New York and Paris mayors Mamdani and Grégoire meet to advocate for housing access and climate solutions

The meeting point was set in the parking lot of a brand-new social housing building in a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. The operation that took place on Friday, September 18, was organized down to the last detail by a team working for the city's mayor, Zohran Mamdani. One tenant "will talk a little bit about his excitment about moving in, you'll just chitchat and then we'll move down to [another tenant]'s unit on the 6th floor. [She] is a single mother of two children, you'll chitchat with her and present a coffee maker," rattled off Mamdani's unflinching press officer in a rapid tone, while waiting for Mamdani to arrive. Three visiting mayors, of Paris, Amsterdam and Manchester, listened with amused expressions as they were asked to put on bright pink T-shirts – the color of New York's leading moving company – marked "Mayors Welcome." Gathered between the cars, the members of all the mayors' cabinets greeted each other, introducing themselves by the names of their respective mayors, when a dark-tinted SUV carrying Mamdani, elected in November 2025, arrived. The ever-smiling 34-year-old Democrat said he was "so excited to be here," greeted his European counterparts and launched straight into his opening remarks. "As we look forward to the Urban 20 [a diplomatic summit of cities modeled after the G20], when we'll have mayors from around the world coming to our city, what better way to celebrate than by helping a few New Yorkers move into their homes and celebrate the $22 billion that our city is investing into creating affordable housing. It's a challenge we all face, no matter where we call home, and we're excited to solve it together," Mamdani said, before stepping into the elevator to present two model apartments, which still smelled of fresh paint. You have 75.45% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.