Cities

In the centre of bustling and busy Barcelona there is unusual quiet: just the babble of children playing in a small playground and the sound of the birds.

Decades after federal regulations banned the use of the deadly metal in paint, gasoline, and plumbing, the effects of lead continue to be felt across America's cities.

The city acquired the 600-plus acres of Hays Woods, once used for mining and munitions, in 2016, but the work of restoring the land has only just begun.

Since 2010, a slew of on-demand companies and technologies have managed to use consumer data to transform the commercial significance of urban living.

Columbus, Indiana, thrived while other cities declined. Why?

The Sparkling Queens of Drag are spreading the gospel in Western Pennsylvania — supporting dwindling volunteer fire departments and averting a safety crisis.

There are only 3 independent city-states in the world: Singapore, Monaco and Vatican City. Why are city-states so rare?

Construction of President Trump's border wall has been slow going, in part because the Texans who own the land have to be coaxed or coerced to sell it, whether they want to or not.

In cities where people are desperate for housing, why are there still empty properties?

These ads created during the years after WW2 were almost works of art and skillfully created by hand by wonderfully talented artists and illustrators who worked tirelessly for hours if not days to achieve almost perfect results.

A flood could devastate the tourist zone of Waikīkī in Honolulu, but a federal plan to fortify the Ala Wai Canal has met with strong local resistance.

Black people are dramatically overrepresented among those living on Los Angeles's streets, where the bright future promised to earlier generations has been blunted by the bitter inheritance of racism.

Roundabouts have been demonstrated many safety and environmental benefits — but Americans are not fans. What's the beef with them?

Here are four solutions cities everywhere could adopt.

During an unprecedented tech boom, the Bay Area asked itself who its real enemies were — and nobody liked the answers.

In the heart of Queens lies one of New York City's most curious and untamed neighborhoods — a warren of squalid streets lined with flimsy auto repair shops that bustle with commerce and camaraderie.

"Growing Up Boulder" is the nation's first printed kid-friendly city map, designed to help parents and children find their way in the Colorado city.

Let's take a moment to celebrate some of those smaller, more under-the-radar works of 2019, which achieved impressive results through smart, surgical changes.

The New York Times spent three months documenting the conditions of one homeless camp in the wealthiest state. Then they traveled to a slum in Mexico City for comparison.

Over the last ten years, bike share has proven to be safe and sustainable for cities. So what happens next?

The case was brought by six people in Idaho who said a pair of local laws violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment.

As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expands tenant protections, a pair of US senators introduce the Eviction Crisis Act to help renters get legal help.

Restaurant cook and chef wages are up — but not enough to comfortably live in America's most expensive cities, like New York and San Francisco.

Google's smart city project links its quality-of-life improvements to the elimination of human workers.

In Texas and Florida, Robert Marbut Jr. sold cities on a controversial model for providing homeless services. Now he's bringing it to the White House.

Amazon, Apple, HBO, and a slew of tech startups are all fighting to move into Culver City, California, the next streaming wars boomtown.

But some have called for the retirement of the rhetoric of blight.

San Francisco's newest public space reflects the influence of Big Tech and Silicon Valley — and the city's anxieties.

In cities like New York, Paris, Rotterdam, and soon San Francisco, car-free streets are emerging amid a growing movement.

Why discrimination against voucher holders is a big problem.

A new report on 187 urban and rural cities found a marked increase in "anti-homeless" laws aimed at getting people off the streets.

Five coastal cities — San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, San Diego and Boston — gained the lion's share of lucrative "innovation industry" jobs from 2005 to 2017.

A coal town in southwestern Virginia has been trying for years. Hope is running thin.

By 2022, there could be 45 billion cameras operating globally. I decided to see how many were watching me on my typical daily commute in New York.

The Western New York city possesses a distinct mix of weather, geography and infrastructure that could make it a potential climate haven. But for whom?

The city's police started working less after an officer was sentenced for killing black teen Laquan McDonald. But Chicago actually got safer.

From the Bay Area to New Delhi, see how the world's worst pollution compares with your local air.

A small town outside Austin, Texas, took a big step toward becoming a more sustainable and walkable community. In many ways, it was as simple as getting back on the grid.

When the emergency shelter in Fairplay ran out of blankets Saturday night, volunteers went door-to-door collecting extras from locals.

The city has changed drastically over the past 40 years, yet the MTA map designed in 1979 has largely endured.

This year saw a wave of backlash against cashless retail, but what about when cities like Washington DC want to move toward all-digital payments?

Comprehensive plans are great, but small, low-budget changes can make a big difference, too

For most people, it's the click that brings a package to their door. But a look at Baltimore shows how Amazon may now reach into Americans' daily existence in more ways than any corporation in history.

Traffic in Los Angeles gets stuck in gridlock for miles as people travel in preparation for Thanksgiving.

A feud over local taxes turned into a referendum on government itself. But Election Day left residents as divided as ever.

Will more places follow suit?

The two-wheelers revolutionized personal transport—and led to surprising societal changes.

Municipalities and developers nationwide have come up with unique ways to give dying shopping centers new life.

People are building houses in the path of future floods and fires, ignoring a huge amount of risk.

A trip to the city of Matera in southern Italy.

Uber is launching an audio recording pilot in Latin America. The ride-hailing giant said it is trying to bring the feature to the US, but that may prove complicated.

Car culture has already been changed by bike and bus lanes. A transportation panel in Manhattan has floated the idea of eliminating free street parking entirely.

When just 20 percent of drivers use route-shortening apps, the total time that all drivers spend in traffic actually increases.

Berlin is about to begin a groundbreaking rental law, but looming legal challenges and new revelations cast doubt on whether it's possible at all.

The problem with the High Line and all its imitators.

After losing tenants to revitalized downtowns over the last decade, developers are adding modern amenities to secluded campuses.

"Oh yeah? SF stands for Startup Failed."

The chinampas that nourished Tenochtitlan may hold the key to better urban gardens.

Go-go has become the soundtrack for a growing anti-gentrification movement in Washington. Now a city council bill wants to make it DC's official music.

The legendary Park Slope Food Co-op carries sustainable food, low prices and New Yorkers' opinions in bulk.