From China to India, across Europe and the Americas, cycling is hugely popular. Here’s a reminder - on Bike to Work Day 2019 - of what makes it great and what some countries and cities ar...

Sean Fleming 17 May 2019

Environment and Natural Resource Security

London is planting a giant bee corridor to boost insect numbers

The UK capital is planting a wildflower-rich highway to support pollinating insects, whose numbers are plummeting.

Charlotte Edmond 16 May 2019

Space

What happened when NASA simulated an asteroid fragment hitting New York

The fragment was just 50 to 80m wide, but would create more energy than multiple nuclear bombs on impact.

Sinead Baker · Business Insider 15 May 2019

Cities and Urbanization

This is Leonardo da Vinci's design for a 'smart city' that was centuries ahead of its time

Around 1486, the Renaissance man began to work out an “ideal city” project, but it was so expensive, it was never built.

Alessandro Melis · The Conversation 15 May 2019

Africa

Gangs to gardens: Kenyan youth shun crime to create green spaces

Amid crime and gangs, Kenya's young people are turning to gardening and green spaces for a better quality of life.

Thomas Bwire · Thomson Reuters Foundation trust.org 15 May 2019

Cities and Urbanization

Germany installs cables over a highway to power hybrid trucks

A stretch of German highway has just been given overhead power lines to power hybrid trucks over a distance of 6.2 mile (10 km).

Victor Tangermann · Futurism 13 May 2019

United States

Why America’s rural areas are facing an irreversible decline

After many decades of slow decline, America's rural areas continue to struggle from population decline and unemployment. What's needed is policy which actively seeks to address the issues...

David Swenson · The Conversation 10 May 2019

Climate Change

Pacific island cities call for a rethink of climate resilience for the most vulnerable

The small island nations of the Pacific will be the worst affected by the negative effects of climate change in years to come. Now, to combat their vulnerability, they are building resili...

Alexei Trundle and Darryn McEvoy · The Conversation 24 Apr 2019

Social Innovation

Why we need a holistic way to measure the planet’s most ‘liveable cities’

Liveability rankings can be important in influencing movement of businesses and people to cities around the world. But how do we ensure they are accurate and reflective of reality?

Jenny McArthur and Tim Moonen · The Conversation 24 Apr 2019

United States

New York City is about to pass its own Green New Deal

The New York City Council has passed the world's "largest single carbon reduction effort that any city, anywhere, has ever put forward".

Eoin Higgins · EcoWatch 23 Apr 2019

Cities and Urbanization

Smart cities must pay more attention to the people who live in them

Smart city projects are usually run by politicians, consultants, academics and tech companies. But this neglects the most important people of all.

Viktor Weber 16 Apr 2019

Cities and Urbanization

In South Africa, informal workers helped redesign a market to save it

More than 450,000 commuters and shoppers pass through South Africa's Warwick Junction marketplace every day, but behind the colourful stalls is a deeper story of transformation.

Anne Maassen and Madeleine Galvin · World Resources Institute 11 Apr 2019

South Africa

What cities can learn from Cape Town about managing climate crises

Cities need to build their capacity to adapt to extreme climate. One of the best ways to do this is to learn from other cities’ experiences.

Gina Ziervogel · The Conversation 10 Apr 2019

Cities and Urbanization

How this Turkish city went from dumping ground to destination

Following a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that destroyed the city, an ambitious urban regeneration programme was started to transform Eskişehir into a modern, environmentally frien...

Madeleine Galvin and Anne Maassen · World Resources Institute 08 Apr 2019

Middle East and North Africa

We have the tools to beat climate change. Now we need to legislate

We have the tech and know-how needed to fight climate change - but we can't wait for individuals to do the right thing. It's time for boldness and action from our national and regional la...

Dietmar Siersdorfer 06 Apr 2019

1/40