New York City Celebrates 400th Anniversary

Times project looks to the future of the iconic city

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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New York City, home to over 8 million people and 700 languages, celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2025. Rather than focusing on the city's storied past, The New York Times decided to explore how key aspects of New York - its culture, transit, and diversity - might evolve in the coming years and decades.

Why it matters

As one of the world's most famous and influential cities, New York's future trajectory will have significant implications for its residents, visitors, and the broader global community. Examining how the city's core identity and systems may transform provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

The details

When planning a special section to commemorate New York City's 400th anniversary, The Times' Projects and Collaborations desk decided to take an unconventional approach. Instead of surveying the city's lengthy history, they chose to focus on envisioning New York's future, exploring how elements like culture, transit, and diversity might evolve in the coming years.

  • New York City celebrated its 400th anniversary in 2025.

The players

Dan Saltzstein

An editor on The Times's Projects and Collaborations desk who led the planning for the 400th anniversary coverage.

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What they’re saying

“How are we going to cover so many years of history?”

— Dan Saltzstein, Editor, The New York Times Projects and Collaborations desk (The New York Times)

“Surveying history was 'not as satisfying or fun as taking some of the things that New York is most famous for — culture, transit, diversity — and looking at how those themes might evolve in the coming years and decades.'”

— Dan Saltzstein, Editor, The New York Times Projects and Collaborations desk (The New York Times)

The takeaway

By focusing its 400th anniversary coverage on envisioning New York City's future, rather than recounting its storied past, The New York Times provides a forward-looking perspective on how the iconic metropolis may transform in the decades to come, offering valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for one of the world's most influential urban centers.