[jd3189]

I don’t mind Philly growing at NYC’s expense. New York needs to update itself and if less people is the way to do that sufficiently, so be it.

Plus, it’s about time the Northeast becomes more balanced in its population distribution. NYC is by far the largest juggernaut with no competition ( 8 million compared to 1.5 million for Philly and under 1 million for Boston, DC, and Baltimore).

NYC is great and awesome, don’t get me wrong. I was born there and still consider it my first home. But a lot of the city’s problems have to be dealt with and maybe having less people will help, especially with easing demand for the subway so that it can finally be updated.

But in terms of the NE again, the whole area is already the most urban in the country and still has room to grow and densify while still maintaining the wilderness that currently exists. Minor cities and towns in between the major cities can densify even more and gain even more public transportation between them. No need to be ultra centralized to the point in which you can’t take care of yourself anymore.