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The history of Somerville, 2010-2100 Contact
   

Between February 2009 and December 2010, we spoke to hundreds of people about the future. A few dozen of these people were nice enough to make predictions about the future.

Some of these predictions took the form of elaborate short stories, or intricate drawings or maps.

Click on their names to see what these participants submitted to the project. (Note: to see these predictions in context, click on "Timeline & findings", above.)

Adam Olenn
Alain Jehlen
Alana Kumbier
Alex Pirie
Amara Good
Andrew Lynch
Auditi Guha
Ayanna B
Bambi Good
Ben Husk
Bill Rankin
Bill Ritchotte
Brad
Columbine Phoenix
Emily Arkin
Hannah Beynon Strutt
Heather Berlowitz
Heather Pena
Jay O'Grady
Jenn Harrington
Jennifer Mazer
Jessica Straus
Jim H.
Josh Burchord
Julia Fairclough
Karen Krolak
Lauren Schumacher
Lawrence Paolella
Linda Frye Burnham
Linda Haviland Conte
Louis Epstein
LuQ
Maureen Barillaro
MJF
N.M.
Neil Horsky
Nora
Pam Summa
Paul Johns
Rachel Strutt
Robin Wilcox
Rosie
Sandra Day Smith
Sara
Seth Itzkan
Stacy Hill and Erin Leiman
Steven Popkes
Ted Bach
The Dan Crary Fan Club
Tim Devin
"Tinkerbell's human companion"
Wesley Heidi
Ying
and a number of Anonymous people
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

By 2050, Union Square will have become the hot new place to live in the Metro Boston Area. The rehabilitation/renovations of crack houses and abandoned churches and retail spaces will bring in the wealthy. Artists and students will be forced out into Davis and Ball Squares. Meanwhile former small business owners will work together and create high end versions of their bakeries, produce markets, meat shops, home goods, and jewelry and clothing stores. The Ghetto Star Market will be remodeled to look like a futuristic European market, and require some sort of membership to get decent prices. An Ikea will move in to the space Target once held. The Target will move underground at Porter Square. The Somerville Hospital will become the home of a state-of-the-art addiction rehabilitation program. Celebrities from all over the world will seek help at its nearby facilities at Highland and Benton. Bullfrog Power will expand beyond Canada and become the electricity company of choice for the North East and West Coast. It will hold the monopoly in Union Square. A significant tax rebate will be given to people who retrofit their cars to accept Jatropha biodiesel. This will quickly become the only fuel available in Somerville, although most people won't use personal cars anymore. The new, highly efficient, MBTA bus and (now) limousine service will run on biodiesel purchased in Somerville. The park at Summer and Bow streets will be expanded to become a great recreation center with a public pool, community gardens and playground. On the downside of these changes, the Mafia and Freemasons will have an unspoken influence (sometimes collaborative, sometimes competitive) on the neighborhood. They will never be prosecuted properly for drug and escort service-related activity. However they will be commended for their local and international charitable contributions.

(source: Ayanna B.)