NYC Is Getting a New High-Tech Defense Perimeter. Let's Hope It Works

Every so often, great cities have to remake themselves if they want to stay great — adding a new layer of technological infrastructure to meet the challenges of the day. In the 1880s, Thomas Edison built the first central electrical power plant in lower Manhattan. In 1904, the city finished its very first subway line. The 1980s saw new fiber-optic data pipes, and today New York is in the middle of its next major makeover. This time, the technological update is about keeping the city safe.