Big cities want to attract citizens — people who live right downtown, not just commute from the suburbs to work. One of the reasons Vancouver is such a vibrant city is because people live in the downtown core. At any time of the day or night you’ll find people going to restaurants, coffee shops, bars, concerts, sporting events, but also walking their dogs, dashing out for grocery shopping, visiting their neighbours. I know lots of large cities where the downtown area becomes a science-fiction dystopian landscape at night, the only cars the occasional police car or delivery van.
According to this Houzz article, Mayor Bloomberg is trying to find ways to bring people back into the city to live. And right now, that means getting more apartments into smaller areas.
The city states that there are 1.8 million residents who are singles and couples, but only 1 million studio and one-bedroom apartments in all five boroughs.
He called for a design competition, and a couple of weeks ago he announced a winner. An exhibition of the entries will be held at the Museum of the City of New York until this September.
If you are in the area look it up.
The Lady Who Lives Down the Lane 