[Want to get New York Today by email? Here’s the sign-up.]

It’s Tuesday. There’s another tomato plant in the East River.

Weather: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high in the upper 70s.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until Sept. 30 (Rosh Hashana).

The subways are crowded, the streets are clogged with cars and good luck trying to walk down the sidewalk without bumping into someone.

New York City is, undoubtedly, packed. But to hear the United States Census Bureau describe it, the city is actually shrinking.

Earlier projections had put New York City’s population at around 8.6 million people. Now, the Census Bureau says that figure is just under 8.4 million. As Bloomberg reported, it’s as if 277 people a day last year decided to leave New York City and not come back.

What gives?

Joseph J. Salvo, the chief demographer at the Department of City Planning, said a key factor in the Census Bureau’s new number was its new formula.

“They rely more heavily on Residency 1 Year Ago,” Mr. Salvo said in an interview, referring to a data point that indicates how many people are moving, and where.

The way the bureau relies on this information, Mr. Salvo said, “hits the city very hard,” because it “lowered the number of international migrants coming to New York City,” which in turn affects how the federal government directs its resources.

Of the 8.4 million population estimate for New York City, Mr. Salvo said, “we think the number is a bit low.” He said the figure was probably closer to 8.5 million people.

Mr. Salvo also cautioned against doing year-to-year comparisons of the bureau’s estimated figures because, he said somewhat diplomatically, “the methods do not justify what we associate with precision.”

Nicole Gelinas, a financial analyst with the Manhattan Institute, took the Census Bureau’s figure with some hesitancy, but said overcrowding and “infrastructure capacity” could lower the quality of life for people here. And that, over time, could propel some of them to move.

Andrew A. Beveridge, a sociology professor at Queens College, questioned the bureau’s methodology but said of the city’s population size, “I think there is probably some truth to it.” The reason? “The rents are off the charts.”

Want more news? Check out our full coverage.

The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

Stand clear of the odious door. There have been more reports of “soiled” subway cars so far this year than all of 2018. [The City]

Rejoice! A relic from the 1964 World’s Fair will be restored. [Curbed]

You thought the Democratic presidential primary race was big? More than 500 candidates may run for city offices in 2021. [Wall Street Journal]

Coming up today

Join the author of “The Yellow House,” Sarah M. Boom, for a talk about her new memoir at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan. 6:30 p.m. [Free with R.S.V.P.]

Attend a discussion about the 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Va., and its impact on the movement against white nationalist violence, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan. 7 p.m. [Free with R.S.V.P.]

Test your cleverness at the Punderdome, a monthly pun competition, at the Littlefield in Brooklyn. 8 p.m. [$12]

— Melissa Guerrero

Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.

And finally: The warehouse where the supplies are free

The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:

Imagine a huge warehouse where everything inside is free.

Then imagine it’s in Queens.

Materials for the Arts is far from new, but it’s extra busy at the start of the school year as teachers forage for supplies.

The program was founded 41 years ago to promote reuse and creativity. It provides free, donated items to nonprofit organizations with art programs. Think dance studios, public schools and theaters.

Members are invited to the 35,000-square-foot warehouse in Long Island City to help themselves to materials that include buttons, fabrics, binders, file cabinets and sewing machines.

The benefit works in reverse, as well: Conservation-minded people with too much stuff on their hands can donate anything from a “full floor of office furniture to three bags of yarn,” said Harriet Taub, the program’s executive director.

Even props from TV shows sometimes make their way to the warehouse. (Looking for an orange jumpsuit from Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black”?)

“What we try to do is to let people see the magic and the magnitude of what can be done with these kinds of materials,” Ms. Taub said.

In addition to free supplies, the program also offers community art workshops, field trips, in-school residencies and professional development courses for educators.

To donate items, you can call the warehouse, (718) 729-2065, or email [email protected].

It’s Tuesday — see the magic.

Metropolitan Diary: ‘Good to see you’

Dear Diary:

I get on an M104 bus going uptown on a summer afternoon after a downpour.

“Good to see you,” the bus driver says as I place my MetroCard in the slot. I feel slightly better after his greeting, although still a bit bedraggled.

Grinning to myself, I find a seat and watch to see what happens next. Approximately every three stops, the driver uses the same phrase to greet those getting on.

They smile. And they nod. And the rain doesn’t feel quite so bad.

— Jane Seskin

New York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.

We’re experimenting with the format of New York Today. What would you like to see more (or less) of? Post a comment or email us: [email protected].

An earlier version of this article misstated the service that “Orange Is the New Black” is on. It is on Netflix, not HBO.

Source: Read Full Article