Mayor Bloomberg's European Vision for New York City

One of the Dingiest and Dirtiest Cities in America Might Be the First to Experience the Green Urban Revolution Out of Necessity

Hiring Janette Sadik-Khan as Commissioner of NYC Department of Transportation might prove to be Mike Bloomberg's most important act while in office. Commissioner's directive to close off traffic in areas like Times and Herald Square is one of the key new ways to move city forward. Considering that 47 million tourists visited the city in 2007 alone, having the eye candy heartland of Manhattan dominated by cars is inexcusable.

Many of the tourists are Europeans who are used to main city streets being narrow, walkable, and accessible for bicycles if the need arises. Being herded like cattle in dense human traffic is bearable but only to a point. The additional unpleasantries of noise and air pollution from endless gigantic American cars do not make return visits to NYC attractive.

Michael Bloomberg, a longtime admirer of London's design, has been increasing the amount of fees cars pay on their way through NYC for a few years now. That didn't seem to make much of a visual impact besides bringing additional revenue from transient passengers needing to get to and from Long Island. New visible measures (that create a feel of being in a new era) are about to be implemented.

Many domestic and foreign tourists dont just come to NYC for the interesting experience of feeling like ants next to awe inspiring architecture. There is the practical consideration of shopping. Major countries in Europe, like Germany and France, have major restrictions on frequency and degree of store discounts. Sales and variety of brand goods seen in stores like Century 21 and Daffys are mind boggling to Europeans. In the past few years we've also seen the price of the euro and the pound rise considerably against the dollar. Making a fly over to NYC became not just a tourist experience for many visitors but a business trip of sorts.