Text size:

The sterilization of New York City

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer
More stories | jsilverman@am-ny.com and Rolando Pujol, amNewYork Managing Editor

November 16, 2007

The many, squeaky clean faces of New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg

Healthy City
-Smoking ban: The 2003 law was a breath of fresh air for thousands of smoky bars.

-Trans fat ban: Landmark 2006 vote that made NYC the first city in America to prohibit these artery-clogging artificial oils.

Green City
-A sweeping 127-point proposal, plaNYC 2030, includes creating more bike-lanes, planting a million trees, eliminating sales tax on hybrid cars and making all city buildings energy efficient.

Quiet City
-A new noise code went into effect in July, and gave police officers access to decibel meters for the first time.

Clean City
-The mayor is trying, unsuccessfully as of yet, to get state approval for a new sanitation facility on the Chelsea waterfront to make it easier to ship the trash out of Manhattan.

Concierge City
-Rolls out 311 phone line, where New Yorkers can complain about practically anything, and, surprising for a once "ungovernable city," can get results.

Safe City
-Led a legal challenge against dozens of out-of-state gun dealers to prevent illegal weapons from ending up on NYC streets.

Sleek City
-Championed the installation of stylish (and uniform) bus shelters and newsstands. The latter is controversial, as it will replace hundreds of ramshackle and uniquely New York structures.

Suburban City
-Mega banks, chain stores and condo towers make the city increasingly inhospitable for quirky mom-and-pop shops.

Ritzy City
-Even as the national real estate bubble eases, housing just keeps getting more expensive, making living in the five boroughs -- and without question Manhattan -- harder and harder.