Why Are There 1,723 Vacant Buildings in Manhattan?

Abandoned housing in Manhattan? Really? Tell me where, I've got my hot plate ready.

It’s hard to believe there are vacant buildings in New York's still insane real estate market, but a recent survey by the self-advocacy organization Picture the Homeless and the Manhattan Borough President's Office found 1,723 vacant buildings and 505 unused lots right in the heart of the Big, rent-gobbling Apple.