In a wide-ranging poll looking back at the 12-year tenure of Mayor Bloomberg, New Yorkers overwhelmingly approved of his bike/ped and public health programs, but found his attempts to reform the city's schools and ban sugary drinks objectionable.
"They stirred resistance at every turn, prompting predictions of economic doom, touching off years of lawsuits and spawning a cottage industry of jokes on late-night television," observe Michael Barbaro and Megan Thee-Brenan. "But Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s crusades to restrict smoking, encourage biking, expose calorie counts and sideline automobiles are now overwhelmingly embraced by New York City residents, according to a New York Times poll, making his experiments in behavioral modification an unexpectedly popular hallmark of his legacy."
"Over all, the Times poll offers a portrait of a long-term relationship between mayor and city that remains deeply conflicted and contradictory, marked by almost loveless admiration and an unmistakable yearning for change as Mr. Bloomberg’s third and final term winds to a close," Barbaro and Thee-Brenan add.
After a decade of staggering growth, and a recession that has overly afflicted those less well-off, the poll captures an image of a city that caters to the wealthy. Eighty-five percent of respondents said the city is becoming too expensive for people like them to live in, and fifty-five percent said the mayor's policies favor the rich.
FULL STORY: Poll Shows New Yorkers Are Deeply Conflicted Over Bloomberg’s Legacy
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Significant Investments Needed to Protect LA County Residents From Climate Hazards
A new study estimates that LA County must invest billions of dollars before 2040 to protect residents from extreme heat, increasing precipitation, worsening wildfires, rising sea levels, and climate-induced public health threats.
Federal Rule Raises Cost for Oil and Gas Extraction on Public Lands
An update to federal regulations raises minimum bonding to limit orphaned wells and ensure cleanup costs are covered — but it still may not be enough to mitigate the damages caused by oil and gas drilling.
Opinion: Criminalizing Homelessness Is ‘Expensive and Shortsighted’
Policies that punish and fine unhoused people for sheltering outdoors, even when other shelter is not available, are the most visible but least efficient ways to reduce homelessness.
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