Fast Paced Urban Development: A Visual Walk Through History

I cannot claim this as my own original work, but I wanted to republish these illustrations for my own audience. Many of these photos came from Then & Now: The Stunning Speed of Urban Development, but I've added my own twist as well.

Tokyo, Japan 1960s and 2010
If only building a city really did take just 16 seconds...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates 1990, 2003, and 2007
The first (of many) inspirations drawing me to Urban Planning.

Shanghai, China 1990 and 2010

Population 23 Million

Shenzhen, China

The fastest growing city in China -- A mere fishing village in 1979.

Panama City 1930 and 2009

One of the fastest growing urban areas in Central America.

Paris, France 1960 and 2006

New York City 1954, 1985, 2009

Notice how it hasn't evolved one bit!

Newton, Massachusetts 1890s, 1905, 1920s, 1960s, 1972, 2004
When in this timeline did Pizzaria Unos move into Newton Corner?

(Animated Graphic. Notice how growth initially concentrates around train routes.
If animation not working, click on the map to open in a new window.)

Boston, Massachusetts 2002 and 2007

Did any of these other city development projects have names as cool as "The Big Dig?" Amazingly, some of these other cities sprouted up much faster than it took Bechtel to move some roads underground (16 years!).

Fast Paced Urban Development: A Visual Walk Through History