Harvard economist Ed Glaeser—who writes so much about New York that NYU might want to drop him a line—writes about why New Yorkers, who used to die considerably faster than other Americans, are now living longer. Particularly, Glaeser says, older New Yorkers.

The health of New York City’s older cohorts remains something of a mystery, but there is no doubt that the city is no longer a place marked by death and disease. Not only are big cities places of remarkable economic productivity and cultural vitality, but they are also healthy places to live.

(Props to Professor Glaeser, by the way, whose contributions to the Times’ Economix blog are consistently interesting, and a great example of how academics can translate their work into more accessible fora. Where are the Harvard humanists?)

Here, by the way, is yesterday’s Monday Morning Zen, taken from the Governor’s Island ferry looking at southern Manhattan.

(When my new iPhone arrives, the quality of these pictures is going to improve!)

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