For the past four years, AN has dedicated this summer issue to a grid of escalating private development projects rising  throughout most of New York’s boroughs. The idea was to provide a snapshot of the city in transformation and a sense of the evolving skyline. Change can’t always be about growth, and this year seemed right for a more fine-grained approach. This Developer’s Issue takes a close look at four neighborhoods, all in transition, and all grappling with the consequences of ambitious plans amid harsh economic realities. The news isn’t by any means all grim: A slower pace in some cases has translated into more innovative thinking; overly aggrandized projects have been dialed back to more appropriate scales; and collaborative partnerships—whether in financing or planning—have replaced blood-sport competition. We hope you’ll agree: Development has never been so interesting.