This ingenious farming technique of the Aztecs could feed the world’s metropolises
By 2050, the UN thinks there will be nearly 10 billion people on planet Earth, with 68 percent living in urban areas. Both numbers pose serious questions as to how we'll feed the growing, urbanizing population, which is why there's new research exploring whether traditional farming techniques could Read More...
How cities are finally dealing with the emissions that come with consumption
Climate optimists argue that it is possible to reduce our production emissions without substantially changing our lifestyles. (Electric cars are just as good!) But what if those lifestyles — in which consumption is perpetually rising — are driving increases in production emissions elsewhere? Read More...
This is what the zero-carbon future of cities will look like
In most cities, buildings are responsible for more than half of emissions. Especially considering that more people are living in cities than ever before, the need for more innovative buildings that use resources sparingly is of extreme importance if we want to solve the climate crisis. With this Read More...
These global cities are redesigning themselves for the people
If we want to have cities we love, the key is to remember who we’re designing them for: People. In the 20th century, we lost sight of that. Back then a different technological revolution was upon us—automobiles. We fell so hard for them that we redesigned our cities around them. Especially in Read More...
Why China needs to support its waste pickers
Trash is an unintended consequence of China’s economic boom, urban swell and growing middle-class. Cities’ landfills are running out of space, and waste management policies have been lagging. Essentially, the whole system has been dependent upon hundreds of thousands of individuals who have Read More...
Join my gang
Nelsa Curbelo, a 66-year-old former nun and schoolteacher, took on the toughest young criminals in Ecuador’s most violent city—and won them over with love. Hilary Hart | June 2008 issue In the city of Guayaquil in southern Ecuador, Latin pop music blares through the doorway of a Read More...
"Cities are where people fufill their dreams"
Thoraya Ahmed Obaid says we shouldn't worry about villagers migrating to overcrowded cities. Marco Visscher | September 2007 issue Is it wise to discourage villagers from moving to crowded cities? No, says Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, executive director of the UN Population Fund: New people must be seen as Read More...
Cities of joy
Parks, public squares, trees, playgrounds, the world's longest pedestrian street. As a mayor of Bogot Jay Walljasper | October 2004 issue It feels a bit strange to be sitting in the middle of one of the world’s wealthiest neighborhoods, and to be so thoroughly engrossed in conversation about the Read More...