NYC Mayor Mamdani’s First Executive Orders Focus on Tenant Protections, Reverse Adams Orders

A Mamdani order revokes all executive orders issued by former mayor Eric Adams, including one that created a city office focused on cryptocurrency.

1 minute read

January 4, 2026, 6:00 AM PST

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaking at a campaign rally before being elected.

lev radin / Shutterstock

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued several executive orders on his first day in office aimed at fulfilling his campaign promise to make housing more affordable, according to reporting by Emma G. Fitzsimmons and Emma Goldberg in The New York Times.

“Mr. Mamdani announced three executive orders that would boost the Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and create two task forces to accelerate housing construction.” One task force, Land Inventory Fast Track (LIFT), will identify city-owned land that could be developed into housing. The other, Streamlining Procedures to Expedite Equitable Development (SPEED), will “identify and remove barriers like permitting that slow down projects. 

Mamdani said a rent freeze is “not the extent of our efforts,” and that the new administration will “stand up for tenants, build new housing and get New Yorkers into housing faster.”  

The new mayor also signed an order that revokes all executive order signed by former mayor Eric Adams after the date of his indictment on criminal charges. The revoked orders include one that allowed federal immigration officials to investigate criminal activity at Reikers Island and another that created an office focused on blockchain technology. 

Thursday, January 1, 2026 in The New York Times

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

24 minutes ago - Zachary Whalen

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

NYC Mayor Zohran Mandami speaks behind a blue podium.

Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals

The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.

15 minutes ago - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.