On Progressive Impotence and an Obsolete Penn Station

In a deep dive into the sad state of the nation's busiest transit hub, Marc J. Dunkelman raises a dispiriting question. In their zeal to ward off future Robert Moseses, have progressives crippled government's power to carry out its job?

2 minute read

December 24, 2019, 11:00 AM PST

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Robert Moses

Robert Moses embodied an era when public authority could get things done, for good and for ill. | C.M. Stieglitz / Wikimedia Commons

"Penn Station is the second most heavily trafficked transit hub in the world, trailing only Tokyo's Shinjuku Station," Marc J. Dunkelman writes. "For more than a generation, New York's most important gateway has been a grimy relic." Determining exactly why that is led Dunkelman on a lengthy investigation into how the politics of infrastructure have evolved in New York City.

His conclusion: Penn Station has languished because political progressives fear the power Robert Moses once wielded and have defanged it over time, tying their own hands along the way. "No one has the leverage to fix [Penn Station]. The sad state of America's most important train station stems more from a failure of power than a failure of leadership. And shockingly enough, that's not by mistake—it's by design."

Dunkelman argues that the publication of Robert Caro's seminal work on Moses, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York, marked the starting point for an anti-power strain on the left that worked in concert with the anti-government right, in reality if not in rhetoric, to undermine public sector effectiveness.

He writes, "Even as progressives have championed Big Government, they've worked tirelessly to put new checks on its power—to pull it away from imperious technocrats who might use government to bulldoze hapless communities. And it's that impulse to protect the powerless from the abuse of public power that is most responsible for the morass that is Penn Station."

Dunkelman's narrative traces how increasingly unambitious plans have been put forward to remake the station, only to run up against a dynamic in which "where so many players can exercise a veto, it's nearly impossible to move a project forward." He goes on, "The Trump era may not be the moment to extol the virtues of unchecked executive power. But Penn Station's story suggests that, for those hoping to achieve traditionally progressive aims, America's cultural aversion to power has gone too far."

Friday, November 29, 2019 in Politico

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

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.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Western U.S. indicating public lands that would be for sale under a Senate plan in yellow and green.

Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands

For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”

June 19, 2025 - Outdoor Life

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Close-up of full beer glass with purple train-themed design sitting on bar between two frosty tall cans.

Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?

TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.

7 hours ago - Cities Today

Vintage red Toronto streetcar passing in front of Rogers Arena in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events

Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”

June 30 - blogTO

Map of Berlin with ring roads in green and red.

Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan

The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.

June 30 - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.