urban planning

A new study finds that front yards with friendly features, such as pink flamingos or porch furniture, are correlated with happier, more connected neighbors and a greater "sense of place."

Garden gnomes and porch swings: Lively front yards linked to more connected residents

7:00am April 20, 2024

A new study finds a neighborhood's front yards may be the window to its soul: Welcoming or whimsical features such as benches and flamingos are linked to happier, more connected neighbors.

San Francisco is one of many U.S. cities that has thrown out its parking minimums in recent years.

National

From Austin to Anchorage, U.S. cities opt to ditch their off-street parking minimums

5:01am January 02, 2024

by Laurel Wamsley

Around the country, cities are throwing out their own parking requirements, hoping to end up with less parking – and more affordable housing, better transit, and walkable neighborhoods.

India is number 1 in global population. This clock board outside the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai keeps track of the numbers. The photo is from June 2, 2023.

India is now the world's most populous nation. And that's not necessarily a bad thing

1:38pm June 08, 2023

by Rhitu Chatterjee

Population growth has long been a source of worry in India, which now has more people than China: 1.46 billion residents. But some experts are optimistic about the impact of this population boom.

Los Angeles city workers working to remove the unauthorized crosswalks painted at the intersection of Romaine Street and N. Serrano Avenue.

National

LA removes crosswalks allegedly painted by a secretive group

4:31pm May 20, 2022

by Vanessa Romo

A series of DIY crosswalks are being replaced in Hollywood. City officials say they're clearing the way for a better and safer intersection.

Data from the Los Angeles Police Department shows 128 pedestrians were killed in the City of Los Angeles in 2021, an increase of 6% over 2020.

National

A secretive LA group has a new mission: paint untouched crosswalks

10:32am March 31, 2022

by Vanessa Romo

"We've been met with delays, excuses, and inaction from our city government," says the Crosswalk Collective LA. Now, the group has taken matters into its own hands and hopes to spread a DIY message.

The sun sets behind power lines in Los Angeles in September.

Extreme Heat Is Worse For Low-Income, Nonwhite Americans, A New Study Shows

3:39pm July 14, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

A new study finds that for more than 70% of all U.S. counties, urban temperatures are higher in neighborhoods that have low-income people and communities of color.

A man wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against the spread of the new coronavirus walks next to commercial buildings in the Raffles Place financial business district in Singapore on April 14.

Opinion: Redesigning The COVID-19 City

7:49pm April 20, 2020

Pedestrian streets. Vertical gardens. Arenas overhauled for social distancing. Robert Muggah and Thomas Ermacora envision how urban centers will adapt to pandemic life.

An view of Washington, D.C. through a thermal camera.

Science

WATCH: Why It's Usually Hotter In A City

10:26pm July 24, 2018

The way we design and inhabit cities is making them retain heat.

Cyclist by Lake Michigan shore, Gold Coast district, Chicago. Biking to work is associated with higher levels of well-being.

Health & Safety

Where You Live Affects Your Happiness And Health, But How Exactly?

4:10pm May 23, 2018

by Dana Bate

Bike commuting, access to health care and racial diversity contribute to higher levels of well-being in communities.

Kelli Walker wasn't able to get into her family's home, on the other side of the brick wall, because of the depth of the rising floodwater in Houston on Tuesday.

National

Three Reasons Houston Was A 'Sitting Duck' For Harvey Flooding

6:35pm August 31, 2017

by David Schaper

Urban planning experts say Houston's flat landscape, outdated drainage system and unchecked development have left the city vulnerable to catastrophic flooding.