Progressives put out the unwelcome mat, and city dwellers will pay the price for years to come.

A last word on Amazon and New York City. The story’s over but it doesn’t stop hurting. Twenty-five thousand jobs lost, maybe 40,000 when all is said and done, and of all kinds—high-tech, management, white-collar, blue. All the construction, and the signs and symbols of a coming affluence: the streets lit bright, the sidewalks busy, shops and restaurants humming, hiring. The feeling of safety you have when you pass doorways on the street at night and can hear laughter and conversation on the other side. This is not just “a loss,” it is a whole lost world. And it is a watershed event for my town.

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):