7 Things Every New Yorker Wants To Happen In 2016 (But Don’t Hold Your Breath)

Katherine Ripley • January 13, 2016

7 Things Every New Yorker Wants To Happen In 2016 (But Don't Hold Your Breath)

A new year always comes with abundant opportunities to make the city a better place. But how likely is it that these changes will actually happen?

1. A Solution To Homelessness

Commuters can only dig into their pockets so many times to help the needy who are panhandling on the subway. Mayor De Blasio made a promise to address homelessness in the city, but his plan is worrying to some advocates, and it seems the number of homeless is only growing.

2. More Affordable Housing

This map shows you where you can live in NYC if you only make minimum wage, and there aren’t many options. Thankfully, the city is soon getting a minimum wage increase, but we don’t want that increase to only come with another increase in rent prices. Affordable housing should be a human right.

3. The 2nd Ave Subway Line

There are some big changes coming to the subways this year, but the 2nd Ave line will not be one of them. Construction for Phase II of the project was been pushed off until 2019, after it lost a billion dollars in funding.

4. Police Reform

Recent pictures on an NYPD cop’s Instagram account reveal that the police force in this city is desperately in need of an attitude change. But with cop union leaders vowing to boycott Quentin Tarantino’s films rather than listening to the concerns of the director and his fellow protestors, such a change is not likely to happen any time soon.

5. Universal WiFi

This is something that we’re actually on our way to getting. The first WiFi kiosk was installed a couple weeks ago. It will take eight years for all of the kiosks to be installed all over the city, but pretty soon you’ll almost never have to be away from WiFi.

6. A Cleaner New York

In 2015, NYC was declared the most wasteful city on the planet. We produce over twice as much garbage as any other major city in the world. To solve our trash problem, we need a more efficient system of recycling and more composting centers—or better yet, a formal system of compost collection. But that might not be high on the priority list. It’s not like this is Portland.

7. More Fun, Affordable Events

This one you don’t have to wait for! Our favorite event discovery app, Fever, will continue to feature the best events in the city at exclusive prices. Download it, if you haven’t already, so you don’t miss out on the exclusive deals for Webster Hall tickets, indie concerts, off-Broadway shows, work-out classes, and more.

Cover photo credit: Loïc Lagarde/Flickr