Times Square at a crossroads as Mamdani looms and casino defeat underscores urban fragility

Times Square stands at a political and urban crossroads after the defeat of a proposed casino project that would have been led by SL Green and Caesars Entertainment, a development critics said could have anchored transit and pedestrian improvements. The outcome coincides with the rising likelihood of Zohran Mamdani becoming mayor, a prospect opponents say could reshape policing and public-safety priorities in a way that would affect this neighborhood as much as any other.

Supporters of the casino argued the project would have delivered about $250 million in direct payments for transit and pedestrian improvements, while broader economic benefits were touted by proponents. But observers say Times Square is more troubled now than it has been in two decades. The 27% office-vacancy rate stands well above the Manhattan average, and the sprawling Times Square subway station has grown grungier in recent years while commuters and workers juggle higher rents with flatter demand. The area known as the Deuce, the 42nd Street block between Seventh and Eighth avenues, remains blighted by vacant showplaces and stubborn block-long concrete barriers installed by the city for reasons that critics say are no longer clear. A long-gestating project to reopen the long-dark Times Square Theater remains stalled, and the former home of BB Kings Blues Club has sat dark since 2018.

As the casino proposal faltered, the broader urban picture grew murkier. Large crowds continue to gather around the Red Steps at West 47th Street and at pop-up entertainments in pedestrian plazas, but observers say confidence in Times Square’s appeal has eroded. The site at 1515 Broadway, the proposed casino address, illustrates the tension: Paramount Global, the sole office tenant, is expected to lay off tens of thousands of employees as it reorganizes, a development that would likely depress daily foot traffic and spending in the district.

The Times Square Alliance, a local business group, has sought to push back against wholesale decline by clearing illegal pot shops and reclaiming street space, and it has been involved in recent efforts to bolster the area’s image. This fall, a redesigned One Times Square will open a visitors center, a Broadway museum and a viewing deck, though questions remain about what visitors will see from the top floor amid ongoing concerns about safety and cleanliness.

The looming political question is whether a Mamdani administration would pursue a softer approach to policing or a more permissive stance toward quality-of-life issues that some residents and business leaders fear could embolden disorder. In the opinion pages, some commentators have warned that relaxing law-enforcement posture could have consequences for Times Square’s safety perception and its ability to attract theatergoers, shoppers and workers. While crime has been relatively low compared with past decades—murders are not recorded this year, and overall felonies remain below levels from a decade ago—perception matters in a place whose fortunes have long depended on visitors feeling secure and welcomed.

The broader context is stark. The area’s rush of corporate relocations and closures over the past decade helped drive a narrative of decline: Conde Nast departed in 2014, and this year ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS Mornings moved on, prompting even some landlords to rethink the value of peak-time office space near Broadway. The 5 Times Square address has seen sparse demand, prompting at least one major conversion to residential use. In this $250 million question of transit investments and neighborhood revitalization, observers say the casino project would have likely provided a direct, visible source of funding for improvements, but its defeat leaves a more uncertain future for the district.

Despite the uncertainties, Times Square is not a historical anachronism. A fall lineup of new attractions and ongoing efforts to restore confidence point to a potential rebound, but the road ahead remains contingent on city leadership, investor willingness to commit to the district, and public safety policies that do not erode the sense of security that keeps visitors returning. As the city watches the Mamdani race unfold, Times Square will continue to illustrate a larger dynamic: the tension between ambitious redevelopment and the need to preserve a neighborhood that is simultaneously a symbol of New York and a living, evolving urban ecosystem.