 affordable homes in Lower Manhattan while preserving the Elizabeth Street Garden site, which had previously been scheduled for closure and redevelopment into housing.
By Mark Chiusano
Being mayor of New York City comes with a lot of advantages, from the media-capital bully pulpit of the Big Apple to a built-in workforce that numbers over 300,000. But the uncomfortable secret of becoming mayor is that for lots of big swings, you need Albany.
That’s because of how much authority the state has over city issues, on aspects of taxation, housing, transportation, and even law enforcement. Yet the city is … <Read More>