One of the most glaring ironies of American life is that, a quarter-century later, the cities have metamorphosed into the suburbs – sans trees and grass. The cities’ fabled diversity has devolved into global chain stores and the electrolyte-enhanced water bottle and the branded baseball cap have become the accessories of a universal comfort and conformity. In a social and cultural sea change, the cities’ rented apartments, once the guarantor of diversity and fluid, exciting movement, have been converted into exclusive co-ops and condominiums