Vacated, Before and After GIFs of Construction Sites Show Changing Face of New York City

To highlight the changing face of New York City, artist Justin Blinder reverse engineered Google Street View to create a map of Manhattan and Brooklyn that features before and after images of buildings that have been replaced by new construction in the past four years. Blinder’s project, entitled “Vacated,” includes the reverse engineered interactive map and before-and-after GIFs of new construction.

Ultimately, “Vacated” is a walking tour of the changing urban landscape during the Bloomberg administration— it depicts some obvious examples of dramatic change, but in the end, it’s up to the viewer to decide whether this change represents widespread gentrification.

GIFS by Justin Blinder

via EV Grieve