Edward Assile started working for his family’s textile supply company near Macy’s landmark Herald Square store in the 1980s, when the Manhattan neighborhood was part of the garment district . Fabric shops surrounded the store and the sight of workers hurriedly pushing racks of clothing up and down the streets was common.

Macy’s still stands, but the rest of the area has been transformed. What was once a manufacturing hub has given way to an overflowing corridor of tourists and commu ters cramming onto sidewalks, roadways and subway stations.

“Have you tried walking from here to Penn Station?” said Mr. Assile, 70, referring to the commuter train station. “It’s horrendous.”

Herald Square’s central location at the intersection of regional rail service and numerous subway lines has long made it one of New York City’s busiest neighborhoods. But today it is more congested than ever with 92 million people a year passing through its three subway stations, nearly double the number in the 1970s.