Gotham: The Fall and Rise of New York

The transformation and revival of New York is one of the most remarkable stories in urban history. New York was a failing city that by 1990 had over 2,200 murders, 93,000 violent robberies and 147,000 car thefts annually with a declining middle class, depressed property values and embarrassingly low educational attainment. But then something happened. It was not the result of broader social or economic forces. Instead, it was an intellectual paradigm shift and revolution that only came about because of political leadership, a new set of ideas about governing and established tradition being questioned and changed at the grassroot level. As the 400th anniversary of New York approaches in 2024, we find out what was behind the Fall and Rise of New York.