Science fiction, especially 'Blade Runner,' has spawned so many dystopias that dystopia itself has become banal. What we need is a new utopianism that embraces the city. | Continue reading
Also: The particular creativity of dense urban neighborhoods, and how Helsinki built “book heaven.” | Continue reading
A new study gives evidence that Jane Jacobs was right about the particular dynamic and innovative quality of dense, urban neighborhoods. | Continue reading
The central library in Helsinki is a monument to the Nordic model of civic engagement. | Continue reading
In a revival of a 1930s society party, guests at a Chicago costume ball wore outfits depicting the skyscrapers their firms designed. | Continue reading
Also: It’s getting riskier to bike and walk after dark, and America has a Halloween costume equity gap. | Continue reading
With tents, flags, and cooperative services like a community kitchen, Lebanese protesters reclaimed a downtown that was formerly reserved for the elite. | Continue reading
The last decade has seen a gruesome rise in nighttime walking and cycling fatalities, with no conclusive explanation. | Continue reading
Do affluent families spend too much time and money on this holiday? | Continue reading
At CityLab DC, the Foo Fighters frontman described how the rock scenes of D.C. and Seattle changed his life—and what cities can do to cultivate their scenes. | Continue reading
Also: Uber’s beef with Los Angeles is bigger than data, and urban and suburban lifestyles are more similar than you think. | Continue reading
At CityLab DC, the Foo Fighters frontman described how the rock scenes of D.C. and Seattle changed his life—and what cities can do to cultivate their scenes. | Continue reading
A new study finds strong similarities in how residents of U.S. cities and suburbs pass their daily lives—with one, counterintuitive difference. | Continue reading
Deconstructing 'North,' a high-end lifestyle magazine published by a Chicago real-estate developer. | Continue reading
If the City and State Diplomacy Act becomes law, the Office of Subnational Diplomacy it creates would give cities a formal role in international diplomacy. | Continue reading
The dispute over privacy rules represents a major power struggle over the future of city streets, and it’s just getting started. | Continue reading
Also: California’s electricity future is in flux, and more dispatches from CityLab DC. | Continue reading
Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative wants to bring a boost of color to the streets of America’s small and mid-size cities. | Continue reading
In the face of federal inaction, mayors are increasingly trying gun policies that are tailored to their geography. | Continue reading
A fresh round of wildfires and power shut-offs is raising hard questions about what Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, can do to avoid more disasters. | Continue reading
Atlanta’s chief information officer explains why it’s better to spend millions recovering city computer systems from a cyberattack than to pay ransom. | Continue reading
Vienna perpetually ranks high on quality-of-life rankings, despite its rapidly growing population. | Continue reading
Will the center for unsheltered families that Amazon is building in a corporate property help counter criticism that the company fuels the city’s homelessness? | Continue reading
If you want to understand how meritocracy acts as a cover for inequality, look no further than our broken understanding of gratuity. | Continue reading
Santiago’s pristine Metro is a point of pride for many. But it’s also a manifestation of the country’s woes, from segregation to escalating prices. | Continue reading
Also: Watch the CityLab DC event livestream, and why Chile’s massive protests started with a subway fare hike. | Continue reading
Watch the live stream to follow along with the global meeting of city leaders, scholars, designers, and innovators. | Continue reading
In an interview with CityLab, the 2020 presidential candidate spells out a climate policy that is overtly attentive to race. | Continue reading
A new study finds that even considering other factors, the walkability of a child’s neighborhood has a direct correlation to increased adult earnings. | Continue reading
Santiago’s pristine Metro is a point of pride for many. But it’s also a manifestation of the country’s woes, from segregation to escalating prices. | Continue reading
A prototype in the San Francisco Bay is testing a vision for floating buildings built to withstand sea-level rise. And it’s distancing itself from some other utopian visions for floating cities. | Continue reading
Also: Nashville’s Kurdish community is angry with Trump, and can green license plates plug electric cars? | Continue reading
Fans are flooding small college towns on weekends, driving up rents, hollowing out neighborhoods, and stoking a market for secondary homes. | Continue reading
Early airline maps were inventive and colorful, but now that flying is mundane, the maps have gotten blander, say the authors of a new book on the genre. | Continue reading
Trump’s withdrawal of troops from Northern Syria has angered Nashville’s large Kurdish community. They say the city, Republicans included, is supporting them. | Continue reading
The U.K. government proposes issuing special number plates that allow EV drivers to use bus lanes and get cheaper parking. | Continue reading
Early airline maps were inventive and colorful, but now that flying is mundane, the maps have gotten blander, say the authors of a new book on the genre. | Continue reading
A 1940s traffic engineer devised a belt network of colored routes that still helps newcomers like me from getting lost. | Continue reading
Depending on who you ask, TIF is an essential tool for cities to revitalize neighborhoods, or an opaque developer giveaway with few public benefits. | Continue reading
Also: Parakeets are taking over Europe, and Minneapolis understood that NIMBYism has victims. | Continue reading
Madrid has pledged to eradicate its growing population of monk parakeets, which are native to South America. | Continue reading
Depending on who you ask, TIF is an essential tool for cities to revitalize neighborhoods, or an opaque developer giveaway with few public benefits. | Continue reading
A new study finds that even considering other factors, the walkability of a child’s neighborhood has a direct correlation to increased adult earnings. | Continue reading
A biweekly tour of the ever-expanding cartographic landscape. | Continue reading
Also: How to see fall colors without a car, and the new MoMa is open for business. | Continue reading
In Stockton, California, the city's police department has embarked on the difficult process of reconciling their relationship with black and Latino residents. | Continue reading
A new documentary looks at the rise and fall of a technocratic vision of the urban future. | Continue reading