Name: New York -- before the City
Uploaded: 2009-10-12T08:07:00Z
Duration: 15 min 52 s
Description: 400 years after Hudson found New York harbor, Eric Sanderson shares how he made a 3D map of Mannahatta's fascinating pre-city ecology of hills, rivers, wildlife -- accurate down to the block -- when Times Square was a wetland and you couldn't get delivery.

Eric Sanderson: New York -- before the City

New York -- before the City

400 years after Hudson found New York harbor, Eric Sanderson shares how he made a 3D map of Mannahatta's fascinating pre-city ecology of hills, rivers, wildlife -- accurate down to the block -- when Times Square was a wetland and you couldn't get delivery.

Long before skyscrapers, Manhattan teemed with forests, streams, and over 55 distinct ecosystem types—more per acre than Yosemite. By reconstructing the island’s landscape from 1609 using historical maps and ecological models, researchers revealed a web of connections between land, animals, and people. This vivid vision of Mannahatta shows that cities and nature are inseparable, and that understanding the original landscape can inspire more resilient, meaningful urban living.