Issues
How should we design urban parks? February 1, 2012
Most major cities have one or more large parks. As geographer Terence Young has explained, parks proliferated across modern cities to help stem the departure of middle-class and affluent residents in the wake of industrialization at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Parks were considered a panacea for social ills as varied as crime, illness, and poor mental health. In recent years, scientists have taken a fresh look at parks and their role in the quality of urban life.
How has climate change affected cities? January 1, 2012
Can public art reverse urban decay? December 1, 2011
Does transparency mean more democracy? November 1, 2011
New & Noteworthy
A public art project envisions how, driven by climate change, rising sea levels will put London underwater.
February 22, 2012
The history and design of Chicago's Cabrini-Green housing project and the development that replaced it.
February 21, 2012
An interview with the co-founder of Friends of the High Line, the organization that helped create one of New York City's most famous parks.
February 20, 2012
Most Americans prefer walkable neighborhoods to owning a large home.
February 17, 2012
SickWeather is a crowdsourced map of illness around the world.
February 16, 2012
A defense of “ruin porn” photography of decaying cities.
February 15, 2012