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Cities
2659 posts
Fusing It All
Solar Juice + Battery + Beautiful Design @ Home
The world currently consumes 20 trillion kWh of energy annually. Enough energy to power a single family…
CO2 On A New World Record High
The monthly global average concentration of carbon dioxide just broke 400 parts per million for the first…
Declining Walkability Plays Big Role In China’s Obesity Problem
But it’s the middle class, not the poor who may pay the biggest price. In China’s…
A Sky Portal From Subway Depths
The centerpiece of New York’s New Fulton Center, the Sky-Reflector Net recalls an era when transit design aspired…
City Gives To Citizens And Takes Back
Vallejo, California, residents were initially psyched to spend tax dollars on their pet projects. But things haven’t turned…
Humanity’s Greatest Invention?
Besides being one of today’s most influential urban economists, Harvard’s Edward Glaeser is a highly sought-after city strategist,…
No Burglars Allowed : The Worst City Signs
This feature adopted…
Build Stadiums To Last
In the end, all buildings are temporary. A poorly conceived or badly constructed building will quickly need…
Design For Our Acoustics
Design briefs hardly ever include a description of the acoustic experience that should be achieved. Yet acoustics…
Urinals Turn Pee Into Fertilizer For Local Food
Peeing in public isn’t usually a government-sanctioned activity. But a few weeks ago, Dutch officials lined up some…
A Cartoonist’s Vision Of A Car-Free Future
St. Paul-based cartoonist Andy Singer has never owned a car, even though he’s lived, over the last 47…
An Appetite For City Smog
Using a new type of tile that converts the chemicals in pollution into less toxic substances, the Torre…
Neighbourhood-Scale Development Benefits
By taking advantage of increased efficiencies, developing on a precinct or neighbourhood scale creates smarter and more liveable…
Model Village Lessons
Visiting a new settlement planned on utopian principles during my travels through France this summer set me…
Fast-Track Regeneration In Cities
London’s winning bid for the Olympic Games focussed as much on regeneration as on sporting spectacle. As part…
Urban Design == Service Design
High-speed data and mobile communications technology is allowing us to think differently about how we plan and develop…
Cities Save The Earth From Humanity
Can humans grow enough food, produce enough energy and still preserve some of the last refuges of other…
Visions Of Smart City Utopia Need Urgent Reality Check
Responsive urban technology sounds enticing but citizens must not be disconnected from plans drawn up on their behalf.…
Better Design Needed For Drinking Fountains
People would rather pay two bucks for a sealed, clean drink than stoop over a dirty-looking public trough.…
A Beautiful Vision Of An American High-Speed Rail Map
Imagine if the entire country [USA] was linked by 220-mile-per-hour trains. That’s what this map does. High-speed rail…
If Valley’s Tech Companies Built Cities Themselves
Welcome to i-Town. An artist imagines Google, Facebook, Apple, and Electronic Arts as self-contained urban hubs. …
Stunning Tribute To Hong Kong’s Super-Packed Cemeteries
Hong Kong is an incredibly packed city, so why should its cemeteries be any different? Shoe-horned into the…
Commute, Property Prices, And Good Conversation
Two bodyguards trotted behind Enrique Peñalosa, their pistols jostling in holsters. There was nothing remarkable about that,…
City People, NYC
[A few years ago] Mayor Bloomberg left office, ending an era that radically changed New York City,…
What Will A Smart City Look Like In The Future?
By 2050 there will be five billion urbanites, but, with pressure on resources and climate disruption, how will…
Smaller Cities Unite
What does Copenhagen have in common with Providence, Rhode Island? Both are small cities known globally for…
The Future Of Food In A Box
Aquaponics uses fish to create soil-less farms that can fit into cities much easier. On an early June…
Walkonomics And The High Line Effect
Investing in walkable public spaces should be a no-brainer; they can be a catalyst for regeneration, make…
Infrastructure Criticality
There is no doubt that this remains among the most difficult economic environments we have faced in decades.…
The Silent Rise Of The Smart City
As Google hits the headlines for changes to its privacy rules across Europe, it is worth noting…
Reflexive Urbanism : A City Alive
For some early twentieth century commentators, the twenty-first century was going to be about electronic mediation of space.…
Births And Rebirths Of Cities
I’m writing this from Belgrade – a city that, [13+] years ago, was the target of a NATO bombing…
Christchurch As A Modern 21st Century Lab
Following the disastrous earthquakes that have rendered the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand uninhabitable, the city…
Responsive Façades For Smarter Cities
A greener future’s not all about electric cars; it’s about smart building engineering too. Façades are the…
Sculptural Engineering Revive Market Square
Timber Mushrooms Revive Market Square The spectacular Metropol Parasol in Seville’s Plaza De La Encarnación was the result…
Adventures Through The World’s Lost Cities
Tourists relish the history, mystery and spiritual draw. Gazing at the Andean peaks soaring above the Lost City…
People Need More Energy Than Blue Whales
Geoffrey West doesn’t eat lunch. His doctor says he has a mild allergy to food; meals make him…
From Hell To Electropolis: How Comics Depict Cities
Delirius, the planet-sized city. William Gull shaking his bloody fists at the NatWest tower. The gentle Julius Knipl,…
Projecting City Realities In Comics
Raised in New York, fed by newspapers and nourished by urban life, comics tell the secrets of cities…
Urban Environment Design And Bad Guys
Whose job is it to prevent crime? The police? The courts? Certainly. However, I’d argue that crime prevention…
Lima’s Ancient Pipes Are Saving It From Drought
The ancient pre-Inca civilisation of the Wari is a marvel to archaeologists because it grew out of one…
Architecture Gets All To Live At The Top
One designer’s solution to class conflict caused by blocked views. The biggest class conflict for coming generations will…
10 Most Walkable Cities In America
Cities that make life easier for pedestrians are, to many, better places to live. Studies have shown that…
8 Best Food Cities In The World
Travelers love to eat–that’s why every year, as part of our Readers’ Choice Awards survey, we ask our…
The Golden Gate Bridge Is Under Attack By The Elements
Nature wants to turn this American icon to rust. Chad Allan won’t let that happen. The…
Bluetooth And Sensors Help Michigan Drivers Avoid Construction Snarls
Construction season adds angst to already messy commutes. In Michigan, a combination of sensors and Bluetooth technology is…
San Diego : Smart Projects For Smart Cities
A National Geographic series on smart cities will showcase San Diego in an hour-long documentary scheduled to start…
Unseen For 60 Years, Lens On Myanmar
A striking new photography book lifts the curtain on the people and places of Burma, from its time…
Quirky Ideas For More Sustainable Cities
City living has many upsides, but a sustainable lifestyle is increasingly not among them. Pollution, traffic and loss…
The 16 Best Street-Food Cities In The World
Sometimes the finest dining a country has to offer isn’t in a Michelin-starred restaurant — it’s within a…