[mikewarot]

It seems to me that NYC has really decided they want to collapse and aren't imploding fast enough.

There is no sane reason to deliberately devalue an urban core like this. They already face property tax collapse due to an occupancy crisis. It'll be like Gary, Indiana (just east of me) before you know it.

If they want to encourage use of mass transit, they should to address that issue directly, rather than this self-sabotage.

[avbanks]

This will actually make living here more attractive. Most people who actually live in the city do not drive, we take public transportation. I don't want to sound condescending but we'd prefer our city to be catered to people who actually live here instead of people who are just visiting. Hopefully this will free up more space for pedestrian zones and bike lanes.

[mikewarot]

NYC is currently optimized for extreme density, with a huge flow of commuters into offices that now are mostly empty. If you want it to turn back into lower density housing, you'll have to find a way to trim back expenses to the point where the debt loads of the city are sustainable.

Without the tax income from all those offices, and the surrounding shops, etc., NYC is unsustainable. It's been that way for a while, reality is catching up.

[avbanks]

The vast majority of workers commute on public transportation. NYC is extremely accessible via public transportation. Catering the city to cars isn't scalable.