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.)

(image source: Bill Rankin. Click here to see the full version of the map)

As for the timeline, I have to admit that I think the chances of those lines actually being added are pretty remote. The extension of the Green line to Medford has been talked about for a long time, and may in fact happen, perhaps 2020 is a reasonable date for that one? This project may or may not go through Union Square.. if not, perhaps a separate extension like the one I drew, heading to Harvard Square, could be a project for the 2020s or 2030s. The other lines (purple and yellow, on my map) would require much greater population density before they're viable, and it's unclear if Cambridge/Somerville will ever have the density of Manhattan or Brooklyn. Let's say those are projects for the 2060s or beyond?

(source: Bill Rankin)