A Tale of Three Cities

THE TALE OF THREE CITIES HOW 24 HOURS MIGHT LOOK IN THE NEAR FUTURE

YEAR 2028 CORPORATIONS RUN THE US IN LARGE MAJORITY. THERE ARE NO ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. EACH CITY IS RUN BY CORPORATE GIANTS, WHICH ALSO OWN MAJORITY STAKES IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES.

EVERY CITY HAS A DISTINCT CULTURE, DEFINING BORDERS, IDEOLOGIES AND AFFILIATIONS. PASSPORT CONSISTS OF AN INJECTED MICROCHIP, WHICH RECORDS THEIR DNA AND BLOOD TYPE. IT COLLECTS AND STORES INFORMATION ON A GLOBALIZED DATABASE. PRIVACY LAWS AND THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN ARE EXTINCT.

AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES AND THE CHIP IMPLANT HAVE MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR HIGHLY TARGETED AND PERSONALIZED ADVERTISING AS CHIPS ENABLE BIG TECH COMPANIES TO KNOW EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING. TRANSPORT HAS BECOME MUCH FASTER, THANKS TO THE HYPERLOOP TECHNOLOGY ADOPTED ALL ACROSS THE US BY THE BORING COMPANY, AMAZON AND VIRGIN.

NEW YORK CITY - 2028 Projected Scenario

The Financial District has been vacant due to constant storms; wrecking the tip of the island we call Manhattan. In this context, transactions are happening online and the number of people working from home is increasing. The bull sleeps with the fishes.

Most of MTA lines have been closed. Yes, there were plans and strategy placing earlier in 2019 but due to political conditions, New York State had no budget to invest in the MTA infrastructure anymore. The country deals with a severe deficit, after having prioritized the financial funding of the border wall with Mexico. Banking institutions are in charge of managing and governing the city. .

Google’s Autonomous Vehicle Taxis are the most popular mode of transportation, together with autonomous Uber buses. Uber is finally making profits. Most neighborhoods are now gentrified, displacing communities to further suburbs. Shiny buildings replace the old architecture that used to make New York City, New York City.

NEW YORK CITY. YEAR 2028. TIME 3:30 AM. ERIN PINTO IS SLEEPING AT HER FRIEND’S HOUSE IN HARLEM.

ERIN WAKES UP WITH A SUDDEN JOLT. HER MINERAL COUNTER SHOWS SHE NEEDS TO REHYDRATE. THE INJECTABLE CHIP GAVE HER THE JOLT TO WAKE HER UP TO DRINK WATER.

THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT AND LOWER MANHATTAN STAYS UNDERWATER DURING THE STORM SEASON. THERE IS NO RUNNING WATER OR POWER DURING THIS TIME. THE BULL SLEEPS WITH THE FISHES.

ERIN FEELS TIRED. SHE HASN’T BEEN SLEEPING WELL. MAYBE IT'S THE FEELING OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SLEEP IN HER OWN BED. SHE MOVED INTO HER FRIEND MELISSA’S HOUSE IN HARLEM, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE STORM SEASON.

DAMN THESE INJECTABLES! CAN’T EVEN SLEEP PROPERLY. HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO GET UP AT 6 IF I KEEP WAKING UP LIKE THIS?!

ERIN BITES IN THE WATER POD AND GOES BACK TO SLEEP.

ERIN IS GOING TO DETROIT TO VISIT HER MOTHER. IT’S HER MOTHER’S 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF BEATING CANCER.

SHE WAKES UP TO THE SOUND OF HER ALARM AT 6 AM. SHE HAS AN EARLY MORNING LOOP TO CATCH

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT JUST LIVING IN DETROIT WILL HEAL HER?!

6:00 AM AFTER GETTING READY, SHE CALLS A GAT & IS HEADED TO THE HYPERLOOP STATION.

Hi Erin!

The following brands near you have a sale going on!

Shop these and more, only at

SHE IS SICK OF THE CONSTANT ADVERTISEMENTS ON HER ROUTE, BUT SHE HAS LIMITED OPTIONS.

NOT AFTER MTA’S CLOSURE IN 2025 DUE TO EXTREME WEATHER AND LACK OF FUNDING

This Subway Station has been closed until further notice due to excessive damage from hurricane Joey.

SEEMS SO LONG AGO, THE TURMOIL OF TRUMP’S PRESIDENCY. AND OF THE WALL. THE ‘GREAT’ WALL OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, THAT MADE THE ECONOMY SLUMP.

SHE REACHES THE LOOP STATION JUST IN TIME TO MAKE IT TO THE 9:00 AM LOOP.

DETROIT - 2028 Preferred Scenario

Detroit on the other hand, saw a people’s movement to uplift and improve their condition. The city is managed mainly by cooperatives. Detroit became the biggest producer of fresh food in the Upper Midwest thanks to urban agriculture. Detroiters are empowered through the proceeds of sales, inequalities reduced thanks to the inclusiveness of the business cooperative model. Also, the wide access to fresh produce at lower price reduces the obesity rate, homelessness and poverty drastically. The development of this thriving urban agriculture is also partially due to the development of Q-dots tech. It helped immensely in positioning Detroit as a pioneer of indoor farming.

Detroit is the number one producer of Olympic athletes, thanks to the clean air, water, soil and organically grown food. Surprisingly, the automotive industry is making a come back in this traditional car manufacturing area thanks to self-driving cars. Designed in San Francisco but produced in Detroit, this has injected a new dynamism to the city.

Government and Corporate industry encourages humans to be more health conscious, creating laws and rules around private transport system, and public transport.

AN HOUR LATER, SHE WALKS OUT OF THE MICHIGAN CENTRAL LOOP STATION.

DETROIT ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE, SHE THINKS. FUELED BY THE AGRO COOPERATIVE MOVEMENT, THE CITY QUICKLY BECAME THE HOTBED OF FOOD ENTREPRENEURSHIP. IT BROUGHT JOBS AND VITALITY TO THE ONCE DYING CITY.

SINCE IT’S A SUNDAY, THERE WILL BE NO CARS ON THE ROAD. SHE CAN FEEL THE CLEAN AIR IN HER LUNGS. MUCH BETTER THAN NEW YORK SMOG.

SHE TAKES THE Q RAIL, REMINISCING ABOUT THE REVIVAL OF DETROIT, ONCE ALMOST ABANDONED DUE TO RAMPANT POVERTY AND HOMELESSNESS.

HER MOTHER LIVES IN HERMAN GARDENS, ONCE ONE OF THE WORST NEIGHBORHOODS IN DETROIT. HOW IT TRANSFORMED FROM BEING THE WORST NEIGHBORHOODS IN DETROIT TO BEING THE BIGGEST URBAN AGRICULTURAL HUBS, IS THE STORY OF DETROIT ITSELF.

SHE RINGS THE BELL AND IS GREETED BY HER MOTHER.

THERE IS A COMMUNITY LUNCH IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, CELEBRATING DETROIT’S ACHIEVEMENT OF BEING THE BIGGEST PRODUCER OF ORGANIC FOOD IN THE UPPER MIDWEST.

HI MAMA, YOU LOOK GOOD!

IT’S ALL THE DETROIT FOOD AND AIR, DARLING

WHILE AT THE EVENT, ERIN MET ABHILASH WHO JUST ARRIVED FROM SAN FRANCISCO. ONE THING LEADS TO THE OTHER AND THEY START TO CHAT ABOUT THEIR HOMETOWNS, THE MANY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN SAN FRANCISCO AND NEW YORK. ABHILASH’S STORY OF SAN FRANCISCO FASCINATES ERIN.

TIME FLIES FAST, ABHILASH IS ABOUT TO LEAVE FOR SF AT 4 PM, BUT ERIN KIND OF WANTS TO SPEND MORE TIME WITH ABHILASH. SHE CHECKS IF SHE COULD FIND A SEAT NEXT TO ABHILASH. ONE VOICE NOTE AND A CLICK LATER, SHE HAD HER RESERVATION IN HANDS.

TOGETHER WITH ABHILASH, SHE HEADS TO DETROIT HYPERLOOP STATION TO EMBARK ON THE JOURNEY TO SAN FRANCISCO.

SAN FRANCISCO - 2028 Preposterous Scenario

60% of the city got destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 2022, residents of the city, backed by the tech giants of Google, Apple and Tesla redesigned and rebuilt the whole city. The city is built on a model of equitable development: preserving culture and traditions while still embracing innovation and technology. The city’s transit system is accessible and at the same time doesn’t hamper walk-ability. Since the introduction of underground hyperloop systems as the main public transit, the city is covered with public spaces and many roads have been converted into parks and open museums. The new transportation system also opened up new routes, allowing its inhabitant to travel further in record time. Hence, the population of San Francisco increased to 10 million.

The city is powered by clean energy and is the prime example of harmony between humans and nature. Jobs created by infrastructure development and innovations have made it possible to reduce the city’s homelessness problem.

ABHILASH AND ERIN BONDED WELL TALKING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT AND POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SF, DURING THE ONE HOUR JOURNEY

ERIN WONDERED IF SHE EVEN HAD THE APPROPRIATE CLOTHING FOR SF WEATHER. ABHILASH SAID THAT SHE SHOULDN'T WORRY AS IT WAS FULLY CONTROLLED BY THE GEO-STORM SATELLITE SYSTEM.

“WHOA” ERIN THINKS, THE CITY HAS CHANGED SO MUCH SINCE I GOT HERE 10 YEARS AGO. AMAZING TO SEE THAT THE ENTIRE TRANSPORTATION IS NOW UNDERGROUND AND SO BLOODY FAST IN COMPARISON TO NEW YORK.

AT 5:00PM THEY REACHED SAN FRANCISCO HYPERLOOP STATION. ONCE THEY ARRIVED THE STATION THERE WAS ALREADY A HYPERLOOP AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE READY WAITING FOR THEM

THEY FIRST CHECK-IN AT THEIR HOTEL TO DROP THE LUGGAGE. HOTEL CHECK-IN NOWADAYS IS MUCH FASTER AND MORE CONVENIENT THAN 10 YEARS AGO, THE HOTEL LOBBY HAS A SCANNER WHICH SENSES THE CHIP OF THE GUEST AND ROOM NUMBER WHICH AUTOMATICALLY GIVES THEM THE ACCESS TO THE ROOM. IT’S ALL SEAMLESS NOW, ERIN THINKS TO HERSELF.

THEY LOOK AT THE CITY IN FRONT OF THEM. HOW MUCH IT HAS CHANGED IN THE LAST 10 YEARS. IT HAS BECOME THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF GREEN URBAN DEVELOPMENT.

THESE PILLS BECAME ALL THE RAGE, EVER SINCE SPACEX DEVELOPED THEM FOR THEIR FIRST COMMERCIAL SPACE FLIGHT TWO YEARS AGO. THEY’RE NOW AVAILABLE IN DIFFERENT TASTES AND FLAVORS SUCH AS OREO COOKIES, BUT GIVE YOU ALL THE NUTRIENTS OF A WHOLE MEAL.

URGENT TO HEAD OUT AND EXPLORE THE CITY, THEY DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO EAT PROPER LUNCH. INSTEAD, THEY TAKE MEAL REPLACEMENT PILLS.

ERIN AND ABHILASH ENJOY THE REST OF THEIR NIGHT GOING TO DIFFERENT BARS AND AS THEY PART, ERIN INVITES ABHILASH TO NEW YORK.

THE END

ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN BY VECTOR ARTE ON FREEPIK. HYPERLOOP STATION CONCEPT DESIGN BY RB SYSTEMS. AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE DESIGN BY GOOGLE. SPACE TRAVEL CONCEPT SKETCHES BY SPACEX.