R. Kikuo Johnson’s cover for March 31, 2025 issue of The New Yorker shows a quiet moment of struggle: a parent carrying a stroller down subway stairs while the city rushes by above.

It’s everyday life for many — and a reminder of how cities often forget the people who need the most support. In the U.S., the birth rate has fallen by more than 20% since 2007, reaching a record low of 1.62 births per woman in 2023, according to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.

In New York City, births dropped nearly 10% between 2019 and 2021 alone (NYC Department of Health). As fewer people have children, city design has followed suit. Elevators are rare or unsafe. Ramps, changing rooms, nursing spaces — all things that make parenting in public possible — are often missing or overlooked. When families become less visible, so does the need to design for them.

This isn’t just about parents. It’s about empathy. The same features that help someone with a stroller also help someone in a wheelchair, or someone aging, or just someone having a hard day.

Accessibility is about making life easier, safer, and more human — for everyone. If we want cities to be livable, they need to be more than efficient.

They need to be kind. That means designing for care, for slowness, for struggle.

It means remembering that a good city doesn’t just move people — it carries them when they need it.