New York City's newly-elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is promising to make people's lives cheaper, but even some of his supporters are sceptical on whether he can deliver.
The city faces a deepening housing and cost-of-living crisis that has pushed thousands into homelessness or out of the city entirely.
The self-described democratic socialist is proposing bold measures to tackle these issues, but delivering on them will hinge on generating billions in new revenue and winning support from state politicians.
Here is what Mr Mamdani has promised New York City residents over the next four years.
Freeze some rents
New York City is notorious for its sky-high housing costs — some of the priciest in the world.
To curb sudden rent spikes and rising homelessness, Mr Mamdani is proposing a four-year freeze on the city's 1 million rent-stabilised apartments.
While this proposal would not require any additional city council funding, the freeze needs approval from the Rent Guidelines Board.
Critics argue this proposal fails to tackle the city's skyrocketing market-rate apartments or its broader housing shortage.
To address this, Mr Mamdani has put forward a plan to build 200,000 new affordable housing units over the next decade.
Expand free childcare
Mr Mamdani has pledged to make childcare free for every child in the city under the age of five.
This is the incoming mayor's most expensive proposal. His campaign estimates it could cost up to $US6 billion ($9.25 billion) a year.
The city already offers free childcare for children aged three and four years of age.
Despite that, childcare still costs New York City parents upwards of roughly $US20,000 a year a child.
Mr Mamdani argues his expanded policy would help more mothers return to the workforce, generating an estimated $US900 million in additional income tax revenue.
No-cost buses
New York City's buses are among the slowest in the United States, often crawling through streets clogged with traffic that are not designed for public transport.
Mr Mamdani is proposing to make every bus across the city's five boroughs free for the next four years — a move he says would boost patronage as shown by a previous pilot program.
His plan also includes expanding dedicated bus lanes to speed up service.
The proposal has drawn scepticism from some critics who point out that many low-income riders already board without paying.
This policy is estimated to cost the city $US800 million every year and would require approval from the state-run Metropolitan Transit Authority.
Tax the rich (more)
New York City is home to the highest concentration of millionaires and billionaires in the world.
Mr Mamdani argues that those at the top should contribute more to help fund the city's public services.
His plan would raise the city tax rate, which is currently set at 3.876 percentage points, by 2 points. New York City's ultra rich are already subjected to the highest non-federal income tax rates in the country.
Mr Mamdani also wants to increase corporate taxes on the city's biggest businesses.
Doing all this would require approval from state politicians, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul — a moderate Democrat who backs Mr Mamdani but opposes raising the tax rate.
Create city-owned grocery stores
In a bid to bring down the soaring cost of groceries, Mr Mamdani is proposing to create a city-run grocery store in all five boroughs of New York City.
The initiative would start as a pilot program and be expanded if successful.
These stores would buy and sell goods at wholesale prices, aiming to prevent price gouging along the supply chain.
This policy is set to cost an estimated $US60 million in its first phase.
Already high grocery prices in the city have increased more since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year and introduced tariffs on some items.
Arrest Benjamin Netanyahu
Mr Mamdani says he would direct the the NYPD to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York City.
The pledge reflects his pro-Palestinian stance. He has been scathing of Mr Netanyahu, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes and and crimes against humanity over the course of the war in Gaza.
While Mr Netanyahu is a frequent visitor to the city, experts say such an arrest is unlikely and unlawful.
Mr Mamdani has also pledged to divest city funds from Israeli companies and institutions, signalling a clear departure from mainstream Democratic Party positions that has typically offered unwavering support for Israel.
