City Journal Audio – "A History of Movement in New York City"

Date: January 17, 2025
Host: Brian Anderson (A), Editor of City Journal
Guest: Nicole Gelinas (B), Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute and Author of Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car

Overview

In this episode of the 10 Blocks podcast, host Brian Anderson welcomes Nicole Gelinas to discuss her new book, Movement: New York’s Long War to Take Back Its Streets from the Car. The conversation offers a nuanced examination of how New York City transformed from a car-dominated metropolis—shaped predominantly by Robert Moses—toward a renewed emphasis on transit, walkability, and urban life. Gelinas and Anderson dissect the cultural, political, and practical forces that altered the city’s trajectory, investigate the legacy of key figures (Robert Moses, Jane Jacobs, and grassroots activists), and consider contemporary challenges such as public safety on transit and the introduction of congestion pricing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Genesis of "Movement" and Overcoming the Moses Myth

• Gelinas describes the book as the culmination of decades of research on urban transportation in New York.
• She was motivated by the pervasive belief in the “Robert Moses trap”—the notion that the urban landscape is unchangeable because of Moses’s decisions, despite his long-absence from city power.
• Key Insight: New York’s transit history post-Moses is rich with stories of transformation and citizen action.

  “Moses has been dead for more than 40 years... should we really be acting as if we’re so helpless that we can’t make major changes?” (B, 02:28)

The Moses Era: Genius or Zeitgeist?

• Moses is praised for his administrative genius but is cast as reflecting the will of the city’s elite and population—contrary to the myth of the solitary mastermind.

• His projects (highways, expressways, bridges) were executed because they matched the era’s widespread belief that cars equaled progress.

  “This idea that Moses... had this secret plan to foist upon New York things that elected officials and the press and the populace did not want... just not the case.” (B, 05:41)

• Criticism during Moses’s reign was about speed, not substance—elites often wanted him to act faster.

The Shift Toward Transit and Urbanism

• By the 1960s, it became clear that catering to cars did not stem suburban flight and, in fact, often worsened urban quality of life (pollution, noise, danger).
• Emergence of a new political base (gentrifiers, activists in neighborhoods like Greenwich Village) led to innovative political advocacy against further highway expansion.
• The defeat of projects like the Lower Manhattan Expressway was possible because activists learned to pressure elected officials, not just Moses himself.

The Role of Jane Jacobs and Grassroots Activism

• Jacobs is recognized as pivotal, but she built upon the strategies developed by earlier activists such as Shirley Hayes.
• Victory over the Lower Manhattan Expressway was as much about political expediency—Mayor Lindsay’s need for liberal voters—as about the activism itself.

  “If you want to beat Moses, you don’t put the pressure on Moses. You put the pressure on the elected officials who control Moses.” (B, 11:09)

Lessons for Planners: Balancing Mobility and Livability

• The car has a legitimate place in NYC, but the majority must rely on mass transit for economic and urban health.
• Sustained prosperity is contingent upon effective subways, buses, and safe streets for all users.
• Law and order in traffic (enforcing the rules of the road) is crucial for everyone’s quality of life.

  “If more people tried to come in by private car, you would just have complete gridlock… So… the focus should always be: how do we build a better mass transit system?” (B, 13:43)

Public Safety and the Return to Pre-Covid Ridership

• Ridership has struggled to recover since Covid, correlating strongly with increased crime on subways (43 homicides in five years, compared to one or two a year in previous decades).
• The regression is attributed to both reduced enforcement of minor offenses and a breakdown in public safety mechanisms.

  “We’ve crammed 20 years worth of subway homicides into five years. A massive deterioration in public safety.” (B, 16:51)

Congestion Pricing: Hopes and Caveats

• The introduction of congestion pricing (January 2025) has reduced vehicle traffic in Manhattan by 8%—too early for definitive conclusions.
• Key concerns: Are former drivers shifting to transit or just avoiding the city? Is reduced congestion causing unfamiliar risks? Will new revenue actually address the MTA’s needs given its chronic cost overruns?

  “Just saying, ‘Oh, traffic’s down...’ that’s only a very small part of the whole story.” (B, 19:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Moses Myth:
  “It’s like the Wizard of Oz—there’s no there there when it comes to an unelected person forcing a vision of New York that New York otherwise would not have wanted.” (B, 06:41)

• On Grassroots Power:
  “Shirley Hayes... was really the first to crack the code: if you want to beat Moses, you don’t put the pressure on Moses. You put the pressure on the elected officials who control Moses.” (B, 11:09)

• On Public Safety and Transit Recovery:
  “No question that New York has a long way to go with its criminal justice system and with a functional mental health system before we get back to pre-Covid public safety levels on the subway.” (B, 17:45)

• On Congestion Pricing:
  “Congestion pricing is really not going to change people’s day to day commute.” (B, 20:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:15 – Introduction; Nicole Gelinas’s credentials and the genesis of her book
• 01:15–03:48 – Motivation for writing "Movement," questioning the Moses legacy
• 03:48–06:51 – Moses’s achievements: vision, execution, and the myth of imposition
• 06:51–10:16 – Forces leading to the shift away from the car; the rise of activist politics
• 10:16–12:29 – Jane Jacobs’s true role and the power of coalition-building
• 12:29–14:58 – Lessons for planners; the continued need for balance between cars and transit
• 14:58–17:50 – Public safety, ridership declines, and the legacy of Broken Windows policing
• 17:50–20:22 – Congestion pricing: early signs, remaining questions, and structural funding issues for MTA
• 20:22–21:03 – Conclusion and references to the book’s availability

Tone & Style

The conversation balances historical rigor with pragmatic considerations for contemporary urban life, blending reflection, analysis, and direct commentary. Gelinas is thoughtful, data-driven, and clear-eyed about the difficulties and trade-offs in New York’s struggle for better mobility.

For those interested in the dynamic interplay between policy, politics, and city life, this episode provides a comprehensive, engaging primer on the past, present, and likely future of movement in New York City.