New York 2020

‘To have such a biography, on this scale and with this ambition, of the physical form of the greatest city on earth is little short of a miracle.’ – Ric Burns, Filmmaker

The culmination of Robert A.M. Stern’s monumental history of architecture in New York City and a comprehensive record of building over the last twenty-five years

A landmark in architectural publishing, New York 2020 explores the planning and politics of building in New York City during the first decades of the 21st century. This encyclopedic book, as complex and vast as the city itself, references more than 3,000 projects constructed between the year 2000 and the present day. 

Across 1,500 pages, New York 2020 describes and illustrates the ‘supertalls’ now populating our skyline, lush riverfront parks born from derelict waterfront, iconic cultural destinations, and thousands of smaller, unheralded residential and civic projects that enhance the built environment and the urban fabric.

Readers will discover work by leading architects, including Norman Foster, Renzo Piano, Bjarke Ingels, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Selldorf Architects, Frank Gehry, and Robert A.M. Stern Architects; a dazzling array of museums and institutions, including the High Line, Hudson Yards, the new Whitney Museum, and the expansions of MoMA and Lincoln Center; the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site; and more. 

The much-anticipated final volume in architect Robert A.M. Stern’s critically acclaimed New York series, which traces the evolution of the city from the Civil War to present day, New York 2020 tells the story of a remarkable period of urban development, architectural experiment, and seismic cultural shifts.