500 years of New York City visualized in less than a minute (VIDEO)
The future of a city depends, in good measure, on the clarity with which its past is perceived.
In cities, perhaps like in no other environment, the dialog between the past and the present forges, in real time, the immediate future. The gears of time find in these places the perfect vehicle to manifest themselves. Cities are story factories, of memories and projections, and that narrative energy ends up condensed in streets and buildings, in parks and streetlamps.
Few cities have more restless baggage than New York. And perhaps for that reason it is particularly interesting to visualize its unfolding over the years. This video produced by The New York Times shows us, during the 47 seconds that the new panoramic elevator of One World Trade Center takes to get to the top, this city’s journey over the last five centuries. In addition, this brilliant visualization reminds us of the maximum premise of urbanism: to aspire to a generous future it is fundamental to understand the past with great clarity.
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