Smarter Cities

Panama

Building With Bottles On A Panamanian Island

COLÓN ISLAND — As the world continues to bury itself in plastic bottles, a few pioneers are coming up with clever ways to put all that refuse to good ...

Germany

Communal Living, An Alternative To Real Estate Status Quo

MUNICH — For a communal housing project, there are bound to be endless discussions over commons areas before the foundation stone has even been laid. There are also ...

France

Wooden Skyscrapers? A New Market Rising In Eiffel's Iron Shadow

France has long been an innovator in building materials, from the steel splendor of the Eiffel To...

United States

Applied Mathematics To Design The Perfect Future City

"The city is a complex form for which there exists no equivalent in nature..."

South Korea

Seoul Aims To Be World Capital Of The Sharing Economy

For the last several years, South Korea's capital has made the sharing economy a priority...

Switzerland

Mudbrick Modern: Architecture Dusts Off Old (Green) Ways

Ignored during the 20th century, mudbrick is reappearing in modern Swiss construction. Not only i...

France

Not Just For Profit, Big Data' Enormous Capacity For Good

By next year, there will be three times more connected objects than humans on earth, all containi...

China

The Illusions That Are China's Eco-Cities

TIANJIN — A stone's throw from the highly polluted Bohai Gulf, the Tianjin eco-city is like a mirage. Its buildings, surrounded by trees, offer a rare green and airy ...

Egypt

Egypt's Fledgling Urban Gardeners Hope State Stays Hands Off

From Alexandria to Aswan, urban gardening in Egypt is growing, especially on rooftops. The moveme...

France

Worldcrunch Staff Picks Our 24 Best Stories Of 2015

PARIS — Our fair-minded but ever subjective staff of journalists, translators and editors have chosen what we believe to be the year's most engaging and ...

Russia

Smart Cities International: Wearable Berlin, Underwater Future, Open Montreal

Here is a preview of our exclusive newsletter to keep up-to-date and stay inspired by Smart City ...

Argentina

Refugees And City Planning, An Unlikely Urbanist Opportunity

The global refugee crisis forces us to rethink city planning and housing, with more focus on assu...

Egypt

Cairo's Ultimate Smart Vehicle: The Donkey Cart

CAIRO — A third of Cairo's residents walk, cycle or use carts as their primary ...

India

In India, A Massive Hindu Pilgrimage Is An Urbanism Experiment

Hosting 30 million people in the world's largest pilgrimage, Nashik is a temporary exampl...

China

China And The Ghosts Of "Great Leap Forward" Urbanization

-Analysis- BEIJING — A recent United Nations report predicted that the year 2017 will be the turning point for China's demography. After reaching its ...

Ethiopia

Ethiopia's Ambitious Goal To Go Green

One of the poorest countries in the world is nevertheless setting big goals for itself and lookin...

Austria

Smart Cities International: Santa Monica Sentiment, Paris Places, Finnish Lines

Here is a preview of our exclusive newsletter to keep up-to-date and stay inspired by Smart City ...

Egypt

Urban Gardening Takes Root In Egypt

CAIRO — Interested in planting summer vegetables such as pepper, zucchini or molokhia? Now is just ...

Colombia

Smart Cities International: Berlin Brainbox, Digital Kiev, Smart Siberia

Here is a preview of our exclusive newsletter to keep up-to-date and stay inspired by Smart City ...

Germany

Privacy Worries Cost German Drivers Higher Insurance Rates

COLOGNE — Germany’s leading car insurance company, HUK Coburg, may be set to join the automobile coverage revolution. Beginning next year, the ...

Ghana

Smart Cities: Thinking Electricity, Mexican Bike Vests, Korean Internet

Here is a preview of our exclusive newsletter to keep up-to-date and stay inspired by Smart City ...