Huff Post- November 5
This Is What New York City Could Look Like In 2033
Architectural renderings allow us to peer into the future of our beloved city without a crystal ball. New York City has some big changes coming, and here are 17 future attractions that will transform the Big Apple as we know it.
1. The New Penn Station
This summer a multibillion dollar plan will finally get underway to brighten up the dank rail station and better accommodate the 600,000 people that pass through it each day. But it’ll be a while before the much-maligned space looks fresh and tidy. Madison Square Garden, which sits on top of the transit hub, was given 10 years to relocate.
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2. The New World Trade Center
The 1,776-foot Freedom Tower is slated for completion in early 2014, but construction on the surrounding skyscrapers, a performing arts center and a transportation hub are ongoing.
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3. Hudson Yards
After more than a decade of controversy — including scrapped Olympic and Jets stadium plans — developers have crafted an ambitious plan to convert 26 acres of rail facilities into the largest private real estate development in city history. Hudson Yards is “a $15 billion 15-structure mini-city on Manhattan’s West Side that will create more office space than exists in Portland, Ore.,” according to the New York Daily News.
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4. 5 Pointz … Luxury Apartments?
Potentially the most legendary street art landmark in the world, Long Island City’s 5 Pointz is set to be torn down in favor of a luxury high-rise. This controversial plan has inflamed the NYC arts community (and anyone with a soul), and a legal battle is ongoing.
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5. + POOL
“Like a giant strainer dropped in the river,” + POOL aspires to filter dirty East River water and create a 285,000 gallon floating swimming pool between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The team raised over $270,000 to build a prototype — a 35′ x 35′ float lab — and aims for the + POOL to open in the summer of 2016, although they admit that permitting and approvals may delay this futuristic project.
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6. MoMA Tower
This project was stalled by the recession, but has recently surged back into development thanks to a $1 billion financing packagefrom Asian investors. Tower Verre, as it’s known, will house 145 luxury condos and provide 36,000 square feet of new gallery space for the Museum of Modern Art. It’s slated for completion in 2018 with an ultimate price tag of $1.3 billion.
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By 2033 New York City is going to have the same trains Japan had 20 years ago! (Still wondering what is taking so long) Even though these pictures do look sophisticated and high-line, won’t every major city look somewhat like this in twenty years? Anyways, the slick,clean look of the “new” NYC doesn’t quite match it’s current reputation and takes away from the street art, filth ,and smell the city possesses today. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing. Hopefully I can live to see it.
If this happens, it would be very impressive. However, changing 5 Pointz to luxury apartments might not be possible. I’m pretty sure that many people and artists would protest against it. I hope the whole development does happen because it would make New York City seem less gloomy than it is now. Maybe taking away from the filth would be good.
I doubt that NYC trains would improve to this extent in 20 years from now. For the next 30 years, engineers and architects have to maintain the current infrastructure of the city and not make a new one from scratch. This includes the subway system. If train service were to significantly improve, almost everyone would leave their cars parked on the streets and would go commute via the subway. When this happens, oil companies will lose money, because nobody will buy gas to run their personal cars. This is one of the reasons why the system did not change much since its establishment over a century ago. Also, in order for the system to be this highly advanced as pictured in the image provided, a strict management needs to be in charge to allow for this to be possible. We would actually need very determined and intelligent people with a strong personality who would stand up for what is right- this is something called ethics. The subway system train lines serve 800 miles!! This is equivalent to the distance from New York to Chicago, Illinois. This means that A LOT of work has to be done to make the service similar to Japan’s. Of course, not all stations would be highly maintained as shown. It will all depend on the popularity of the station and the importance of its outer surroundings.
This is one interesting and optimistic view of the future. Unfortunately, there is one article that was recently uploaded online that is not as optimistic to NY and other places, as well.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/what-the-world-would-look-like-if-all-the-ice-melted-015759322.html
Please look for the the present-day shoreline.
MoMA’s transformation seems too far-fetched for me. If was on my way to the Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th, I would be more scared than amazed of the building.
And I doubt they’ll ever be allowed to destroy 5 Pointz. I think it’s part of the city and shouldn’t be touched. It’s art. What makes it any different from the Mona Lisa? Nothing. Art is art. Simple as that.
There’s a good chance I’ll be long gone by 2033. Does anyone want a container of my ashes to sprinkle on these cites?
Well, Fadi’s really put a damper on our party. In 5000 years, it looks like we’ll really be goners.