The ballet isn’t happening on the sidewalk anymore. You can try telling a wholesome story about the interplay of the neighborhood butcher, the baker, and the Chinese herbal medicine shop owner, to the extent that they still exist. Of course, amusing, surprising, eccentric things still occur in New York on a daily basis. But the most desirable and e... See more

As the U.S. became more urban, it also became less equitable in terms of income distribution. And the distribution of income in cities like New York is even more unequal than the average for the whole country. The distance between the top and the bottom increased, and it became more difficult to move beyond one's existing class. Absolute economic m... See more