Dear Friends,

Is there anything that makes a New Yorker happier than spring? Those first cheery daffodils, the tulips and new grass, and when the trees burst into flower before leafing out. It's a glorious spectacle of health and vibrancy in our parks and other open spaces, and it's the most wonderful time of year to be in New York.

And every year, more people want to visit and live in our city. Like many of you, I listened eagerly to Mayor Bloomberg's Earth Day speech as he described how New York is expected to grow by a million new residents over the next quarter century. That growth will stretch our housing, transportation systems, and parks to their limit. The Mayor urged us all to do the responsible thing — to act now so that our children inherit a healthy, sustainable, forward-thinking New York. Mr. Bloomberg has laid out a comprehensive plan that gets us from here to there with our marvelous city not only intact but greatly improved.

Is that what makes us happy?