ARCHIVES OF THE MAYOR'S WEEKLY COLUMN Archives of Rudolph W. Giuliani

Further Improving the Quality of Life in New York City

I recently outlined our plans for the next phase of improving the quality of life in New York City. When I first took office in 1994, my administration concentrated not only on the big things, like reducing the violent crime rate, moving people from welfare to work, and creating private sector jobs, but also on the so-called little things.
Because the fact is that if we hadn't focused from day one on the little problems that make a big difference in the everyday lives of the people of this city, the quality of life in New York would not have been transformed to the degree that it has.

Just think about what a big difference it makes - and how much better it makes you feel - to ride in a clean subway car instead of one filled with graffiti. That's the difference between living in the old New York City and New York City today. There were subtle but unmistakable signs that it was acceptable to damage public property.
Quality of life initiatives have been the cornerstone of our successful efforts to make our city what it is today - the safest large city in America. Crime has been reduced 57%, but we want to ensure that New York is always looking for ways to build on its successes.

Quality of Life Initiative 2000 will address prostitution, noise, panhandling, public consumption of alcohol, squeegees, and graffiti, among other quality of life violations. The initiative will also address conditions relating to homelessness. For the first time, we'll be applying Compstat to our quality of life enforcement efforts. This highly effective management tool will greatly enhance the NYPD's ability to identify and target problematic areas in all five boroughs, further reducing crime and improving the quality of life in our city.

Borough and precinct commanders have canvassed their commands to determine the presence and level of quality of life violations. Precinct commanders will ensure coordination of NYPD resources with other City agencies until the quality of life condition is corrected, and will also continue to monitor the affected area.

Precinct commanders will also utilize information provided by the Mayor's Quality of Life Hotline. The Hotline, (888) 677-LIFE (5433), has been improved to help ensure immediate police response to complaints of in-progress violations. The Hotline is available for all New Yorkers to report non-emergency community conditions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To further improve New York City's quality of life during this holiday season, we are again implementing a Holiday Traffic Control Plan to help alleviate the traffic congestion on our city's streets. The City will have zero tolerance for individuals who block the box or double-park.

I encourage visitors and New Yorkers alike to take advantage of the 'One City-One Fare' program, utilize the City's mass transit system through the holiday season, and consider the new "Park and Ride Wednesdays" program at Shea Stadium.

A record number of travelers are expected to visit our city this holiday season, and many are attracted by our rich cultural offerings. In the 21st Century, New York will continue to be home to the finest museums. The Museum of Modern Art is in the process of expanding, and we've just announced that the City is making a major, $67.8 million commitment to funding a new Guggenheim museum building in Lower Manhattan.

Whether you're a visitor or a New Yorker, I wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season in the greatest city in the world.