The Death and Life of Progressive Urbanism

There is an asymmetry between America’s political tribes. Republicans venerate their red states, gushing about the “free state” of Florida and the wonders of Texas—guns anywhere, anytime—and reveling in news of population loss from Democratic-run localities. Liberals can’t quite do the same for New York, California, or Illinois. The political boosterism coming out of those states, whether it’s the unctuousness of Gavin Newsom or the anti-charisma of Kathy Hochul, rings hollow. Within these states, certain cities can be championed, despite the severe dysfunction they have suffered lately. Anyone who thinks “New York City is dead” has spent far too much time rapping on keyboards in the suburbs, and Los Angeles and San Francisco remain more enchanting than anything offered up in red states.