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Cities

Cool Finds

This New York Project Wants You to Write on the Walls

Writing On It All gives voice—and a pen—to one and all

Architects Reimagine Detroit

A new exhibition in Venice showcases how 12 teams would reinvent four sites in Detroit badly in need of facelifts

Ahhh...that was satisfying.

Cool Finds

This New Satellite Project Helps People Find Patterns in City Spaces

Terrapattern turns a mad world into a satisfying, matchy-matchy nirvana

Portland, Oregon could be in the crosshairs of one of America's worst disasters if (or when) a 9.0 earthquake hits the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

Trending Today

Here’s How the Pacific NW Is Preparing for “The Big One”

It’s the mother of all disaster drills for what could be the worst disaster in American history

Cool Finds

Instead of Tagging Real-Life Surfaces, Graffiti Artists Can Use a New Simulator

Fake bombing has never felt so real

Trending Today

Five Landmarks Threatened by Climate Change

Will a warming planet destroy humankinds’ most precious cultural treasures?

This sad relic of ancient Rome is up for adoption.

Trending Today

Rome Is Looking for People to Adopt Famous, Falling-Apart Sites

When in Rome, pony up some cash for cultural preservation

Inside Alabama’s Abandoned Buildings

As Birmingham flourishes again, an urban explorer documents what is left behind

Cool Finds

These Are America’s Most Well-Read Cities

Did your bookish burg make Amazon.com’s list?

Sewer in a Suitcase: This handy kit shows people where water goes after it goes down the drain.

These Kits Beautifully Explain How City Sewers and Zoning Laws Work

New York’s Center for Urban Pedagogy uses art and design to help people better understand complex laws and systems

A model for how suburbs could one day be designed. The white objects on the left are delivery drones.

Suburbia Gets No Respect, But It Could Become a Very Different Place

For starters, driverless cars would mean a lot less pavement

Cool Finds

Central Park Opens Up Its “Secret Sanctuary”

Closed for 80 Years, the Park recently announced it will open the restored Hallett Nature Sanctuary to vistors

Tokyo is the world's largest city...for now.

Age of Humans

Five Things to Know About Megacities

Urbanization is happening fast—here’s what to know about the world’s largest cities

Flashing lights embedded in the ground make crossing and texting safer in Augsburg.

Cool Finds

A German City Installed Traffic Lights For Texters

In Augsburg, distracted smartphone users don’t have to look up to stay safe

The Innovative Spirit fy17

How Computer Scientists Are Using Twitter to Predict Gentrification

Cambridge researchers have created a way to predict a neighborhood’s fortunes in coming years by analyzing social media data

Cool Finds

This Artist Builds Tiny Rooms in Milan’s Forgotten Manholes

The seemingly whimsical project has a darker meaning

New Research

Every City Has a Unique Microbial “Fingerprint”

From architecture to microbes, every city is different

Organizers hope a new mini golf course will start a conversation about how gentrification affects Los Angeles' poorest residents.

Trending Today

Los Angeles’ Skid Row Is Getting a Golf Course

It’s a hole-in-one for performers with a point to make about gentrification

Boat or floating farm forest? Swale is both.

Cool Finds

New York’s Newest Urban Farm Floats

A barge bursting with vegetables takes to the water this summer

New Research

Scientists Catalog Creatures in Every Corner of Los Angeles

In a huge citizen science project, scientists are turning to an urban environment to seek out biodiversity

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