Expo 86’s "Transportation and Communication" theme gave a real-world preview of tomorrow. Today, many of the futuristic technologies demonstrated at the 1986 World's Fair are deeply integrated into daily life, including the evolution of driverless transit, personal computing, digital design, and early internet communications. 

 

The fair showcased the infancy of systems that are now standard:

 

Automated Rapid Transit:

 

The original driverless SkyTrain line—built specifically to transport visitors to the 1986 fair—is the backbone of Vancouver's transit network. This once-novel demonstration in automated transit is now ubiquitous in modern urban infrastructure. 

 

Personal Computing:

 

The "Office of the Future" at the fair showcased early desktop models like the IBM PC/AT for email and scheduling. Today, portable computing and cloud-based organization are carried daily in our pockets.

 

CAD & Flat-Panel Displays:

 

Visitors to the Canadian pavilion designed yacht keels using early light-pen graphics systems on flat-panel displays. Touchscreens and Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software are now the industry standards across all digital design sectors. 

 

Early Digital Telecommunications:

 

Basic local area networks (LANs) and electronic mail were previewed as cutting-edge corporate infrastructure. They have since evolved into global, high-speed networks and ubiquitous social connectivity. 

 

We celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Expo 86 at the Integrated Transportation Summit.

 

What have we learned?

 

Where are we heading?

 

Will Gen Z's be blown away by advances in transportation and economic corridors in 2066 ? Only time will tell.