Mannahatta 2100

Inspiration

Mannahatta was inspired by the urgent fight against climate change and the responsibility of building a sustainable future for generations to come. We drew from Indigenous land stewardship practices, the Native American Seven Generations Principle, and the histories of the African diaspora and immigrant communities who helped build New York City. These perspectives remind us that our choices today shape the lives, environments, and possibilities of future generations.

Climate change disproportionately affects communities of color and ecosystems alike. Rather than framing the climate crisis as overwhelming or inevitable, we wanted to create an experience rooted in empowerment—one that reinforces the idea that collective and individual actions matter. The care, perseverance, and resilience demonstrated by marginalized communities inspired us to build a tool that helps people imagine hopeful futures and take meaningful action.

What It Does

Mannahatta is a location-based augmented reality experience that allows users to step into two possible futures of New York City in the year 2100. Using augmented reality, we overlay speculative futures onto present-day locations: one future shaped by climate collapse and flooding, and another reimagined as a beautiful, regenerative eco-city. By visualizing these futures in the same physical space, the project makes climate change immediate, personal, and actionable.

How We Built It

We built Mannahatta using Lureo, a web-based immersive AR platform that prioritizes accessibility and ease of use. To visualize Indigenous flora and fauna and emphasize restorative climate practices, we used Midjourney for concept imagery. These visuals were then translated into 3D assets using Meshy, alongside additional models sourced from Sketchfab.

The AR environment and storytelling were assembled within Lureo, allowing users to experience the project directly through their mobile devices. We used ElevenLabs to generate voiceover narration, enhancing the immersive storytelling layer of the experience.

Challenges We Ran Into

We faced several technical and strategic challenges throughout development, including switching platforms multiple times. Our original plan was to build for Snap Spectacles, but concerns around the limited field of view led us to reconsider. We also explored building a mixed reality experience in Unity for the Meta Quest headset, which introduced complexity and accessibility barriers.

Ultimately, we chose Lureo because its web-based approach allowed us to reach a broader audience without requiring specialized hardware. Navigating these pivots under hackathon time constraints was challenging, but it helped us clarify our priorities around access, scalability, and impact.

Accomplishments That We’re Proud Of

• Creating an immersive, location-based AR experience within a short hackathon timeline
  
• Successfully combining speculative storytelling with real-world climate education
  
• Using AI tools to rapidly prototype and visualize ecological futures
  
• Designing an experience that balances emotional impact with empowerment and hope
  
• Building a project that is accessible, scalable, and community-oriented
  

What We Learned

We learned the importance of aligning technology choices with accessibility and mission-driven impact. Immersive storytelling is most powerful when it invites participation rather than fear, and when it provides clear pathways from awareness to action. We also gained valuable experience rapidly prototyping with AI tools and adapting our technical approach to better serve our audience.

What’s Next for Mannahatta

Next, we plan to expand Mannahatta by partnering with educational institutions, schools, climate action organizations, and city or municipal leadership. We aim to localize future scenarios for different neighborhoods and cities, integrate curriculum-aligned educational content, and grow our resource hub connecting users to climate organizations and actionable steps. Long-term, Mannahatta will evolve into a scalable platform for climate literacy, civic engagement, and imagining equitable, sustainable futures.

Built With

• elevenlabs
• lureo
• meshy
• midjourney