But I'm pointing out that just because NYC fails the claim does not mean that the claim is wrong.

I think there's a goldilocks zone of walkable, at least for the purposes of this "urbanist-I-know-everyone-utopia" feeling – you could have perfectly walkable places that aren't dense enough (people wise), so they won't work. I'm thinking of Gorham's Bluff, Alabama, which is an attempted New Urbanist project. Or, you could have Manhattan, which is also walkable but frankly mind-boggling in its density.

No offense to New York. I sometimes find myself in wordless awe of its sheer power.