In the early days of the pandemic, many thought that dense and public-transit-dependent New York City was uniquely susceptible to COVID-19. That was false: The virus devastated suburban and rural communities nationwide just as thoroughly as it had ravaged its most populous city.

But COVID did deal one lasting blow to the economic model of New York, by unleashing a work-from-home revolution that risks hollowing out Manhattan’s central business districts and depressing subway and commuter-rail ridership for the foreseeable future. Fail to respond to that smartly, and the city will suffer in myriad ways.

The new report by a 59-member panel charged by Gov. Hochul and Mayor Adams outlines three big, essential goals: reimagining business districts as vibrant places to live, as well as work; making it easier for all New Yorkers to travel to their place of employment; and generating economic growth for all.

To translate those broad-swath objectives into concrete change, their report details 40 policy ideas. Rigidly prescriptive zoning must give way to far more flexible rules. Midtown Manhattan, for time immemorial designed around massive towers and utilitarian sidewalks, must become more friendly to pedestrians. Open-air dining must continue, but be reformed so that it does not blight neighborhoods.

With the farebox permanently depleted, subways and buses must find sustainable funding sources — congestion pricing among them. And to meet demand where it is, they must up service at what used to be considered off-peak times rather than putting most apples in the rush-hour basket.

The city must ensure that it is simultaneously fertile ground for the growth of the industries of the future and that it is missing no opportunity to build housing.

That’s just some of a long wishlist. Beneath each individual item is complexity requiring competent coordination between government agencies. Boosterism is nice, but it’s easy for Hochul and Adams to announce that Gotham will rise to meet the challenges of a fast-evolving economy. It’s much harder for either of these executives and their teams to actually get it done.