• Celebrating 400 years of NYC – We launched a year-long, interactive celebration of New York City’s rich cultural history to commemorate our achievements, creativity, and resilience over the past 400 years. Throughout 2025, there will be celebrations, concerts, and free events around the five boroughs! The story of NYC is one of perseverance and triumph, and our “Founded By NYC” campaign will remind the world why we remain the greatest city on earth.

• Combatting lithium-ion battery fires – The NYC Department of Transportation is helping more New Yorkers safely charge their e-bikes. With new rules that go into effect on February 1, property owners and tenants can soon seek city approval to install battery swapping and charging cabinets on sidewalks. This expansion builds on crucial successes from our pilot program that reduced battery charging in apartments and helped combat deadly fires.

• Transforming a garage into housing  – We’re turning an old NYC Department of Sanitation garage on Staten Island into a community hub with hundreds of new affordable homes, 46,000 square feet of vibrant outdoor green space, a grocery store, and neighborhood services! This site is the latest in our administration’s “24 in 24” initiative that builds and preserves affordable housing by transforming city-owned property into homes.

↳ Three things to know this week:

1. We have convened a historic Charter Revision Commission to determine how to make our city government more responsive and transparent, especially when it comes to housing. They’re incorporating feedback from New Yorkers like you, and their first public hearing is taking place next Tuesday, January 7 — here’s how to join in-person or online.

2. Don’t forget to recycle your holiday tree into sustainable mulch at NYC Parks’ Mulchfest! Just drop off your tree at one of their 74 convenient locations in the five boroughs during park hours. If you go next weekend, January 11 or 12, you can watch your tree get chipped live and take home free mulch! If you can’t make it, you can also set out your tree on your compost day.

3. New York continues to be the most visited city in America! In 2024, more than 64 MILLION tourists from around the world visited our city — the second most in city history. And while visiting, tourists helped generate $6.8 billion in tax revenue, which saved each NYC household $2,000 on average!

↳ FREE events this weekend:

…3,000 pounds of confetti flew over Times Square on New Year’s Eve? The magical tradition began 34 years ago, and dozens of people from across the globe volunteer to hand-toss the confetti from buildings in the area every year. To ensure a flawless show, the Times Square Alliance even hosts a practice run of the confetti dispersal a few days before the big night. After all the New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square wrap up, our incredible NYC Department of Sanitation cleans up ALL the confetti and more than 100,000 pounds of debris by sunrise!