Comments: The risk of being murdered on the NYC subway is comparable to being struck by lightning? I assume those struck by lightning are outside at the time…

Comments: The risk of being murdered on the NYC subway is comparable to being struck by lightning? I assume those struck by lightning are outside at the time…I go inside when lightning threatens, thus mitigating or eliminating that risk. What can I do on the subway? If nothing, that subway risk is much higher than the lightning risk. Not a comparison that gives one the warm and fuzzies. The elephant in the room is the mention of “decaying older infrastructure” combined with “very expensive [and very slow to deploy] new infrastructure”. If upgrading old (ancient by technology standards) is practically impossible, then maintenance becomes a Ship of Theseus problem. Charming from a “look how our ancestors used donkey carts” sort of way, but ultimately NYC becomes a laughing stock for the developed world. Not the look NYC is going for, I assume. Changing this situation requires a dramatic structural change in how NYC operates and envisions itself, dare I say a Giuliani/Moses approach. Unfortunately, the best suited for that job will soon be taking on the office of US President, whether you like him or not. Population density doesn’t mean a city is succeeding. Unless Mogadishu and the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh is your idea of even greater success. The author sounds like someone who has spent so long living in Manhattan that he has become desensitized to the many issues it faces. Issues patently obvious to newcomers with fresh eyes. It’s human nature, but eventually the water gets too hot for any frog in the beaker… Manhattan/NYC has the additional problem of being so densely populated that any crime has a larger “blast radius” as measured by the number of citizens directly or indirectly affected by the crime. (“I walk on that street every day, and did you hear what happened?”). So the perceived crime rate/impact is much greater, which grinds on you almost as badly as actually experiencing those crimes. Lucky NYC. Wicked problems all. Wish the East Coast cities all the luck in addressing them. Those citizens are Americans too. Letting the Bronx burn really isn’t an option nowadays.