Council bills would seek bathrooms, maps ahead of World Cup

With the FIFA World Cup a mere two months away, the New York City Council is looking to expand access to public bathrooms and to spread awareness about the myriad of watch parties and street festivals that will take place in the city during the month-long event.

City Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu is introducing two new bills on Thursday aimed at making this happen, he exclusively told City & State. 

One would require the Mamdani administration to come up with a detailed plan to expand access to public restrooms, citing things like extending facilities’ operating hours, installing temporary restrooms in areas likely to receive increased foot traffic and posting clear signs to direct people to where they can be found. The agency tasked with putting the plan together would be required to present it to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin by June 1. 

In a bid to drum up economic activity, the other bill would require the Mamdani administration to create a public calendar compiling watch parties, street festivals, block parties, open streets and other World Cup-related events. Relatedly, the legislation would require the Department of Small Business Services to develop a map highlighting cultural corridors and small businesses with cultural ties to the countries participating in the World Cup. These resources would also be due by June 1.

“All eyes will be on New York during our World Cup matches,” Abreu said. “We are going to make sure that neighborhoods across the city can make the most of the moment.”

More than a million people are expected to stream into the New York, New Jersey region this summer for the World Cup, which begins June 15. While games will technically be played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, New York City is expected to still benefit from a surge of economic activity and tourism. But the influx of people is expected to bring significant logistical challenges.

Public transportation is a big one – many regular riders have expressed concerns about the plan to bar NJ Transit users from Pennsylvania Station for four hours before the start of each match. High prices for hotels have likely contributed to lower than expected hotel bookings in the city, at least so far. The powerful Hotel and GamingTrades Council has threatened to strike if it doesn’t get a new contract ahead of the World Cup. Access to public restrooms in the city is notoriously poor. The city has started denying new permit requests to hold events in city parks and other gathering locations during the World Cup, angering city business improvement districts who’d hoped to host big-ticket events. The city has so far committed to spending $35 million on hosting.