As reported on The Verge.
By Valentina Palladino
Big cities often suffer from a lack of greenery, but now the website Urban Jungle Street View lets you see how your street would look covered in forest flora. The site’s creator Einar Öberg says on Twitter that he’s “breaking terms of use like it’s no tomorrow” — presumably because it uses the undocumented depth data of the Google Maps API to realistically position 3D trees, leaves, and vines that grow inside and around buildings. The site is only accessible using Google Chrome, but the effect resembles an apocalyptic video game — only with locations you’re familiar with — making it all the more unsettling and freakishly cool. Google has been quick to shut down similar map hacks, including one in 2011 that turned Street View into a first-person shooting game, but there’s no word yet on the fate of this odd and imaginative website.