How New York City is Changing

It is arguably the most recognizable city on the planet. No matter where you live, images of the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and even Central Park, immediately alert you to the fact that you are looking at New York City. It is one of the busiest places in the world – famously the city that never sleeps – so a continual cycle of transformation should be expected.

But anyone who walked the streets of 1970s and 1980s New York must be shocked at just how much the place has changed in the intervening years. Everything changes, of course. Residents can expect cashless stores, order just about anything on their mobile phones, and select from a number of New York betting apps. But this city, above many others, has drastically altered its look.

Those famous buildings are still there. But the places and life around them have made the city a different place. A lot has happened in even just the last ten years but the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns had a huge effect too. There will be some that bemoan the passing of more edgy days in New York. But there is no doubt that nothing stands still in this particular city.

Regeneration

If you take a look at photographs of the Lower East Side in the early 1980s it would be difficult not to think that the change in the last 40 years has been a good thing overall. Back when the city was going bankrupt and the government was refusing to bail it out, parts of New York City looked like a warzone, rather than one of the most electrifying places on Earth.

But the regeneration of the city has not been without its critics. Pricing existing communities out of neighborhoods they have called home for generations might be a story of New York but a new wealth barrier has now been introduced. This gentrification has also brought regeneration though, with disused parts of the city getting a new lease of life – such as the High Line in Manhattan.

Waterfront Development

It is curious to think that for decades, nearly every major city in the world that had previously relied on its position on the water for its early success had left those same parts of the city alone once they became less of use. Run-down docks and port areas were a common site everywhere, including in New York.

But developers spotted the opportunity to change waterfronts and those in New York City have really gone to town. Brooklyn is one of the most desirable places to live now – and with unparalleled views of Manhattan, it is not really a surprise. Even a devastating and deadly hurricane in 2012 did not stop the obsession with building taller and taller structures overlooking the water across the city.

A Move Outside

Although there has not been the same kind of reclaiming the streets projects that Parisians have enjoyed in recent years, there has been a slight move outside for New Yorkers too. Initially, this was something forced upon businesses when the pandemic hit. But there are still remnants from the lockdown still thriving.

Even in a city that relies more on public transportation than other US cities, there will always be some pushback on the idea of more streets being used for pedestrian and community activities than for cars. But locals have largely welcomed restaurants and bars extending their businesses into the street and they have become a new attraction for the city.

Retail Places

One of the major reasons why those businesses have had to think creatively is the fact that so many of them have not been able to survive, of course. After the recession of the 2000s, many established businesses were already finding it difficult to carry on. The lockdowns then finished many of them off.

Rental space had already become eye-wateringly expensive and the inability to trade meant that many stores never opened up again after 2022. We have moved to a more online retail experience as well and have gotten used to seeing more boarded up shop fronts. New York City is no different to anywhere else in this regard and creative use of spaces is needed to keep some places alive.

A Gradual Move to Sustainability

One of the more positive moves for New York is the direction the city is making in the form of sustainability. We have already mentioned that this is a place where more people use public transport – and there are also more multi-family homes – so it is at an advantage compared to other cities in the US.

But there are a lot of old apartment buildings that are energy inefficient, so more positive regulations will be needed to combat that. It is encouraging that successive administrations have acted on environmental issues, even if there might be demand for more. There does seem to be a genuine desire for a more sustainable city across the board though, so these gradual developments should be welcomed.

The People

The city might start to look a little different and the demographics may shift over time but the identity of New Yorkers will probably never change. There have been changes in population over the last 10 years or so, as new groups have made the city their own. But a sense of pragmatism, creativity, and energy never seems to disappear.

There are plenty of challenges facing New York City – and the people who run it – in the next few years. But that innate New York spirit always seems to survive. This city came back from the brink in the 1970s and proved that it could handle just about everything. All cities change over time and we are now just experiencing the latest chapter in the story of New York.