新市長真能為窮人翻身？

紐約新市長佐蘭·曼達尼（Zohran Mamdani）以「讓城市重新屬於人民」為口號上任，承諾要讓被邊緣化的基層重新站起來。他主張凍結租金、興建二十萬棟可負擔住宅、讓公車免費、提供全民托育，甚至設立公營雜貨店。這些政見直指貧困問題的核心——生活成本。

然而，理想與現實之間仍有巨大鴻溝。凍租與公屋政策牽動龐大利益；免費交通與托育計畫需要數十億美元的持續支出。財政來源、法規限制、企業反彈，都可能讓改革受阻。

即便如此，Mamdani 的出現仍點燃了一線希望。若他能真正壓低生活成本、擴大就業與教育機會，紐約的低收入家庭或許能迎來真正的喘息與改變。

他或許無法立刻讓窮人「翻身」，但至少讓人們重新相信——在這座不眠的城市，公平與尊嚴仍值得追尋。

Can the New Mayor Really Lift the Poor?

New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, took office with the bold promise to “make the city belong to the people again.” His agenda aims directly at the roots of urban poverty: freezing rents, building 200,000 affordable homes, offering free public buses, expanding universal childcare, and even launching city-run grocery stores.

These pledges resonate deeply in a city where the cost of living crushes millions. Yet between ideals and implementation lies a wide gap. Rent freezes require approval from independent boards; large-scale housing projects demand space, funds, and time; free transit and childcare could cost billions in steady annual spending. Questions of financing, bureaucracy, and political resistance loom large.

Still, Mamdani’s victory rekindles hope among working families. If he can truly curb living costs and expand access to jobs and education, low-income New Yorkers may finally find a path toward stability—and dignity.

He may not lift the poor overnight, but he has revived a vital belief: that even in the world’s richest city, fairness and humanity are still worth fighting for.