New York at Its Core offers a unified consideration of the themes that have shaped New York City’s past, present, and future. The exhibition’s three galleries are organized around the themes of money, density, diversity, and creativity. Each gallery uses technology to create an immersive environment, providing hands-on learning and interpretive depth for visitors.

Port City and World City feature thematic animated maps showing how the city has changed over time; immersive digital environments; and interactive kiosks that allow visitors to “meet” New Yorkers from the past who shaped the city. In the Future City Lab, the animated map takes on a monumental scale, depicting current conditions and asking crucial questions about the challenges the city will face in the future. The focal point of the Future City Lab allows visitors to design their own city simulation, and then jump inside and play alongside the New Yorkers of the future.

Port City and World City are divided into eight chronological sections, each of which focuses on a particular theme in New York’s history.

Animated maps set the stage for the historical periods and objects on view, as well as showing the visitors concrete examples of the themes of density, diversity, and money.

The people interactives also relate to the objects on view, and they are organized by exhibition section in both galleries. This technique allowed the curators to explain complicated topics by relating to the human aspect of the story. For instance, Robert Moses’s official badges are on view in the gallery, and in the interactive, the visitor can learn about the various controversies surrounding his projects.

The Future City Lab continues the theme of human agency. Visitors learn that individual choices and visions have shaped the city's history before trying to shape its future in their own simulations.

Ten years ago, we built the Timescapes introductory film for the Museum of the City of New York. Over time, this multi-panel documentary film became one of the most popular exhibits in the museum, using the evolving cartography of the city to imagine NYC as a character rather than a faceless mass. With New York at Its Core, we were able to take that simple idea and expand it into a truly unique experience.

With coverage from the New York Times, VICE's Creators Project, Fast Company, and more, this exhibition has done more to put MCNY on the map than arguably any other previous exhibition. The numbers bear that hypothesis out, with an estimated 35% percent increase in visitorship since the exhibition opened.

The galleries span the city's entire 400-year history, the first to synthesize New York City's storied past into an easily-digestible experience. We achieved that by centering the narrative around individuals and stories that shaped NYC, reminding visitors and natives alike that one person can have a massive impact on a city of 8 million.

From introducing visitors to historical figures as they walk past in full-scale, to the in-depth monolith kiosks that offer stories with multiple levels of detail, embracing school children and Ph. D carrying history-buffs alike.

The Museum of the City of New York has never launched a permanent exhibition in its entire 94-year history...until now. Built over the course of a 3 year renovation on a budget of $10.5 million, New York at Its Core covers three galleries, 10,000 square feet, and the entire first floor of the museum.

It represents a massive leap forward for the MCNY, both technologically and in terms of establishing a bigger presence in New York City's competitive museum market.