No one wins a bet against NYC
COURIER LIFE, AUGUST 21-27, 2020 13
EDITORIAL
For 400 years, New York
has been hit by one major
crisis after another, and
persisted — draft riots, depressions,
world wars, near-bankruptcy,
suburban fl ight, fi res,
terrorist attacks, hurricanes,
pandemics, the list goes on and
on.
Here’s what we’ve gone
through in just the last two decades:
• A massive, coordinated
terrorist attack on Sept. 11,
2001 that killed three thousand
people and caused our two tallest
buildings to collapse.
• A devastating economic
crisis in 2008 that put two of
the city’s biggest investment
fi rms — Bear Stearns and Lehman
Brothers — out of business
and brought our lucrative
fi nancial sector to its knees.
• Superstorm Sandy in 2012
wiped out low-lying areas in
Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan
and Staten Island, leaving our
city with much to rebuild.
• The current COVID-19
pandemic, which killed thousands
of our fellow citizens,
forced the closure of thousands
of businesses, disrupted our
way of life and wrought fi nancial
devastation.
After 9/11, the fi nancial
crisis of 2008, and Superstorm
Sandy, there were plenty of
skeptics who wondered if our
city would survive these crises.
Each time, we did.
Now, as the city slowly but
steadily gets back on its feet
after COVID-19, we’ve heard
one too many hot takes online
about how New York City is allegedly
fi nished.
Frankly, we’re left to roll
our eyes and laugh, because
nobody has ever made money
betting on the demise of New
York City.
Are people leaving the city
now? Yes. But there will be
newcomers to our city in the
years to come. They’ve been
arriving on our shores over
and over again, from across
the country and world, for four
centuries. A virus isn’t going
to stop that trend for very long.
Does New York City have a
crime problem? Yes. Shootings
are too frequent, and property
crimes are increasing. We remember
“the bad old days” of
the 1970s and 1980s like the current
cynics do; the only difference
is that we also remember
that the city overcame them.
Have businesses taken a
devastating hit? Of course they
have. And more must be done
to save those struggling to stay
afl oat. Yet our city’s history
serves to reassure that after
previous economic panics and
depressions, the city lifted itself
from the depths of economic
despair and fl ourished
like never before.
As a city, we should have
more faith in ourselves, and
our ability to persevere.
There’s no doubt we’ve been
hit, but there’s also no doubt
that we will recover. And we’ll
do it our way, with new ideas,
new leaders and new innovations
lifting us up and paving
the way for a rebirth of the
greatest city in the world.
We’ve done it before, why
can’t we do it again?
OP-ED
Why are New Yorkers leaving the
city for something that exists here?
BY CARLO A. SCISSURA
Like many lifelong New
Yorkers, I am beyond tired of
the stories of those decamping
from the city because they are
fed up with the pandemic.
Ignoring the privilege of
having that option, the idea
that New York City will be defeated
by this crisis is a story
that has been played out countless
times, and just like before,
the city will come back stronger.
Those who fl ed will be
drawn back to the greatest city
in the country (if not the world)
when the lights of Broadway
are re-illuminated, when fans
can sit together at a Yankees or
Mets game and when the subway
trains are bursting again.
Those who are looking outside
of New York City for a
peaceful escape do not know
the full beauty and opportunities
that lie within the other
four boroughs and parts of
upper Manhattan. New York
City offers quiet oases across
the city with more than 30,000
acres of parkland and neighborhoods
that are as far from
Manhattan in style as anything
in the suburbs or the
Midwest.
My neighborhood of Bay
Ridge, Brooklyn offers mom
and pop shops, great schools,
and amazing parks all along
the river. Remaining in the
city comes with the benefi ts
and spontaneity of urbanity
that has made New York City
the most populous and revered
in the country. It also supports
the beloved businesses and the
communities we call home.
What we need instead of
people vacating to Westchester
and Connecticut is for New
Yorkers to expand beyond a
Manhattan-centric view of the
city.
Residents seeking tranquil
and spacious living spaces
must remember that the
quiet, leafy neighborhoods in
Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx
and Staten Island are part of
what makes New York so great.
You can even get a driveway,
backyard and garage if that’s
what you’re seeking.
While New Yorkers are
leaving the city in pursuit of
something that has been here
all along, other New York City
residents are taking advantage
of the beautiful and unique
neighborhoods throughout every
borough in the city.
Those who feel discontented
in their current space, or crave
tranquility and spaciousness,
should consider their many
options within the city, rather
than leaving all it has to offer
behind.
One of New York City’s
greatest assets is the wide
and diverse array of neighborhoods,
each defi ned by a
unique culture and offerings.
Flushing, Queens offers
residents a worldly culinary
experience in their own neighborhood
as you hear a different
language spoken with each
street you cross.
The Bronx, home to the
Yankees and the birthplace of
hip-hop, is the greenest borough
with the largest park in
the city, Pelham Bay Park.
Brooklyn, with its booming
arts and cultural scene, offers
the stunning Botanic Garden
and Prospect Park, and let’s
not forget the world’s amusement
park and beaches of Coney
Island.
And of course, Staten Island
has the Ferry, which offers
views of the Statue of Liberty
that can’t be beat, Snug Harbor
Cultural Center and Botanical
Gardens, and some of the most
beautiful neighborhoods anywhere
in NYC. Every corner of
New York City is bursting with
experiences and opportunities
that cannot be found or replicated
elsewhere.
Although some have disparaged
density in light of
COVID-19, it is one of New
York’s greatest assets. Dense
urban areas like our city have
the potential to generate so
much more in taxes from both
residential and commercial development
than lower-density
suburbs, signifi cantly lowering
costs to maintain public
services and infrastructure.
As a result, urban density
improves public health outcomes
like life expectancy,
premature mortality, traffi c
accidents, and obesity. These
metrics are better in New York
City than the nation at large.
Density affords us social services
that take care of our residents
and help ensure the city
runs effi ciently.
Through good times and
bad, New Yorkers must stay
loyal to their city. Turning our
backs on the city that has given
us so much will hurt us all in
the end. To live in the greatest
city in the world is a privilege
and an honor, not one to
turn our backs on in pursuit
of a lifestyle that is attainable
within the city’s limits.
Those who seek more space
must become resourceful and
explore their options beyond
Manhattan to discover the
wonders this city has to offer.
We will continue to invest in
our infrastructure and build
the future of NYC.
To all the New Yorkers looking
for an escape, explore our
energetic, diverse and green
boroughs and fi nd your sanctuary.
To those who decide to
leave I say, fuhgeddaboudit!
Carlo A. Scissura is president
& CEO of the New York
Building Congress.