New York Public Library Brings Literary Classics to Instagram
The whimsical Insta Novels program wants you to reconsider the roles of libraries and social media.
Cooling Dallas’s Concrete Jungle
Using GIS technology, three environmental organizations are teaming up with residents to plant 1,000 trees in areas that need it most.
Science Tackles the ‘Right Hook,’ Biking’s Most-Feared Crash
Toronto researchers used eye-tracking devices to determine whether motorists were looking for bicycles when they turned right. Most weren’t.
South Korea Is Trying to Boost its Birth Rate. It's Not Working.
The country needs to convince more couples to have children. But its biggest city is no paradise for parents.
The Healing Potential of Turning Vacant Lots Green
A new study finds turning vacant lots into green space can improve the mental health of residents in the hardest-hit neighborhoods.
Don’t Throw It Away—Take It to the Repair Cafe
This series of workshops aims to keep broken items out of the landfill, and it might help you save a few bucks, too.
To Better Predict Traffic, Look to the Electric Grid
The way we consume power after midnight can reveal how we bad the morning rush hour will be.
Facing Wildfire Threats, Cities Ditch Fireworks for Drones on July 4th
Can the high-tech alternative deliver the same kind of boom?
Japan's Hello Kitty Bullet Train Is Way Too Cute
It’s a dream come true for some, and a big part of the country’s embrace of “kawaii” culture.
The Mundane Joys of Playing a Bus Simulator
In Bus Simulator 18, you’ll pick up passengers, dodge potholes, and avoid bankruptcy. Too real?
Sleepy in Songdo, Korea’s Smartest City
The hardest thing about living in an eco-friendly master-planned utopia? Meeting your neighbors.
Why Do Cities Want Their Own Cryptocurrencies?
The allure of digital currencies has hit Dubai, Seoul, Berkeley, and more. What looks like another offshoot of the Bitcoin craze could be an evolution of the municipal bond.
Lessons From the Raccoon That Scaled a Skyscraper
The critter that climbed a 25-story building in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a reminder: We could design for cohabitation between humans and urban wildlife.
The Tech That’s Changing How Cities Help the Homeless
From mapping apps to the blockchain, new tools are intended to give cities the information they need to address this growing challenge.
A High-Tech City Shows Its Human Side
We’re in Seoul, looking for the people who make South Korea’s fast-paced capital run.
How China Took Charge of the Electric Bus Revolution
In just eight years, Shenzhen became the first city to electrify 100 percent of its public buses—16,359, to be exact.
America, Land of the Young and Lonely
A survey suggests young adults belong to the loneliness generation—but experts say it’s too early to call it an epidemic.
The Race to Learn What's Really Happening in the Opioid Crisis
Cities and towns are on the front lines of an epidemic they don’t fully understand. Their experimental solutions—from real-time maps to sewer robots—highlight how urgent the crisis has become.
Street Grids May Make Cities Hotter
By comparing buildings to water molecules, researchers found that the form of a city can intensify the urban heat island effect.
New 'Mutant Enzymes' Could Solve Earth's Plastics Problem
Scientists accidentally created an enzyme that can break down plastic. But is it any better than recycling?
The 'Fight Club of Cycling' Makes Parking Garages Cool Again
When the workers clock out, the fixies, unicycles, and penny-farthings roll in for an evening of races where “anything goes.”