Exploring how cities inspire new ideas–and how new ideas change city life
The Questionable Compromises of Privately-Owned Cities
The reason a privatized city is so much quicker and easier to build is not down to the inherent superiority of the free market, but because it removes power from people and communities and centralizes it into the hands of one person or corporation.
The Tacky Cities Of Tomorrow
If imagined cities are an easy shorthand for the world of tomorrow, then the ways we talk about the cities that are being built is a way of understanding the world we already have.
Without an Address, You’re No One
Utilities, deliveries, welfare, and more all depend on having an address–so what can you do if your home doesn’t have one?
How Cities Can Be Reclaimed By Women Through Performance Art
Urban areas are not built for women, and artists have long been adept at pointing this out.
Climate Change Will Bring Forest Fires into Europe’s Biggest Cities
Major European cities like Madrid could soon be facing a new existential threat.
The Depressing Science of What Living in a City Does to Your Brain
The hustle and bustle of living in cities has measurable impacts on mental health–but greenery may be an antidote.
Lahore, the Policed City
Daily life in Pakistan’s second-largest city is overrun with barbed wire, CCTV, and dolphin squads.
It’s Time for Cities to Talk About Abandoning Meat
Can urban farms really help fight climate change and make room for animals at the same time?
How Are Remote Workers Changing the World’s Cities?
Remote working is easier than ever before across the world–but it has impacts on cities as well as workers.
Why We’re Still Up in the Air About Green Roofs
Think that putting plants on top of buildings will solve our urban environmental problems? Think again.
The Evolving Battle for Urban Public Space
Social spaces are the beating heart of our cities–and a constant source of conflict and tension.
Could the Cities of the Future Take the Form of a Digital Swarm?
The built environment constantly reinvents itself–and “swarm cities” could be its next manifestation
I Tried to Green My Apartment by Learning From the Weed-Growing Community
Doesn’t every city dweller deserve somewhere to grow their own food, even if it’s just a bucket?
The City of the Future Looks Like a Former Military Bunker in Taipei
Treasure Hill could be a prototype for the future of sustainable urban living.
How Cutting-Edge Materials Will Change the Look of the Cities of the Future
Smart glass, metal sponges, and more of the discoveries that will define where we live and work.
After Disasters Hit Our Cities, Why We Stay and Rebuild
Reflections on living through an earthquake–and what to preserve and what to replace.
Mapped: America’s Healthiest Cities
Communities beat out states when it comes to keeping you well.
The Rebirth of the City-State
Are technological, cultural, and environmental factors combining to disrupt the nation-state in favor of an ancient alternative?
Metropolis: A Reading List
A crash course in the ways cities influence new ideas–and how new ideas change city life.
The Problem With Smart Cities
It’s no use turning cities into data mines without putting human needs at the forefront.
Tech Hub Profile: Silicon Moscow
Russia’s startups have a rich talent pool–but sanctions continue to define their chances for success.
Tech Hub Profile: Silicon Tehran
International investors are about to gain access to a fertile and untouched tech market.
Tech Hub Profile: Silicon North
Estonia offers entrepreneurs e-residency in one of the world’s most progressive digital societies.
Greece’s Tourism Startups Find a Way Through the Crisis
In the wake of the Eurozone crisis, startups in the Greek capital focusing on tourism are facing an uncertain future.
Consumer Wearables Measure Air Quality in the Most Polluted Cities
Crowdsourcing air quality readings could make life better for millions around the world.
NY Prison Break: 6 High-Tech Security Measures That Might Have Foiled It
How modern prisons foil old breakout techniques.
Tiny Victorian Biospheres Could Re-green the World’s Most Polluted Cities
Reviving the Victorian craze for tiny greenhouses could help fight air pollution.
The Technology That’s Supercharging Disaster Relief
From drones to robots, technology is offering new ways to quickly respond to earthquakes.
How This Multi-Colored Building Saved London From “The Great Stink”
Happy 150th birthday, Crossness pumping station!
5 Innovations in Sewage Management
This is the real fresh sh!t
What Every City Can Learn From Boston’s Worst Winter
Major winter storms make it imperative for cities to develop better strategies for resilience.
What Low-Income Areas Can Teach Silicon Valley About Tech
The tech industry is at the heart of gentrification disputes in many cities–but it doesn’t have to be.
Communities Have Their Say in Post-Hurricane Sandy Redesign
Competitions for designers who want to repair city infrastructure need buy-in from residents first.
Grenoble to Get Rid of Billboards, Will Plant Trees Instead
Liberating public space and cleaning the environment
Building the Libraries of Tomorrow
With people increasingly reading on ever-more-mobile devices, libraries need a reboot to stay relevant.
How 3D-Mapping with Drones Is Changing the Shape of Peruvian Favelas
A new way to use drones for social good.
Give Us Smarter Cities, Block by Block
The benefits of smart cities need to be rolled-out gradually to be realistically delivered in our lifetimes.
The World’s Next Tallest Building–Made of Wood?
The tallest new wood building is the world is 10 stories tall–and the next ones could go even higher.
San Francisco’s Hackable Sidewalks are Real Conversation Starters
Encouraging social interaction in cities through giant concrete parabola.