New Yorkers Have More Complaints About Rats

New Yorkers are ratting out rats.

1 minute read

June 16, 2018, 5:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Vermin Graffiti

Ludovic Bertron / Flickr

"New Yorkers are well aware the city has a rat problem, and they are getting more vocal about it," reports Lara Korte in an article that might be behind a paywall for some readers.

"Complaints about the rodents to the city’s 311 line rose 10% last year and have risen each year since 2014, according to a recent analysis, conducted by the apartment rental site Renthop.com," adds Korte. Brooklyn leads the boroughs in the total number of complaints, but there were more complaints per square mile in Manhattan.

It was a year ago that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $32 million initiative to mitigate the city's rat problem. It would appear that the initiative hasn't swayed public perception of the vermin problem. For more rat-related content, see also a post about the 2017 "rattiest cities" rankings.

Thursday, June 14, 2018 in The Wall Street Journal [paywall]

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

1 hour ago - WTTV

Red and black pavilion with visitor information in public park in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Baker Creek Pavilion: Blending Nature and Architecture in Knoxville

Knoxville’s urban wilderness planning initiative unveils the "Baker Creek Pavilion" to increase the city's access to green spaces.

3 hours ago - Dezeen

Adult holding hands of two children, all wearing winter coats, in crosswalk in New York City during holidays with trees decorated with lights in background.

Pedestrian Deaths Drop, Remain Twice as High as in 2009

Fatalities declined by 4 percent in 2024, but the U.S. is still nowhere close to ‘Vision Zero.’

5 hours ago - Streetsblog USA