AN OPTIMIST’S FORECAST: New York’s Dynamism Will Triumph. Yes, people are fleeing now, but when social-distancing is a distant memory, the city could bounce back: “While smaller cities may have charm and some unique offerings, larger, global cities can do things that smaller ones cannot, such as attracting the finest talent and providing a more diverse array of services. In this way, large cities are a kind of self-perpetuating machine.” Unless, of course, you have a mayor like Bill de Blasio — but he’ll be gone before the virus is.