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Why Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge is missing the mark
The Smart Cities Challenge is designed to address complex economic, environmental and social problems.(Shutterstock)The Canadian federal government launched the Smart Cities Challenge in 2017 to award...
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Big-box retail chains were never a solution for America’s downtowns − and now...
Merchandise is locked in cases to guard against theft in a Target store in New York City on Sept. 23, 2023. Deb Cohn-Orbach/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesHoliday shopping is in full swing,...
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AI could make cities autonomous, but that doesn’t mean we should let it happen
You are walking back home. Suddenly the ground seems to open and a security drone emerges, blocking your way to verify your identity. This might sound far-fetched but it is based on an existing...
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The US invented shopping malls, but China is writing their next chapter
People walk under a light projection at a shopping mall in Beijing. (Photo by Jade Gao / AFPJade Gao/AFP via Getty Images)On a recent research trip to China, I wandered through the Oasis Mall in...
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Neighbourhood amenities may have helped youth mental health and stress early...
Researchers investigated how the availability of neighbourhood amenities may have contributed to changes in youth mental health and stress levels during the first six months of the...
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Annual rankings don’t always tell us what it’s really like to live in a city
Rankings often focus on economic and developmental factors that overlook sustainability. (Shutterstock)Every year various indices are released which rank the livability, sustainability, innovation and...
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Despite legislative progress, accessible cities remain elusive
Textured surfaces on city pavements can help make public space more accessible to disabled persons.(Shutterstock)Amid a complex web of disability civil rights legislation in Canada and the United...
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Ghana: Kumasi city’s unplanned boom is destroying two rivers – sewage, heavy...
Ghana’s urban population has more than tripled in the past three decades, from 4 million to nearly 14 million people. Competition for land in cities has increased among various land uses. These trends...
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New study reveals four critical barriers to building healthier Canadian cities
Many streets around the globe are becoming increasingly inhospitable to children and the elderly due to compounding traffic and road safety concerns which deter these groups from active transport, like...
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The art of ‘getting lost’: how re-discovering your city can be an antidote to...
ShutterstockDo you remember what it was like to discover the magic of a city for the first time? Do you remember the noises, smells, flashing lights and pulsating crowds? Or do you mostly remember...
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From a ‘magic mineral’ to the stuff of nightmares: a 6,700-year history of...
Asbestos is making national news once again after being found in contaminated mulch used in hundreds of locations, including schools and hospitals, across Sydney and regional New South Wales. With...
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E-bike incentives are a costly way to cut carbon emissions, but they also...
A man pulls his kids behind an electric bicycle near the pier in Huntington Beach, Calif.Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register via Getty ImagesE-bikes have captured widespread attention across the...
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Johannesburg’s water crisis is getting worse – expert explains why the taps...
Since the latter part of 2023 hardly a week has gone by without some residents of Johannesburg, South Africa’s commercial capital, losing their water supply. Notices of planned outages from the local...
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It’s time we include cities and regions as equal partners in global climate...
Last year’s UN climate conference (COP28) made history in Dubai by introducing — for the very first time — language on “transitioning away from fossil fuels in energy systems” in the final version of...
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The frantic pace of modern life is damaging our sense of time, but nature can...
Huge beech tree with large branches in the enchanted forest in the Basque Country, Alava, Spain.José Miguel Sánchez/Shutterstock“How did it get so late so soon?”― Dr. SeussIn an increasingly...
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Housing policies need to fully consider market dynamics to move beyond ‘tall...
The federal Task Force for Housing and Climate recently released its final recommendations for solving Canada’s housing crisis. The Blueprint for More and Better Housing contains suggestions for adding...
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How ghost streams and redlining’s legacy lead to unfairness in flood risk, in...
The Detroit River inundated Detroit's Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood in 2021.AP/Corey WilliamsIn 2021, metro Detroit was hit with a rainstorm so severe that President Joe Biden issued a major disaster...
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Female mosquitoes rely on one another to choose the best breeding sites − and...
_Aedes aegypti_, found across much of the U.S., spread Zika, dengue, chikungunya and other viruses.Mailson Pignata/iStock via Getty ImagesAedes aegypti mosquitoes, one of the most common species in the...
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Excessively high rents are a major burden for immigrants in US cities
Nashville is one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities and increasingly a destination for immigrants.Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesRents across the U.S. have climbed...
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Invisible lines: how unseen boundaries shape the world around us
Our experiences of the world are diverse, often changing as we move across borders from one country to another. They can also vary based on language or subtle shifts in climate. Yet, we rarely consider...
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Happier, more connected neighborhoods start right in the front yard
A front lawn can be a canvas for kitsch, elegance and everything in between.Jeff Hutchens/Getty ImagesA salve for America’s loneliness epidemic could exist right in front of its homes.Front yards are a...
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New York City greenlights congestion pricing – here’s how this toll plan is...
Traffic entering and leaving midtown Manhattan via the Queensboro Bridge over the East River. AP Photo/Bebeto MatthewsNew York City is poised to launch the first congestion pricing plan to reduce...
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“Urban form” and the housing crisis: Can streets and buildings make a...
Madrid city centre aerial panoramic view at sunset, 2020.JJFarq/ShutterstockAs of 2007, most humans live in cities. Though this is a relatively recent trend, many of our settlements contain street,...
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Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to...
A homeless person near an elementary school in Fruitdale Park in Grants Pass, Ore.AP Photo/Jenny KaneOn April 22, 2024, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could radically change how cities respond...
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Higher density living is changing the way neighbouring works in Canada
Simon Fraser University students compile survey packages for a community housing resident survey in North Vancouver in November 2023.(Meg Holden), Author providedThere is growing concern about people’s...
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