It all depends on the goalposts. Seems like a weird set of metrics whose relevance isn’t clear. Of course approved construction projects are going to take long

It all depends on the goalposts. Seems like a weird set of metrics whose relevance isn’t clear. Of course approved construction projects are going to take longer - demolishing a 19th century 6 story building is trivial compared to a mid century high rise. Construction is a cutthroat business, so I’m sure that if velocity was the gating factor, the companies would find a way. I’ve been involved in construction projects as a stakeholder, and NYC isn’t slower to navigate if you have a team that knows how to navigate NYC. I can think of a couple of projects in random suburbia, CA that took longer to permit than the total duration of a NYC project. Government contracting is totally different, as New York law is knowingly designed to maximize employment. Most government projects do not allow a single general contractor and require separate bids for different components of the building, for example. You also cannot design and build a project in most cases.