New York City has come a long way in the last 45 years. Back in the 70s, the City was a much different place. As we see in film classics like The Warriors, violence and daily life were intertwined in a way that many New Yorkers can't even imagine these days.

Above and below ground, the City was a much more dangerous, less forgiving, and overall more gritty place. 

To better remember where we came from, and have some perspective on where we're going as a City, we have these amazing photos by Chilean immigrant photographer Camilo José Vergara.

Arriving in NYC in to 60s, Vergara completed his Masters Degree in Sociology at Columbia University. It was during his time at Columbia that he realized photography has the power to document social change in a stunning way.

The below images were shot in 1970, mainly in Harlem, the Bronx, and on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Consider how the locations in these photos would look strikingly different today. The LES is unrecognizable compared to the past, besides the street signs.

Harlem and the Bronx are more recently changing in big ways, with rents rising and paving the way for new developments creeping in, gentrification-aware residents are pushing back with community boards, social media and murals. 

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So take a look at NYC in the 70s. It's not a movie, it's not a comic book. These are real life shots by a highly educated photographer aiming to document social change in the city around him.

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[via Dangerous Minds] [Feature Image Courtesy Complex]