What I found most interesting about Mr. Salvo’s presentation was the sheer number of people that reside in New York City. Although I was aware that New York City is the most populous city in the US, seeing its population relative to other large cities was quite striking. New York City is more than double the size of Los Angeles, and four of the five boroughs would have ranked in the list of most populous cities in the US, had they been considered cities.

 

This data helps explain some governance issues that arise in this giant city. The population here is so large and so diverse that making citywide decisions on government spending and services is very difficult. Thus the borough presidents and the city councilmembers must be very much aware of how their constituents’ needs play into the agenda of the entire city.

 

As a fun aside, the population size also explains “borough loyalty.” New Yorkers tend to identify by their borough, not their city (As in, “I’m from Brooklyn,” rather than “I’m from NYC.”). Considering the boroughs size and diversity, such identification makes perfect sense.