How These 4 Cities Will Look In 2100
Shanghai, New York, Mumbai, and Tokyo will look a lot different at the turn of the century
It’s no secret that urban living is the future of humankind. Already more than 60% of the planet lives in a city, and that number is expected to reach 80% by the middle of this century.
That means a lot of big cities, but four, in particular, will undergo extreme changes. Those are Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, and Mumbai.
These four cities may not seem too different from what we know today. But as time goes by, these four metropolises will undergo significant changes in the next decades and become as unrecognizable as possible. The changes are set to be as drastic as those seen between 1900 and 2000, where the world shifted from horse-drawn carriages to skyscrapers.
In 2100, all 4 cities will have a very different look and feel because of climate change. Tokyo, the city that is currently the densest in the world, will be a ghost town by then. It will be flooded with water and submerged in the ocean. Mumbai will become a major hub for industries while New York will look like a post-apocalyptic wasteland where high rises are abandoned and people live in poverty. Shanghai might become the most prosperous city by 2100 if it manages to curb its pollution output while also managing its population growth.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is located in the eastern part of the island of Honshu. It is the capital city of Japan and has a population of more than 13 million people. It is the largest and most densely-populated city in the modern world. But that’s about to change.
With Tokyo being so close to the ocean, it will be submerged by 2100. The city will likely become an underwater metropolis with a population of less than two million.
We can thank climate change for this. Vast ice shelves in both the Arctic and Antarctic are melting, raising sea levels dramatically each year. Already the city of Tokyo depends on sea walls to keep the ocean at bay, something that didn’t exist 50 years ago. But there’s only so much that engineering can do.
The flooding of Tokyo will start slow, with the city surrendering land to the coast bit by bit. Eventually, the water will begin to rush in. Major floods will become common. There will be a lot of property damage. Most businesses and residents will likely abandon the city for dryer living at that point.
By 2100, pockets of the city will stick up above the water like islands, with clusters of buildings on them, and this will be what future generations know of Tokyo.
Mumbai, India
In the year 2100, Mumbai will be a city of 11.5 million inhabitants. It will have a new airport and two new bridges to facilitate traffic movement. The city’s population is expected to grow dramatically by 2100, and this increase in population will put pressure on the city’s infrastructure. Mumbai is going to be a very different city altogether in the year 2100.
Already the city is exploding in growth and economic importance as it becomes one of the technology and financial hubs of Asia.
The city has been growing so quickly that it has been unable to keep up with infrastructure development. It has traffic jams and overcrowding on every street with slums being built on both sides of the roads. The city will not be able to sustain this kind of growth without major changes being made in order to ensure sustainable development for years to come.
Those changes are already in the works. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Economic Development Authority has been upgrading roads, bridges, and public transport while managing zoning for new construction projects. The regional government has granted zoning rights to big property developers to sweep away slums and old colonial-era neighborhoods for high-rise housing. Residents who become displaced in the city’s remodeling will be given condos for free in the new buildings.
Mumbai is actually at the same risk as Tokyo of becoming submerged due to rising sea levels, but thanks to old canals and a slight downward slope to the coastline, most of the city will remain intact.
As India becomes an economic powerhouse, and an alternative place of investment to China, Mumbai will become the number one city in technology in the world. By 2100, Mumbai will be the new Silicone Valley.
New York City, USA
Poor old New York is in for a tough century. Wealth inequality is the number one issue in America right now, and that will only continue to plague the nation in the 2000s, leading to once-mighty cities like New York becoming dystopian wastelands.
It will be a wasteland of poverty and crime, with only the wealthiest people able to afford to live there and everyone else scurrying around in dingy, run-down streets, trying to survive.
The population has grown from 7 million to more than 8 million in the past 20 years. Projections suggest that its population could reach 12 million by 2100, meaning that the city’s landmass would have to expand by 50%. However, rising ocean levels mean there is nowhere else to expand.
The cost of living in New York City is already out of control. Inflation and untenable housing costs are helping to drive a crime wave that shows no sign of stopping. Infrastructure is crumbling and buildings are looking old and run-down. Graffiti seems to be taking over parts of the city. Corruption among the corporate and government elite is creating the nightmare that New York will become.
By 2100, New York City will be like a scene from Blade Runner, minus the cool technology.
Shanghai, China
Lastly, Shanghai will become a powerful, glitzy, and extremely-advanced rival to Mumbai. Shanghai will resemble a science-fiction author’s wet dream, with towering skyscrapers and unimaginable technology everywhere.
Shanghai is already one of the most populated and richest cities in China. It is also a major financial and commercial center of the world. The urbanization process which has been taking place for over 50 years, has expanded to such an extent that the city now has the population density of New York City, and is continuing to grow every year.
Shanghai can be divided into three geographical areas: Puxi on the east bank, Pudong on the west bank, and Chongming Island in between.
Puxi is mainly where you will find historic buildings and traditional Chinese culture, but it also houses many international hotels, shopping malls, and luxury condos for expats. On the other hand, Pudong offers more modern amenities with skyscrapers dominating its skyline.
Of these three areas, Pudong will be the center of the city’s elite. It’s where large tech companies will be located, and where skyscrapers that reach miles up will be found. Puxi, on the other hand, will be where most people in the city live. While there will be hundreds of skyscrapers to house them, most of the heritage part of the city will remain. This will give Shanghai a unique Asian and European feel to it.
Parting Thoughts
None of this is pre-ordained. There is every possibility that inventors will create a way for Tokyo and nature to co-exist without flooding. Also, New York doesn’t have to become a wasteland; Americans are a resilient, hard-working, and proud people and who’s to say they won’t reverse the current decline?
On the other hand, endemic corruption and continuing environmental destruction could doom Mumbai, and the city itself could become a wasteland.
Chances are good that Shanghai will continue to rise to dominance, short of a comet or a nuclear strike hitting the city.