Mayor pledges 4 million in funding for modular toilets across five boroughs
New York City Aims to Address Public Bathroom Crisis With Investment in Modular Restroom Infrastructure
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has launched an ambitious public bathroom initiative, pledging 4 million dollars in city funding to build 20 to 30 new modular public toilets across New York City’s five boroughs. The effort comes after Mamdani marked the opening of a new bathroom facility and highlighted what he views as a fundamental government responsibility to provide basic public goods. The mayor sees expanded public bathroom access as both a quality of life issue and a symbol of competent government that functions to serve residents’ everyday needs.
The Public Bathroom Crisis in America
New York City currently has just one public bathroom per 8,500 residents, leaving many New Yorkers in impossible situations when they need to access a restroom. The broader United States ranks poorly globally on public toilet access, with only eight public toilets per 100,000 people, tied with Botswana for 30th place worldwide. Many facilities that do exist are poorly maintained, with non-functioning fixtures and unclean conditions. The lack of public bathrooms creates cascading problems for vulnerable populations. Food delivery workers and street vendors have reported being forced to urinate into bottles. People with bladder conditions and other health issues struggle to travel through public spaces. Cities from Philadelphia to San Diego have documented links between poor bathroom access and outbreaks of hepatitis A and other communicable diseases.
Why Public Bathrooms Matter for Economic Vitality
Beyond health concerns, the bathroom shortage costs cities money and undermines economic activity. San Francisco has spent tens of millions of dollars annually cleaning up feces from streets. Shopping districts and parks see fewer visitors when people cannot find accessible restrooms. The lack of public facilities forces residents and tourists to depend on the “generosity and kindness” of business owners or to spend money at cafes to gain access, as Mamdani noted.
Overcoming Infrastructure and Political Barriers
Building public bathrooms has proven historically difficult. Previous New York administrations have struggled with projects that seem simple on the surface but become complicated due to infrastructure requirements. Michael Bloomberg’s 2006 plan to install 20 automated public toilets resulted in only five installations due to community board meetings and lengthy public review processes. San Francisco spent 1.7 million dollars on a single toilet that became the subject of national ridicule. New York City is taking a different approach by turning to modular toilets that do not require connections to underground sewage, water, and power lines. These units are cheaper to install and can be deployed more quickly. One company planning to bid for city contracts is Throne Labs, which installs and maintains bathrooms for approximately 100,000 dollars per year per location. Throne’s bathrooms use phone access and motion sensors to monitor facilities and ensure cleanliness.
Bathrooms as a Symbol of Government Competence
Mamdani views expanded bathroom access as evidence that government can still solve problems in people’s lives. He argues that when residents must rely on private businesses to provide essential services, they lose faith in government’s capacity to address bigger challenges like affordable housing and the cost of living crisis. “This has to be the start of showing what competent government can actually look like,” Mamdani said. “Every time you deliver on this, you are making the best case for New Yorkers to believe in government’s role as a positive force.”
Historical Context: Why America Lost Public Bathrooms
The bathroom shortage is partly historical. During the 19th century, health concerns about disease transmission and street sanitation led cities to invest in public toilet infrastructure. Temperance advocates also pushed for public bathrooms as a way to keep men out of bars during debates over alcohol. Cities built extensive networks ahead of Prohibition to mitigate the impact of bar closures on restroom access. However, New York and other cities closed many bathrooms and cut public services during the 1970s and 1980s budget crises. Public bathrooms have also become flashpoints for battles over race, gender, and social issues, making it harder to build broad political support for investment. Desegregating public restrooms was a major civil rights goal during the 1950s and 1960s. Police targeted bathrooms to arrest gay men. Transgender bathroom access became a contentious issue in recent decades. These historical associations have complicated efforts to expand public facilities in modern times. For more information on public bathroom access and urban design, see resources from the National Association of City Transportation Officials. The National Park Service provides information on public facilities and park design. More on urban planning and public goods is available through the American Planning Association.
