New York Times animation: "From buildings to bike lanes to painting over Broadway, how New York changed in 12 years of Bloomberg"

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"Mr Bloomberg and Amanda M. Burden, director of the Department of City Planning, rezoned 37 percent of the city and claimed credit for creating opportunities for high-density growth along subway corridors, while preserving low-density neighborhoods. Critics said that this simply cleared the way for gentrification and that the city fell behind on building affordable housing for lower-income New Yorkers.

"An often-cited example is the dilapidated industrial waterfront in Williamsburg, now the city’s nascent fifth skyline. Whether the luxury high-rises of Williamsburg are good or bad for the city is a matter of continuing debate among city politicians and residents, and is even a plot line in the HBO series 'Girls'.

"... The mayor fought a war of attrition with the automobile. He sought to transform bicycling from a recreational activity into a real alternative to cars. By 2013, the city had added about 450 miles of bike lanes, carved mostly from the city's roadways."