New York City is full of financial opportunity and is very low crime. They can get people to pay quite a bit to live there, as it’s very desireable. The liberalness of cities has a lot more to do with the population than the mere fact that it’s an urban setting. Cities might not be so liberal if more conservatives moved back into them. Also, cities are inherently liberal - San Diego managed to stay pretty conservative for a long time.
I’m not against the middle class, but we need to accept that cheap gas is a thing of the past. The middle class moved out of the cities decades ago, and now they may start to move back in. If they figure out they can afford to stay in the suburbs, more power to them.
Sorry, but "inherently liberal" and "might not be so liberal" is too much of a risk to take in moving back to them.
Where do the poor go when you drive them out of the affordable housing in the city?