Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Dan Doctoroff

The New Jane Jacobs vs. the New Robert Moses?

carter_doctoroff.jpg

New York Magazine talks to Majora Carter:

Janelle Nanos: Part of Moses's legacy is the idea that to get anything done in the city, it needs to be done by fiat. Do you see that happening again now? Majora Carter: Absolutely. Partially, it's a coliseum mentality, that it has to be big or it doesn't matter. The problem with the big projects of Moses and now Doctoroff is that they don't think about what the long-term impacts are of exercising that much power on people who have none. It's the idea that people are in the way.

Nanos: It's interesting that you group Doctoroff and Moses together. Do you think the deputy mayor sees himself as the new Moses?

Carter: Oh, God, yeah. Completely. He thinks he's the man.

But the deputy mayor disagreed during his sit down with the New York Observer:

I don't think that any comparison between the period that Moses was active and today is really that relevant. The biggest difference is the need for community input.

With very few exceptions, we have really made an effort to reach out to local communities and understand their needs. Moses was a believer that it was experts who were able to divine what was best for the community or the city on the whole.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Cyclist Badly Injured By Truck Driver at Busy Midtown Corner

The victim may have lost her leg, one witness said.

West Siders: Better Bike Lanes, Not Bans, Will Make Central Park Safer

Central Park needs protected bike lanes at its perimeter and on its transverses to keep non-recreational users out.

January 14, 2026

Not So Fast: Advocates Aren’t Sold on Gov. Hochul’s AV Push

"There is no evidence that autonomous vehicles help us achieve our goals to make our state or city’s streets more people-centered," one group said.

January 14, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines: Hochul Has Her Say Edition

The "State of the State" is Mamdani — but Hochul is still the governor. Plus more news.

January 14, 2026

Opinion: Stop Asking If People Want to Ride Bikes

"We shouldn’t be aiming to nudge a few percentage points in public opinion. Our goal should be to make freedom of mobility so compelling that people demand it."

January 14, 2026

SCOUT’s Honor: Hochul To Expand MTA Program Pairing Nurses and Cops to Combat Mental Illness in Subways

Gov. Hochul's pitch to state lawmakers follows a nine month-long investigation by Streetsblog into how New York's social safety net struggles to help ill people in the subway.

January 13, 2026
See all posts