Architect Harvey Wiley Corbett is perhaps best known for Bush Tower in Midtown, but he also designed some important City structures such as the massive New York City Criminal Courts Building.
In 1925, Corbett was interviewed by Popular Science magazine, and his thoughts on where the City's transportation infrastructure would be in 25 years (1950) were made into this great little animated cross-section.
Unlike many other experts, Mr. Corbett does not believe that the future will bring the "decentralization" of our big cities. On the contrary, long study of modern trends in architecture, city planning, and business and social life has convinced him that our cities will become more and more crowded.
Facing this contingency, he believes, we of this generation should begin now to plan buildings and highways with an eye on the problem of handling people and traffic of the future. The streetcar and elevated railway, Mr. Corbett says, will disappear.
Streets will consist of four or more levels, respectively for pedestrians, slow motor traffic, fast motor traffic, and electric trains, the uppermost level being raised above the present street level.
Check out the full article for more on Corbett and his original predictions.
