From Code to Concrete: How City Hall Can Build a More Livable, Connected NYC

Jul 15

Tech:NYC’s Policy Priorities for the 2025 Mayoral Election

New York City’s tech sector has firmly established itself as one of the city’s most powerful economic engines, growing by 142% over the past decade and now employing nearly 200,000 New Yorkers — a higher rate of growth than the finance, real estate, or media industries. According to our report with the Center for an Urban Future, tech jobs have expanded in every borough and employment in the sector has surged by 64% in the last decade, dramatically outpacing overall private sector growth (17%).

The industry’s continued momentum is vital to NYC’s economic resilience, particularly as tech is increasingly integrated into legacy sectors like finance, media, healthcare, and education. As we approach a pivotal mayoral election, it is essential that conversations highlight the issues critical to the tech sector’s growth — including investments in housing, talent development, infrastructure, and innovation-friendly policy — so that New York can sustain its competitive edge and remain a global hub for technology and inclusive economic opportunity.

Tech:NYC represents more than 550 technology companies committed to building a stronger, fairer, and more forward-looking city. We believe City Hall has an obligation to harness technology to improve city government, expand opportunity for all New Yorkers, and keep New York at the forefront of the global tech economy, and we urge candidates for Mayor to consider the following proposals and recommendations as they make their case to voters.

Modernize NYC Government Through Smarter Tech Adoption

Goal: Leverage modern technology — including AI and data analytics — to streamline city services, reduce bureaucracy, and ensure all residents can access government systems as easily and intuitively as the best private-sector tools. Break down the structural and cultural barriers that currently slow down technological adoption.

Proposal: Empower Deputy Mayors to Lead Agency Tech Transformation

Task each Deputy Mayor with identifying five concrete opportunities to adopt new technology within their portfolio to improve agency effectiveness and cut red tape. Where applicable, this should be across agencies.
Commit to piloting at least 10 of these ideas in the administration’s first year, with a focus on solutions that reduce delays in service delivery.
Prioritize NYC-based startups for at least some pilot programs, creating opportunities for homegrown companies to build with, and for, city residents.

Proposal: Create “Skunkworks” Teams to Tackle Three Top Issues Facing NYC

Follow the lead of successful tech companies that give their hardest problems to “skunkworks” teams — small autonomous units focused on rapid prototyping and working outside of the traditional hierarchy. They place a premium on project management, data driven decision making, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Identify three top issues facing New York City, based on public input to ensure they resonate with the most pressing needs of our diverse city.
Assign a highly qualified mission lead to each challenge solely focused on solving that specific problem, with the budget to build a multi-agency rapid response team and authority to pursue new solutions to long-standing problems.

Unlock City Data to Drive Innovation

Goal: Build real-time, secure, and accessible data platforms that empower startups, researchers, and communities to create tech-driven solutions to urban challenges.

Proposal: Launch RealTimeNYC — A Citywide Data Access Platform

Direct the Office of Technology & Innovation to establish open procurement challenges to create APIs for dozens of real-time city data feeds.
Enable real-time monitoring of issues like traffic congestion, trash accumulation, and public health via secure data sharing.
Support startups and researchers in piloting low-cost sensor solutions and new data applications, while developing strong privacy and open-source governance frameworks.

Build AI & Computing Literacy for All New Yorkers

Goal: Prepare all New Yorkers — starting in K–12 — for an AI-powered economy by equitably expanding computing education and teacher capacity, and by investing in community-based training.

Proposal: Launch a K–12 AI Literacy Framework

Develop and implement an age-appropriate AI curriculum across NYC public schools by 2027.
Focus on core topics such as how AI works, bias in data, ethics, and real-world applications – integrated into core subjects like math, science, and English.

Proposal: Expand Teacher Training through CUNY’s CITE Initiative

Scale up investment in CUNY’s Computing Integrated Teacher Education program to ensure new teachers – regardless of subject – can support students in foundational digital skills.
Strengthen DOE–CUNY collaboration to bring computing education to every school.

Proposal: Create an “AI for All” Community Grant Program

Fund local CBOs to deliver AI literacy and job training programs in underserved communities.
Support workforce transition into AI-adjacent roles, particularly in sectors like healthcare, transportation, and public service.

What’s Good for NYC is also Good for Tech

Tech workers consistently cite New York City’s unique vibrancy — its culture, diversity, and walkable neighborhoods — as core reasons they choose to live and build here. To retain and attract this talent, the next administration must double down on making the city both affordable and livable. That means bold action to expand housing options across income levels, and sustained investment in the parks, public spaces, bike infrastructure, schools, and cultural institutions that make New York a place where people want to stay, raise families, and contribute to a thriving innovation ecosystem.

Accelerate New Housing to Keep NYC Competitive

Goal: Solve New York’s housing crisis to retain the tech talent that powers the city’s economy and ensure rising workers can afford to build their lives here.

Recommendations:

Commit to ambitious new housing targets for workforce and middle-income housing.
Advance zoning reforms to allow greater density, expand transit-oriented development, and legalize accessory dwelling units.
Streamline permitting, environmental review, and other barriers to multifamily development.
Eliminate outdated parking minimums and incentivize affordable housing production citywide.

Invest in Livability to Attract & Retain Talent

Goal: Sustain NYC’s edge in the global tech economy by investing in the public assets and amenities that make the city livable, inclusive, and inspiring.