Before reading Miriam Greenberg’s, “Selling the City in Crisis,” I never acknowledged the impact reputational capital had on a City’s economy. From this chapter, Greenberg portrays the importance of public perception in shaping a city’s fiscal condition. With this in mind, civic organizations become a necessity in order to fight bad publicity and its related prospect of economic stagnation.
It seems as though New York’s reputation in the 1960s was a self-fulfilling prophecy because we entered into a cycle where bad publicity led to disinterest and deterrence. For instance, the media consistently portrayed New York as a graffiti tagged and crime infested area. This reputation discouraged both prospective investors seeking to start a business and residents who already lived there. In addition, publicizing and overemphasizing crime made it difficult for existing companies to attract talented employees. As a result, the city experienced a “Corporate Exodus,” where businesses with headquarters in the City found it more appealing to situate elsewhere. Furthermore, because of the corporate flight, the City lost revenue from business travelers, reducing hotel occupancy and tourism in general. The spiral continued downward as middle class residents moved out of the City and relocated in the suburbs where safety and sanitation were of less concern. Hence, it is easy for a City lambasted by negative media to enter into a cycle where negative attitudes become actualize.
Since Greenberg makes it clear that perception has the power to start an economic downturn, it becomes a necessity to keep the City’s image in check. Civic organizations such as ABNY (Association for a Better New York) need to exist regardless of their overall measurable benefit. ABNY was formed with the goal of promoting NYC as business friendly and lobbying for better regulations. Although its economic impact was wiped out by the fiscal crisis of 1975-1976, it still made strides in promoting a healthier image of the City. Strategies such as the Big Apple campaign, operation clean sweep, and operation interlock have survived for decades and restructured the way people perceive New York City. Though there is much to be debated about their involvement in housing and development, ABNY managed to bring news media, and even comedy hosts, to understand the importance of portraying a positive New York City.
Altogether, Greenberg makes the general point that public perception can dictate the economic conditions of a city. New York’s unsavory image during the 1960s turned away residents, tourists, and potential businesses. However, the formation of ABNY to promote economic health through perception and legislation made way for a future of attraction. Hence, it is necessary for civic groups to protect the perception of a City if we hope to escape the cycle that follows bad publicity.
