The assessment that Mose’s only damaged New York would ignore any positive effects that his projects had on the city. It is true that the way Mose’s “reign” affected many poorer, non-white residents was detrimental to the standard of living in the city. As a result, these residents were displaced and marginalized, which further resulted in the development of more slums. Furthermore, the methods Mose used set a dangerous precedent for future political leaders in the future. The two-faced, organized corruption schemes could be, and were, implemented by others seeking political power and influence. His blackmail and defamation model, for example, were the same tactics made famous by Joseph McCarthy soon after. However, the contributions that streamlined development made to the city cannot be ignored either. In particular, the construction of Lincoln Center, modern highways, and the UN likely boosted the position of NYC as a cultural, national, and global center, bolstering a majestic image that may have helped fuel more tourism, and therefore business, to the city. Moreover, the development of parks, playgrounds, and beaches may have had a positive contribution, at least to the lives of those who could take advantage of them and the perception of NYC from nonresidents. Overall, it is unlikely that these positives, for the vast majority of the city’s residents, had an impact that was significant enough to outweigh the negatives. The merit of Mose’s building, it seems, is not seen from within as much as it likely is from without.
