When Hurricane Ida struck New York City in 2021, 11 people drowned at home—most living in basement apartments. The storm exposed the inseparability of housing safety, public health and affordability. And it came as the city reeled from COVID-19, which claimed more than 45,000 lives and left entire communities traumatized.
Ida and COVID unveiled the city’s vulnerabilities and the urgent need for a more resilient public health system. New Yorkers carried those lessons. When they elected Zohran Mamdani on an affordability platform, they weren’t just demanding lower costs—they were seeking relief from the health consequences of living in a city stretched to its limits.
Fare-free buses, city-owned grocery stores, expanded affordable housing and universal child care are economic reforms—and, if the cards are played right, public health policies…