cities

Remembrance of cities past: spectacular photos of the way we lived

Photographer Burton Holmes created gorgeous photographs that documented urban life before the rise of the automobile. Could they help us to recapture some of what we have lost?

Charles R. Wolfe Cities

When eyes on the street record what they see

Thanks to camera phones, not only will the revolution be televised, so might any random stupid thing you do in public.

Sarah Goodyear Cities

What we can learn from drought-proof El Paso

It hasn't rained in El Paso in 119 days, and its water manager says it doesn't much matter if it doesn't rain next year, either. "We're basically drought-proof," he told the Guardian.

Christopher Mims Buildings

Five provocative ways to think about cities and neighborhoods

Want to be more mindful of your city? Here are some great suggestions on how to make that happen.

Kaid Benfield Culture

Which cities can best adapt to climate change?

Here are the most resilient -- and most vulnerable -- cities to climate change.

Jeff Opperman Science

Is China trying to steal this city?

China seems to be turning its countryside into a sort of Baudrillardian Euro-Epcot -- they've got two replica English villages, a mini-Barcelona and mini-Venice, a Scandiavia-esque "Nordic Town," and a German district in the city of Anting. Now they're planning to add a replica of the Austrian village of Hallstatt, and the original Hallstatt is pretty pissed.

Jess Zimmerman Cities

Make cities, not war

Mayors from around the country are wondering why we're building bridges in Kandahar when bridges at home are falling to pieces.

Sarah Goodyear Buildings

Look how much more space we'd have without sprawl

If we could just get everyone in the world to pack in a little tighter, we'd have a hell of a lot more open space to work with. Imagine the possibilities! We could pack everyone into the Midwest, fill Canada with wind turbines, and leave everything else for wildlife. Okay, maybe that's not realistic, […]

Jess Zimmerman Housing

A virtual vacation: Stroll the world with Robot Flâneur

Can't travel the world? A new website will take you to some of its most stimulating cities, and saunter with you down their streets -- with a little help from Google Street View.