An army of sewer robots could keep our pipes clean, but they'll need to learn to communicate

In the future, tiny robots will inspect pipes for blockages and leaks.

Viktor Doychinov, Research Fellow in the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Leeds • conversation
Jan. 26, 2021 ~8 min

Cities need to embrace the darkness of the night sky – here’s why

Dark skies have value. They are a profoundly wonderful yet highly threatened natural asset.

Nick Dunn, Professor of Urban Design, Lancaster University • conversation
Nov. 11, 2020 ~8 min


Homes are flooding outside FEMA's 100-year flood zones, and racial inequality is showing through

New risk models show nearly twice as many properties are at risk from a 100-year flood today than the government's flood maps indicate.

Kevin T. Smiley, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Louisiana State University • conversation
Sept. 24, 2020 ~8 min

In changing urban neighborhoods, new food offerings can set the table for gentrification

Hip food offerings can signal that a neighborhood is gentrifying – especially when they repackage traditional foods for wealthy white eaters.

Yuki Kato, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Georgetown University • conversation
July 10, 2020 ~9 min

Street vendors make cities livelier, safer and fairer – here's why they belong on the post-COVID-19 urban scene

After trying to remove street vendors from its cities for years, China is supporting them to help jump-start its economy. An urban scholar explains why other cities should do the same.

John Rennie Short, Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, Baltimore County • conversation
July 8, 2020 ~7 min

Coronavirus deaths in San Francisco vs. New York: What causes such big differences in cities' tolls?

Why one city suffers significantly more deaths than another isn't always obvious. A simple experiment shows how failing to consider certain factors can point policy makers in the wrong direction.

Brian W. Whitcomb, Associate Professor of Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst • conversation
June 2, 2020 ~7 min

Is your neighborhood raising your coronavirus risk? Redlining decades ago set communities up for greater danger

Neighborhood characteristics like pollution from busy roads, widespread public transit use and lack of community-based health care are putting certain communities at greater risk from COVID-19.

Sarah Rowan, Assistant Professor of Medicine-Infectious Disease, University of Colorado Denver • conversation
May 26, 2020 ~11 min

Parks matter more than ever during a time of sickness – something Frederick Law Olmsted understood in the 19th century

Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of many great North American city parks, understood that ready access to nature made cities healthier places to live.

Richard leBrasseur, Assisant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director, Green Infrastructure Performance Lab, Dalhousie University • conversation
May 18, 2020 ~8 min


Coronavirus: what the lockdown could mean for urban wildlife

With wild boar in Barcelona and coyotes in San Francisco, the lockdown has transformed concrete jungles worldwide.

Becky Thomas, Senior Teaching Fellow in Ecology, Royal Holloway • conversation
April 3, 2020 ~5 min

Coronavirus: how the lockdown could affect urban wildlife

With wild boar in Barcelona and coyotes in San Francisco, the lockdown has transformed concrete jungles worldwide.

Becky Thomas, Senior Teaching Fellow in Ecology, Royal Holloway • conversation
April 3, 2020 ~5 min

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