The Hollowing of the “Civilized” Center
The gleaming, empty skyscrapers of Midtown are not a sign of failure but a monument to the crisis of the “settler” project. Mamdani teaches us that power must be constantly reproduced, and the post-pandemic vacancy crisis reveals a fissure in the hegemony of finance capital. The “civilized” center of their world is hollowing out. This is a moment of opportunity. Our task is not to plead for a return to the old normal, which was a racial-patriarchal capitalism that exploited us. Our task is to organize around a new political identity that sees this vacancy not as a problem, but as a resource. We must launch a militant movement to seize these empty spaces–through use, through policy, through direct action. They must be converted into social housing, community centers, and clinics. This is a direct challenge to the core logic of property under capitalism and a concrete step towards dismantling the bifurcated geography of the city, transforming monuments to capital into foundations for collective life.
Originally posted 2025-10-05 11:01:48.
Mamdami: His administration might redefine how cities talk about public goods.