There’s nothing quite as iconic as a city skyline. You can pick out where you are by the shape of the buildings against the sky and the patterns they make at night with their lights shining in the darkness. Even though skylines might seem permanent, they really aren’t. Buildings come and go like anything else — but it seems like more come than go these days.

Take a look at these now-and-then photos of some major cities as they transform from their humbler pasts to their glittering presents. Sometimes you don’t have to look too far back to see a major change.

Here’s my personal favorite out of the whole group…

(via List 25)

Now that you’ve seen just how far these cities have come, try to imagine what they might look like in the future!

Learn more about cities all over the world.