New York City: Six Months To Get A Sign Approved

Execessive government regulation is responsible for New York City's lingering economic problems, writes the Economist. Mayor Bloomberg responds.

2 minute read

September 18, 2003, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


"The steady stream of people leaving Manhattan for other bits of America jumped last year to nearly 30,000... In the end, most of the city's economic problems come back to one thing: government. New York has become a painfully difficult place to do business. For instance, Borders, a bookstore chain that lost an outlet at the World Trade Centre, recently opened on Wall Street to acclaim from every politician in the city. It had taken the store six months and the hiring of specially licensed architects, lawyers and "expeditors" to get its sign approved, a process that elsewhere takes a day. That is New York's burden on business, writ small." Bloomberg's follow-on response, which appeared 9/16 in the New York Sun: "We are not going to walk away from protecting the public just to make it easier to go and open a store. There's a balance and we're going to achieve that balance. We're going to make sure that companies come here.… Let me also point out to you that the store that has a problem in opening here can't open anyplace else because the market that they need is right here. This is the Big Apple, and this is where you can sell goods and services for people that appreciate quality and are willing to pay for it."

Thanks to APA Metro Listserv - Thanks To Dawn Fox

Thursday, September 11, 2003 in The Economist

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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

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.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Front of Walmart store with sign.

Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network

The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.

May 7, 2025 - Inc.

Regeneration of contaminated industrial land used for waste dumping, West Midlands, UK, 2006 .

EPA Awards $267 Million to Clean Up and Reuse Contaminated Sites

The EPA is investing the funds to clean up and redevelop contaminated sites nationwide, supporting economic growth, community revitalization, and environmental restoration.

2 hours ago - Environmental Protection

Archway made of bikes in Knoxville, Tennessee over Tennessee River.

Knoxville Dedicates $1M to New Greenway

The proposed greenway would run along North Broadway and connect to 125 miles of existing trails.

4 hours ago - WATE

25mph speed limit sign with digital "Your Speed" sign below it.

Philadelphia Launches ‘Speed Slots’ Traffic Calming Pilot

The project focuses on a 1.4-mile stretch of Lincoln Drive where cars frequently drive above the posted speed limit.

6 hours ago - WHYY