Mamdani Calls for Buying Private Houses and Turning Them into Communes
Democratic Socialist NYC Mayoral Candidate Proposes State-Led Social Housing Plan to "Seize the Means of Production"
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Zohran Mamdani, the openly socialist candidate who recently won the Democratic mayoral primary in New York City, recently highlighted a housing initiative that has stirred widespread attention.
In a 2021 video produced by the far-left Gravel Institute titled “How Socialists Solved The Housing Crisis,” Mamdani argued for using government power to “buy up private housing” and convert it into communes.
Mamdani likened the plan to the model used in Vienna and said transitioning beyond market-based solutions is essential.
“We can establish community land trusts to gradually buy up housing on the private market and convert it to community ownership,” he stated.
For tenants, this would mean being prioritized to purchase their building. Developers would face cuts in luxury subsidies, while funds would be redirected toward “beautiful, high‑quality social housing projects” that aim to foster “good homes and strong communities”.
While Mamdani has denied being a communist, he has acknowledged that his “end goal” is “seizing the means of production”, a direct echo of Marxist ideology.
At a 2021 Democratic Socialists of America event, he said, “It’s not simply to raise class consciousness, but to win socialism… we have to ensure that we are unapologetic about our socialism,” even endorsing the anti-Israel BDS movement".
Conservatives have been quick to label the plan extreme.
Breitbart’s Alex Marlow called it "actual communism" and warned that Mamdani's proposals could reshape America's second-largest city.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries defended Mamdani against such accusations, asserting on X: “Stop lying… He is neither a communist nor a lunatic”.
Critics express concern that government-funded housing, detached from market dynamics, could stagnate neighborhoods and erode property rights. Supporters counter that models like Vienna’s community land trusts demonstrate a viable path to addressing inequality and the city's housing crisis.