New York: 2100 A.D.
I see a city that is green and quiet. A city without cars. Where people bike and bus. Where the subways float silently on magnetic tracks. A city of diversity and income equality. A city of parks and benches and arts.
By 2100 A.D. the Billion Oyster Project will have restored New York Harbor. The oysters will have been cleaning the water for over 50 years, filtering out nitrogen pollution and allowing the waters to become a thriving estuary once again.
Imagine if New York decided to reduce visual pollution too! Sao Paolo became Lei Cidade Limpa in 2006 and it became a city of stunning architecture and street art. It also uncovered problems literally covered over by advertising. What might The Big Apple become if all the flashing lights and screens were shut off?
I’ll most likely be dead by 2100 A.D. I’d like to leave the city better than when I found it. Imagine how much New York changed from 1900 to 2000. Imagine another century of change! What if Gotham’s infamous noise pollution was rigorously reduced — muffled by vegetation and strictly monitored by technology?
Instead of food deserts, the poorest communities would be gardens and oases. Everyone could grow their own food, cook it, and share meals together. And the workaholic wealthy, money-rich but time-poor would be surrounded by greenery and life. The would not have to stop to smell the roses, for the smell of roses would fill the whole city.
What if Times Square wasn’t covered in billboards and neon lights? What if it was a giant garden oasis? What if became an island of calm in the city? It’s all very possible. Times Square looked like this in 1900:
And this is what it looks like now:
If you give me Times Square, I want to give it back to the people.
JR
