Layers of the PastBETA
Welcome to Layers of the Past, a tool for searching and comparing 150 historical maps across New York City.
The NYBG Urban Conservation team has
georeferenced these maps and consulted them for research in historical ecology, environmental
governance, ecological democracy and active restoration. Our research has led to the creation of The Welikia Project and Blue Zones, as well as Before New York, forthcoming in Fall 2026.
We're actively adding more maps to the tool, and this site will eventually include close to 600 layers.
Check back for updates!
How to use this tool
- Click
to toggle maps on and off - Click
to adjust opacity of each layer - Click
to zoom to each layer - Drag and drop layers to reorder them
- Use the
search to find all maps
that include a specific place - The green dot indicates your topmost visible layer at any time
Layers of the PastBETA
Welcome to Layers of the Past, a tool for searching and comparing 150 historical maps across New York City.
The NYBG Urban Conservation team has
georeferenced these maps and consulted them for research in historical ecology, environmental
governance, ecological democracy and active restoration. Our research has led to the creation of The Welikia Project and Blue Zones, as well as Before New York, forthcoming in Fall 2026.
We're actively adding more maps to the tool, and this site will eventually include close to 600 layers.
Check back for updates!
How to use this tool
- Click to toggle maps on and off
- Click to adjust opacity of each layer
- Click to zoom to each layer
- Drag and drop layers to reorder them
- Use the search to find all maps
that include a specific place
- The green dot indicates your topmost visible layer at any time