The Toxic Intersection of Racism and Public Space

For black men like Christian Cooper, the threat of a call to police casts a cloud of fear over parks and public spaces that others associate with safety. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Toxic Intersection of Racism and Public Space

For black men like Christian Cooper, the threat of a call to police casts a cloud of fear over parks and public spaces that others associate with safety. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Poor Neighborhoods Are Only Getting Poorer

There are more communities living in poverty across U.S. metropolitan areas than there were four decades ago — and the neighborhoods that were already poor have even less now. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

What Our Post-Pandemic Behavior Might Look Like

After each epidemic and disaster, our social norms and behaviors change. As researchers begin to study coronavirus’s impacts, history offers clues. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Elevators Changed Cities. Will Coronavirus Change Elevators?

Fear of crowds in small spaces in the pandemic is spurring new norms and technological changes for the people-moving machines that make skyscrapers possible. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

For Resort Towns, This Could Be a Cruel Summer

With summer vacation in flux, how will tourist-dependent regions, beach towns, and other family getaway destinations in the U.S. survive? | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Anxious Future of the Elevator

Fear of crowds in small spaces in the pandemic is spurring new norms and technological changes for the people-moving machines that make skyscrapers possible. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Can America’s Oil Capital Go Green?

Houston’s infamous lack of zoning could become a climate-policy asset as the sprawling Texas metropolis attempts to steer a more sustainable course. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Can America’s Oil Capital Go Green?

Houston’s infamous lack of zoning could become a climate-policy asset as the sprawling Texas metropolis attempts to steer a more sustainable course. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Nextdoor Courts Police and Public Officials

The hyper-local social media platform Nextdoor is winning over local law enforcement and other government officials in the U.S., alarming civil rights advocates. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Even the Pandemic Can’t Kill the Open-Plan Office

Even before coronavirus, many workers hated the open-plan office. Now that shared work spaces are a public health risk, employers are rethinking office design. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

How Nextdoor Courts Police and Public Officials

The hyper-local social media platform Nextdoor is winning over local law enforcement and other government officials in the U.S., alarming civil rights advocates. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

When the Cruise Ships Stop Coming

As coronavirus puts the cruise industry on hold, some popular ports are rethinking their relationship with the tourists and economic benefits the big ships bring. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Chilling Effect of the ‘Public Charge’ Rule

Fears of visa rejection or deportation keep immigrant families from receiving health care and food aid, despite increasingly urgent needs due to the coronavirus pandemic. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Al Fresco Dining Is the Restaurant Industry’s Best Hope

To survive coronavirus summer, restaurants are rushing to claim space for outdoor seating. But can sidewalk tables and parking-lot patios provide enough revenue? | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Why Airports Die

Expensive to build, hard to adapt to other uses, and now facing massive pandemic-related challenges, airport terminals often live short, difficult lives. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

What the Pandemic Can Teach Us About Tackling Homelessness

Escalated efforts to get homeless and unsheltered people off the streets during coronavirus can serve us long after the crisis is over. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

When the Office Comes Back, Will It Have Walls?

Even before coronavirus, many workers hated the open-plan office. Now that shared work spaces are a public health risk, employers are rethinking office design. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

What the Post-Pandemic Commute Could Be

Will car traffic surge as lockdowns end, or will millions of Americans decide to bike, walk, or work from home permanently? Emerging research offers some hints. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

This Is How Hard It Is to Invest in Black Neighborhoods

The story of one investor trying to revitalize a crumbling block in Birmingham, Alabama, shows how little value American institutions place on black properties. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Searching for the Real Roots of Homelessness

In his new book, cultural geographer Don Mitchell looks at the role capitalism plays in creating, perpetuating and criminalizing homelessness in U.S. cities. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

NYC Can’t Give Up on the Subway

A New York City councilmember’s plea: We can’t reopen the nation’s largest city without safe public transit. But it won’t be easy, or cheap. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Great Coronavirus Contact-Tracing Race

To reopen, the U.S. needs to quickly train and deploy thousands of people to track potential Covid-19 infections — because technology alone can’t do the job. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

When a Walk Is No Longer Just a Walk

After Ahmaud Arbery’s death, even stepping out the front door for a walk provokes a protracted mental checklist of how to stay safe in my own neighborhood. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Good News About the Rent Might Not Be So Good

Four out of five apartment renters in the U.S. were able to make their rent payment in May. But the data only tells part of the story. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

I’m a Hospital-Worker Mom, and I Need Daycare on the Job

Health-care workers have needed better child-care options for decades. The coronavirus pandemic should be a tipping point. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

This Mother’s Day, Remember the Age of ‘Municipal Motherhood’

In the Progressive Era, reformers like Jane Addams understood the link between public health and urban poverty. Today’s leaders could learn a lot from them. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

In Praise of Flyovers, the Public Spectacle of the Pandemic

Aerial salutes to front-line workers by military jets have become common morale-boosters in cities under coronavirus lockdown. Not everyone is a fan, however. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Say His Name Three Times, Catch Coronavirus

With Georgia lifting shelter-in-place restrictions, Atlanta filmmaker Bobby Huntley II’s spoof trailer “Coronaman” takes a different tack on a stay-home PSA. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

A Post-Pandemic Reality Check for Transit Boosters

After lockdowns ease, public transportation ridership in the U.S. is likely to remain low for years. But some see a way forward for a new understanding of transit’s role. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Who Will Ride Transit After Coronavirus?

After lockdowns ease, public transportation ridership in the U.S. is likely to remain low for years. But some see a way forward for a new understanding of transit’s role. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Need More Outdoor Public Space? Maybe Cities Already Have It.

With parks filled and social distancing in effect, cities need to find more room for residents to get outside during lockdowns. Here’s where it’s hiding.   | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The ‘New Normal’ for Many Older Adults Is on the Internet

For some people over 65 facing loneliness and prolonged isolation, expanded tech literacy is a new skill that may stay with them long after lockdowns lift. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The ‘New Normal’ for Many Older Adults Is on the Internet

For some people over 65 facing loneliness and prolonged isolation, expanded tech literacy is a new skill that may stay with them long after lockdowns lift. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Your Coronavirus Housing Questions, Answered

Worried about paying your rent or mortgage, avoiding eviction or foreclosure, renewing a lease, or getting housing assistance? These tips and resources can help. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Mute Your Mic! Virtual City Council Is in Session.

As city governance goes remote during coronavirus lockdowns, local lawmakers struggle with video tech glitches, nude Zoombombing, and other challenges. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Density Isn’t Easy. But It’s Necessary.

Americans have always had a difficult relationship with urban density. But in a crisis, we need what cities can provide. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Fighting Coronavirus With a Very Canadian Resource: Ice Rinks

Canada has managed to flatten the curve in new Covid-19 cases, but one group has a backup plan for converting skating and hockey rinks to medical facilities. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Collecting the Maps That Will Define the Pandemic

As the Library of Congress archives visuals about coronavirus, it is documenting a dramatic expansion in the forms and functions of maps — and their makers. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Evolution of Airline Safety Videos (2017)

Here's how sleep-inducing safety advisories became forms of entertainment. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Live-Streaming Project That Can Help Save Live Music Venues

The fundraising platform United We Stream hosts concerts, DJ sets and other live performances in European cities to keep clubs from going out of business. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Delicate Art of Buying a Home in a Pandemic

Despite lockdown orders and economic uncertainty, people are still selling and buying homes, thanks to virtual house showings and no-contact contract signings. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

What Happens to Democracy When Schools Close

A forthcoming book documents how politically active communities became disengaged after local schools were shuttered. Now, more schools may face permanent closure. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Coronavirus Data in the U.S. Is Terrible, and Here’s Why

We have more data than ever to track a growing number of coronavirus cases, tests and deaths. But can we rely on these numbers? | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Art of the Census

A pair of museum exhibits showcase work inspired by the decennial counts of the U.S. Census Bureau. And, like the census itself, the shows are going online.   | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Sudden Crash and Possible Comeback of Commuter Rail

No form of public transportation has lost more riders in the coronavirus crisis than the trains that carry suburban workers to urban jobs. Will they ever recover? | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

Paris Has a Plan to Keep Cars Out After Lockdown

As the city prepares to end lockdown, Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to use bike lanes, buses, and social distancing to keep more cars off the roads and reduce pollution. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago

The Paris Mayor Won’t Let Coronavirus Slow Her Car-Free Ambitions

As the city prepares to end lockdown, Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to use bike lanes, buses, and social distancing to keep more cars off the roads and reduce pollution. | Continue reading


@citylab.com | 3 years ago