2006 - 2026: What are the most surprising changes to happen in major cities?

[iheartthed]

If you could bring someone from the year 2006 on a tour in 2026 of a city of your choice, which city, what has changed, and what would they be most surprised about? In no particular order, my thoughts on New York City:

Citibike & bike infrastructure: Bike shares were non-existent in the U.S. 20 years ago. Way back in 2006 bike messengers were the most visible type of cyclist in NYC and there was very little space given specifically to people on bikes. Fast forward to today, the Citibike system has as many daily users as the Long Island Railroad. And, while not perfect, there is a large amount of protected bike lanes in the city now, while there were virtually none 20 years ago.

NYC Ferry: The Staten Island Ferry was the only city owned and operated ferry route 20 years ago. Today there is a ferry network that operates across the entire city. You can travel from outer Queens to the upper Bronx near Westchester County completely on sea based transportation. Even after nearly a decade since launching many New Yorkers are largely unaware that NYC Ferry exists, but the service carries as many daily riders as a transit system in a medium sized city.

Resurgence of Lower Manhattan: It was still not really clear in 2006 that Lower Manhattan would become busier than ever, and that it would become a popular place to live.

Hyper gentrification outside of Manhattan: There was already gentrification outside of Manhattan prior to 2006, particularly in certain Brooklyn neighborhoods like Park Slope and Fort Greene. But nobody really foresaw what was on the not-so-distant horizon for places like Long Island City, Williamsburg, Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, the South Bronx, etc.

Back in 2006 there was still very little new housing in LIC and much of the neighborhood was dominated by auto repair shops and strip clubs. Today luxury apartment towers are the most prominent feature. A similar transformation occurred in Williamsburg, particularly along the waterfront that was once dominated by idled factories.

Also related to this, someone from 2006 might be surprised at just how much the socializing landscape of NYC has tilted away from Manhattan, particularly into Brooklyn. Twenty years ago nightlife outside of Manhattan mostly catered to neighborhood locals. You had a few hip underground spots in various places, but otherwise a night out on the town typically meant being somewhere in Manhattan. That is not the case in this era. People now travel from all over the city to hang out in Brooklyn. Even tourists factor Brooklyn into their itineraries in ways they didn't do two decades ago.

Billionaire towers and the resurgence of super-talls: Construction started on the new 1 WTC started in 2006, but it wasn't really clear that any other super-tall buildings would be built any time soon. Yet, the Chrysler Building was the second tallest in NYC in 2006 but by 2026 it has dropped to 13th. The Chrysler building had never been ranked lower than the 4th tallest tower in the city since it was completed in 1930.

The resurgence is in part thanks to billionaire towers, which were not something that existed in 2006.