Cities

The most (and least) polluted cities in America

The American Lung Association ranked cities according to their air pollution. Here’s the good news, and the bad.

Liz Core Cities

Baltimore riots flared up in a toxic environment

A local youth activists says the enraged protesters’ “behavior is a result, or correlates with the environment that they live in.”

Brentin Mock Cities

Can Obama fix Japan’s broken climate plan?

The Fukushima disaster screwed up Japan's climate strategy.

Tim McDonnell Cities

The EPA has a plan to protect vulnerable communities. Will it work?

The agency spent years cooking up its environmental justice master plan. Now it's time for action.

Brentin Mock Cities

California’s drought isn’t doomsday, but yes, it will change the state

The most nightmarish scenarios of California's dry future are unlikely to happen. Still, the state must use the crisis as a wakeup call to use water more smartly.

Nathanael Johnson Cities

Beijing’s air is now a little less toxic

A new study suggests China's tough new pollution standards might actually be working.

James West Cities

busy streetscape with walkers and bikers

How much does density really cut down on driving?

The correlation isn't as direct as you might think. But it still points to us needing much denser cities.

Ben Adler Cities

L.A. just called. It says go find another dystopia.

Los Angeles has a new master plan that sets ambitious goals for a more sustainable urban future -- and puts the kibosh on grassy lawns.

Heather Smith Cities

This roadkill map says a lot about California’s drought

A UC Davis researcher, working with citizen scientists, has been tracking flattened animals. Here's what they've learned.