This is your city. Own it.

Hear the note of tough love in the headline above? We predict our fellow New Yorkers do, and they’ll respond favorably. Because life in post-COVID New York City has taken a hit. Since the pandemic there’s been an erosion of public behavioral standards and a sense of alienation that has made New Yorkers act less considerately toward one another.

Studies have shown that when we show kindness to others, we feel better physically. Likewise, rudeness works like a neurotoxin. It enables the secretion of chemicals in the brain that increase anxiety, stress and unhappiness. This becomes a self-perpetuating cycle of compromised mental and physical health for both the person being rude and the person receiving the rudeness.

Civility is actually a health issue. And NYCourtesy is a public service campaign to motivate real change in New Yorkers: To inspire us to become responsible, attentive and caring with our fellow citizens by obeying local laws and using common courtesy.

Shaming or finger-pointing won’t turn this problem around. New Yorkers don’t stand for bullshit. What works is an honest voice we can all relate to. A voice that communicates warmth and pride of ownership and makes New Yorkers feel our connection to the city. We are integral to its welfare, and by cooperating we can restore the glory that is NYC.

The campaign voice is frank and NYC-savvy. The witty Cathal Duane illustrations draw every kind of New Yorker into our message and are right at home in social media.