If nothing else, it’s free entertainment!
Car-centric suburbs seem to promote right-wing politics and resistance to change
Huh.
Woodland hawks flock to cities, research reveals. Other wildlife is doing the same
For hawks, the secret is out: The big city has a lot of food to offer.
Barn swallows have evolved to live alongside us, new research reveals
They live with us, but they’re not domesticated.
Think cats are good at keeping rats away? Think again
It’s not about the fight, it’s about what leads to the fight.
The US lost roughly 1 in every 100 urban trees between 2009 and 2014
Which is a pity, because they save us a lot of money.
Half a degree (C) more global warming would leave 5 million people homeless
Even if the goals set in Paris are met — this doesn’t look very good.
Chaotic cities are cooler than orderly ones, researchers report
Being science, ‘cool’ here refers to temperatures.
Swedish company builds food-laden ‘Plantscaper’ to feed the cities of the future
A skyscraper filled with food? Sign me up!
Urban heat island effect could almost triple the cost of climate change in cities, burn economies to a crisp
The roof, the roof, the roof is on fireeee.
These are the world’s most livable cities
Eight of the top ten are in Europe, with the highest city in the US coming at 29th — San Francisco.
UAE unveils plans for new city on Mars, to be built in 2117
It’s a pretty pretty city, too.
Smog kills more than 400 people in Iran’s capital Tehran
Unprecedented levels of smog pollution in Iran’s capital have killed over 400 people.
Watch 6,000 Years of Urbanization in 3 Minutes
A new study from Yale University mapped urban centers from 3700 B.C. to 2000 A.D. It’s an amazing ride!
City birds are smarter than country birds
As anyone who’s moved from the countryside to the city can testify, the transition isn’t easy.
People spend more on climate adaptability to protect capital, not lives
A research team from University College in London has calculated that in the last five years, the ten biggest cities have increased their climate adaptation spending by a quarter. But they also found that it’s capital, not people, that we’re investing the most to protect. Beyond the moral implications this entails, it also means that poor but highly populated cities and
City ants are garbage eating, rat-fighting machines
Ants often get a lot of bad rep for being “pests” in the city, but a new study has shown that ant populations are actually very helpful in urban environments. Scientists researching the behavior of ants have found that they dispose of garbage with remarkable efficiency, keeping rats and other garbage-dependent pests at bay. “Urban green spaces provide ecosystem services to
Older, more compact cities are better for your health
A first of its kind study conducted at the University of Colorado Denver looked at how city design affects populace health. Older cities, initially built for pedestrian traffic in mind were found to harbor less cases of diabetes and other diseases than those with broader streets and fewer intersections. While some people can stay healthy and stick to exercising habits no matter where they live in, the study suggests that in general cities which are optimized for vehicle traffic discourage walking and other healthy activities.
