NEW YORK – It’s not every day that one’s real estate nightmares come to life, especially during an otherwise pleasant walk on the High Line. As I looked up around West 22nd Street however, I saw the black and white, futuristic embodiment of the fear that lurks in the hearts of all New Yorkers.

In Kerry James Marshall’s mural Above the Line, water towers, my beloved rooftop beacon of clean water (and I know, constant subject of this column), are now home to glass and steel condos, the ultimate conclusion to our current luxury boom. In this dystopian vision, the residents look down on the High Line visitors over to catch the flying cars that I’m sure have replaced taxis. It’s hard to spot at first; the leaves of the trees in front of the mural were still on the November day I visited. When I came close however, the image was unshakable.

The comic book-like black and white drawings were designed by Marshall and painted by Brooklyn-based mural company Colossal Media, previously known for creating ads as faux-handcrafted murals for brands like Jim Bean. This scene could be a panel in Superman or Batman, a future in which both have to move, priced out of Gotham and Metropolis. It took some chutzpah for the High Line to feature a mural like Above the Line. After all, the High Line was part of the catalyst for much of the luxury developments springing up in western Chelsea. Can the High Line get away with critiquing, even in a mural, the area’s gentrification? Given that it at least shows willingness to grapple with these contradictions, the answer is a cautious yes.

The mural, a continuation of Marshall’s Dailies series, which addresses the lack of black superheroes, will be on the High Line through May 2016. The closest entrance is at 23rd Street.