But It Just Can’t Be, Not In A Decade That Produced Such An Infectiously Inspiring Jay-Z/Alicia Keys Song!

Four years ago the mayor warned that New York City would have to deal with one million more people by 2030. That shocking number was meant to justify large-scale infrastructure projects, and in fact precipitated an entire blueprint suitable for mayoral-sized (or presidential-sized) aspirations.

One million people is a lot of people — New York only grew by one million people between the 1930s and the present — so it was kind of baffling why anyone would believe the mayor.

So anyway, the 2010 Census Bureau figures are out, and it turns out that population growth hasn’t exactly kept up with that torrid pace:

The Census Bureau claims 8,175,133 people were living in New York when it counted heads last spring.

That’s the highest number ever, but still just a meager 2.1% increase from 10 years before.

So if New York only gained 166,855 residents between 2000 and 2010, that’s 16,685.5 a year, well below the 50-some-odd thousand per year needed to meet the mayor’s fear-mongering predictions. The Daily News piece seems to support the angle that the census is wrong — right, shoot the messenger.

Critics will argue that urban populations are chronically undercounted. Fine — but this is a census in which even Philadelphia gained residents, reversing a decades-long decline.

In New York City’s case, I don’t think it’s the Census Bureau’s fault more than it is a matter of opportunistic politicians ginning up crises to gain support for projects intended to help themselves self-aggrandize their way into a place in history. Maybe we should just build a bridge already and attach someone’s name to it — looks better on maps anyway.

So why is this such a big deal? For one, look at the Willets Point (.pdf), the city initiative that is using eminent domain to strip business owners of their livelihoods. One of the stated purposes of the plan is to fulfill the goals of PlaNYC:

The proposed Plan would be consistent with and vital to the advancement of several of the goals of PlaNYC, which aims to create a more sustainable New York by the year 2030.

Which is to say, if the “one million new people” is a mirage, and if goals like the redevelopment of Willets Point are key components of PlaNYC, then why should the City proceed with the eminent domain abuse going on there?

That’s when it goes beyond just one man’s “vision” for the future.