The life sucked out at over $1,000/sq-ft :
"Oversuccess" is overcoming New York City like an isopropyl tsunami, destroying diversity, variety, color, and inventive culture. The average price of a Manhattan 1-bedroom co-op is now $1.3 million; the rule of thumb if you're buying in Manhattan is $1,000 per square foot. Small family-owned stores are in every neighborhood being replaced by bank branches, spas, chain stores, and extremely expensive boutiques for specialty foods or clothing.
Consider the arts and NYC. Is the City an artistic capital? Yes, for what it showcases, but less and less so for what it incubates, what it creates, because the creators--usually young--simply cannot afford to live in New York City. New York's loss will be, I assume, the gain of myriad smaller cities that are, relative to the states they're in, an island of political progressivism, some hint of savvy regarding urban planning, and artistic communities that are more than wholly transient or student-based. Columbus, Portland, Austin, Baltimore, Raleigh to name a few possibilities.
-Izzy
