Cities get called “concrete jungles” for good reason, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Introducing a lot more vegetation could dramatically change how cities feel for their residents, their capacity to support wildlife, and their air quality while reducing the urban heat island effect that intensifies hot weather. We’re so used to seeing major metropolises the way they are, it can be hard to imagine what they could be. Luckily, international multidisciplinary design firm WATG has done the work for us, digitally transforming New York, London, and their home city of Honolulu with dramatic “greening” animated GIF images.

It was the early days of the pandemic that inspired the Green Block project. The firm’s designers and architects marveled at how peaceful cities felt as traffic all but disappeared, the skies cleared, and the haze of pollution lifted. Suddenly, city residents were waking up to the sounds of birds and could hear subtle sounds of nature like the rustling of leaves. The firm hopes we won’t forget what that felt like, even as life returns to normal post-COVID. Led by John Goldwyn, WATG’s master planner and landscape architect, Green Block challenged the firm’s designers to use the lessons they learned from the pandemic to imagine a better future. “Our cities have long been overdue for transformation and, as some people flee for greener landscapes in the wake of COVID-19, Green Block proves that ...