Eric Adams and Kathy Hochul have grand plans for New York City

Can office blocks be converted into places to live?

Commuters on a subway train in New York, US, on Wednesday, Dec 21, 2022. New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the largest US transit system, approved a $19.2 billion operating budget for 2023 that anticipates a 5.5% fare hike, spending cuts and reduced service on some subway lines. Photographer: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images — Rooms without a viewImage: Getty Images

Jan 5th 2023|NEW YORK

By 2023, NEW YORK’s leaders had hoped, America’s biggest city would be as strong as ever, the pandemic’s impact as fleeting as clouds over its skyline. If only. As of mid-September only half of Manhattan office workers actually go to work in Manhattan. Spending at restaurants and bars in the city’s big business districts is 23% below its pre-pandemic levels. As fewer commuters ride trains, the subway system is cutting its service on Mondays and Fridays. It looks unlikely that New York will return to its old version of normal. The question now is how the city might advance to a better one.

This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “Business time”