I’ve always found the evolution of cities to be really fascinating. Born and raised in New York City, I’ve seen firsthand the way neighborhoods (and the communities within them) can drastically change over the years — for better or worse. You can live half your life on a street known for its homeless vagrants and dreary, ramshackle houses, only to watch it slowly morph into condo-crazy yuppie town filled with artisanal bakeries and “rustic” gastropubs whose entrees will cost you one day’s work of pay. (And vice versa, of course.)
The insanely cool video above offers a bird’s-eye view of this dynamic transformation in the city of Shanghai and it’s nothing short of an impressive, almost poetic watch. Using various illustration effects, its creators Claire and Max show how the city’s skyline has become what it is today.