Urban farms to traffic bans: Cities prep for post-coronavirus future →
As cities aim to become more self reliant and resilient, they are taking steps to improve food security, live more sustainably. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreMapping how cities are reclaiming street space →
To help get essential workers around, cities are revising traffic patterns, suspending public transit fares, and making more room for bikes and pedestrians. CITYLAB
Read MoreHow we can redesign cities to fight future pandemics →
“Buildings have to be the secret weapon in the future to combat infectious diseases.” FAST COMPANY
Read MoreAI can now design cities. Should we let it? →
We used to worry about AI turning our world into gray goo. But maybe we should be more afraid of it bringing in a Starbucks and a Lululemon. FAST COMPANY
Read MoreThe case for... making low-tech 'dumb' cities instead of 'smart' ones →
High-tech smart cities promise efficiency by monitoring everything from bins to bridges. But what if we ditched the data and embraced ancient technology instead? THE GUARDIAN
Read MoreIn this new neighbourhood, every building will be made entirely out of wood →
In an effort to build a more sustainable future, architects and policy makers are nodding to the past with structures entirely made of timber. Next up in this timber trend: a Copenhagen neighbourhood built fully with wood, with housing for 7,000 people, a school, and a focus on integrating nature with city life. FAST COMPANY
Read MoreToyota to build prototype city of the future in Japan →
Community on land near Mt. Fuji will be powered by clean hydrogen fuel cells and function as a laboratory for smart homes and other tech. PLACE
Read MoreBuilding an inclusive city in Myanmar, one trash alley at a time →
Alleys and abandoned plots are being transformed into parks and pleasant spots by a social enterprise aiming to create more public spaces. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreHow Memphis transformed its parks named for Confederate generals into inclusive spaces →
After taking down statues of Confederate president Jefferson Davis and KKK leader Nathan Bedford Forrest, the city redesigned the parks into spaces where people could create a stronger community. FAST COMPANY
Read More'Living laboratory': New Dubai city pushes for green revolution in the desert →
Comprising low-lying villas that are home to thousands, the city aims to be a "net-zero" settlement, producing all the energy it needs from renewable sources on site. PLACE
Read MoreThe future of Durban: is this South Africa's most inclusive public space? →
Where fellow oceanside metropolis Cape Town has marketed itself to the world, Durban has positioned itself as South Africa’s playground. Beachfront theme parks and twirling public waterslides attract families from around the country, and all walks of life. This accessibility and affordability have made this eight-kilometre strip arguably one of South Africa’s most inclusive public spaces. THE GUARDIAN
Read MoreWhat Baltimore gets right about urban trees →
While trees in the rest of urban America are dropping like fall leaves, Baltimore’s urban forest has actually gotten bigger. Not much bigger—only one percent—but bigger nonetheless. Baltimore’s secret to keeping its streets green is surprisingly simple: they monitor their trees more closely than almost any other city in the country. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL
Read MoreSsssh: As cities surge, some seek a new aim - peace and quiet →
Efforts to slow the pace of city life range from the literal - with many cities pushing for lower speed limits on their roads - to the imaginative, such as looking for ways to promote mindfulness. Many of them include a recognition of the rising importance of public spaces that are geared more toward quiet and contemplation than efficiency and technology. PLACE
Read MoreTokyo Olympics to go green, help other cities strike gold →
Innovations such as roads that reflect heat and water-absorbing pavements that will help the Olympic Games in Tokyo be a carbon neutral event, could also be adopted by other cities looking to mitigate climate risks, urban experts said. PLACE
Read MoreCrowded Hong Kong goes underground to overcome land crunch →
From Singapore to sub-Saharan Africa, cities are fast running out of space - Hong Kong's solution is to move more facilities underground. PLACE
Read MoreU.N. plans vast urban forests to fight climate change
The U.N. plans to work with Britain's Kew Royal Botanic Gardens to grow forests in 90 cities across 30 countries in Africa and Asia. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MoreThis radical plan would see the U.S. build 12 million new units of social housing →
That’s just one part of People’s Action’s “A National Homes Guarantee,” which offers a vision for making housing a right in the country, through a tenants’ bill of rights, green construction training, and a massive building project. FAST COMPANY
Read MoreFlat-packed cities: wooden skyscrapers sprout over concrete concerns →
With concrete a major source of climate-changing emissions, cities around the world are looking at high-rise wooden buildings instead. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION
Read MorePark life boosts morale as much as Christmas, survey shows →
Trees in cities are already credited with cooling and cleaning the air, along with absorbing planet-warming gases - but a team or researchers from the University of Vermont, in the United States, found they also cause happiness. PLACE
Read MoreThere are tiny parks for bees hiding on the roof of these bus stops →
In the Dutch city of Utrecht, the roofs of hundreds of bus stops were recently covered with low-growing succulent plants called sedum. It’s not to make them look good (though it does). It’s to create new habitats for bees and butterflies in the middle of the city. FAST COMPANY
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