Climate Cities

Swedish mining company could move an entire town to get at valuable iron ore

The town of Kiruna, Sweden, is very cold, very close to that awesome ice hotel, and very much on top of a valuable lode of iron ore. The Swedish state-owned mining company, LKAB, wants to get at the ore by fracturing that portion of the ground, which wouldn't be so great for the people who live on it. Solution: Make the people live somewhere else. A large portion of the city is being entirely relocated so that mining companies can get in underneath.

Mayor of Vilnius takes out Mercedes parked in bike lane — with a tank [VIDEO]

Artūras Zuokas, the mayor of Vilnius, Lithuania, makes his point crushingly clear: Bike lanes are for bikes, not luxury vehicles.

New site shows how far public transportation will take you

Mapnificent lets you see how far you can get on public transportation in a set amont of time, in more than 60 metro areas worldwide. (Above: 15 minutes on bus and rail in Chicago.) It's a new way of visualizing how easy it is to navigate a city without a car. You can use it to check out places where you might want to live or visit, to get an idea of how far transportation will get you and how much of your day it might take up to get where you need to go.

Here's what 15 minutes looks like in a few more cities:

Hung out to dry: Why clothesline bans are wrongheaded

Some homeowners associations ban solar drying, threatening offenders with fines and even forced expulsion for saving energy costs by hanging their wash out to dry. Help map the places with restrictions on the right to sun-dry.

NYC cyclist gets doored by clueless cops

If you're riding a bike and get doored, it sucks no matter what. But what if, like Stephen Mann, you get doored by a cop?

Judging from Mann's account, it's even worse than getting hit by your run-of-the-mill inconsiderate driver.

How do you design a bike that will make people give up cars?

Oregon Manifest is a challenge, sponsored in part by Levi's, to bike designers and constructors to build "The Ultimate Modern Utility Bike." The bike must have features like built-in anti-theft devices, fenders, lighting, load-carrying capability, and kickstand. Bikes entered into the contest will be tested on a 50 mile course that covers city and dirt roads, asphalt, gravel, hills, and stairs. The winner receives a $3,000 prize.

In Baltimore, Zipcar users take fewer car trips

Baltimore is an old, industrial city with old, car-focused transportation infrastructure. But add a little Zipcar in, and Baltimore residents suddenly get a lot more gung ho about walking, biking, and taking the bus.

Announcing this year's most walkable cities

Walk Score has announced its 2011 list of most walkable cities, with a twist -- this year there's also a "fan favorite" category, where you can vote for what city you think is the easiest to navigate on foot.

Erasing hate speech from public spaces [VIDEO]

One 66-year-old German woman has made it her mission to remove and obliterate neo-Nazi, homophobic, and racist graffiti. Watch "The Hate Destroyer" in action.

The Bike Factor: Disability and the ability to ride a bicycle

For many people with disabilities, cars don't just symbolize independence and freedom, they make them possible. But this isn't universally true