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Tech NewsThe US Will Investigate Who Is Actually Buying Up All Its Luxury Real Estate
Who really lives in all those awful luxury skyscrapers going up all over the US? Increasingly: No one. Now the government is going after the shady, secret deals that are gobbling up the most expensive real estate in most big cities—and destroying the housing market. According to the New York Times, the Treasury Department will … Continued
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Tech News
A Floating Forest Will Add Instant Greenery to Rotterdam’s Harbor
Like oversized fishing bobbers used as flower vases, these 20 trees planted in colorful buoys are designed to add whimsy and nature to Rotterdam’s industrial waterfront. The installation, named Dobberend Bos, or “bobbing forest” in Dutch, will be released into the city’s harbor in March. The idea was prompted by the work of sculptor Jorge … Continued
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Tech News
Uber (and Lyft) Finally Bankrupted San Francisco’s Favorite Taxi Company
Here’s one we probably saw coming. San Francisco’s largest taxi company is filing for bankruptcy, citing competition from Uber and Lyft. But it’s not too late for Yellow Cab yet. The SF Examiner has a statement from the Yellow Cab Co-Op that points out an interesting reason for their slumping business. It’s not that riders … Continued
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Tech News
Penn Station, the Worst Public Transit Experience in the US, Will Be Reborn—Amen!
Finally, some good news for the 650,000 commuters forced to slither through the catacomb-like warrens of one of the worst train stations on the planet every single day. New York City’s Penn Station is getting a much-needed $3 billion makeover. As part of a comprehensive regional transportation plan that includes a new airport at LaGuardia … Continued
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Tech NewsWhen Will Dubai Fix Its Burning Skyscraper Problem?
Watching a 63-story Dubai hotel explode into flames on New Year’s Eve and smolder well into New Year’s Day, you might’ve been wondering the same thing I was: Why do so many of Dubai’s skyscrapers catch fire? And how terrifying is it that this city can’t seem to stop this from happening? A horrific time-lapse … Continued
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Tech News
NYC’s New Gigabit Wifi Hotspots Work Like Payphones From the Future
It’s the biggest, fastest public wifi project on Earth: Starting today, New York is unveiling street-side internet hotspots that will blanket America’s biggest city and provide unprecedented wifi access to over 8 million people. It’s called LinkNYC, and each “Link” is a nine-and-a-half-foot tall futuristic mini-monolith that beams wifi signals to all. (Each Link also … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech News
Now India’s Airpocalypse Is So Bad, It’s Banning Half the Cars in Delhi
Last week Milan became the latest city to banish cars from streets to curb its horrible smog. On January 1, Delhi joined the club with its own vehicle restrictions, but the challenge before the chronically polluted Indian city is much much greater. Will a every-other-day ban on cars be any help? After recording some of … Continued
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Tech News
How Japan’s Bullet Train Is Taking Over the World
The shinkansen—Japan’s bullet train that brought high-speed rail to the world in 1963—is as symbolic for the nation as sushi and cherry blossoms. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to export it across the world. And so far, he seems to be doing just that. Although high-speed rail has flourished in countries like Japan, China, Germany, … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech News
This Hundred-Year-Old Industrial Gem is Like Jabba’s Real Life Palace
The Óbuda Gas Works produced city gas from 1914 to 1984 in the 3rd district of Budapest, on the right bank of River Danube. When it opened, it was not just the most advanced gas producing plant in the world; it was also the most beautiful, with a group of buildings in the middle middle … Continued
By Attila Nagy -
Tech NewsCan These Micro-Units Fix New York City’s Housing Problems?
Micro-unit developments—new apartments that are 400 square feet or smaller—are sprouting up all over the country as cities try to cram more housing into their neighborhoods. New York City’s first micro-unit development opened this month and it’s controversial—even in a city where people already pay top dollar to live in tiny apartments. We recently took … Continued
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Tech News
NYC’s Road Salt Is Being Stored in a Building That Looks Like a Giant Crystal
New York City will definitely not be having a White Christmas, but when winter finally does arrive, sanitation trucks will be hauling some of the city’s snow-melting salt out of this quite beautiful sculpture. Turns out this is also an incredible story about how city buildings can be done right. The Manhattan Districts 1/2/5 Garage … Continued
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Tech News
Most US Ports Are Still Woefully Unprepared to Welcome the New Generation of Megaships
On the day after Christmas, the largest container ship to call at a US port will stop by the Port of Los Angeles, the largest port in the US. But it’s largely just a PR event: Like many US ports, the Port of LA is not completely ready to welcome this size megaship, which will … Continued
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Tech NewsThese Satellite Maps of Cities Are Made From Thousands of Lego Bricks
As children, the first cities we build are often rendered in Lego. Artist Ben Hecht uses the material in a slightly different way—to recreate cities as giant Lego brick paintings inspired by satellite imagery taken from above. Creating the series, named Urbicus, is quite an involved process. First, Hecht snaps an aerial photo with his … Continued
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Tech News
Aww, Norway Wants to Gift a Mountain to Finland
This story takes place far inside the Arctic Circle but, no, it’s not about Santa Claus. What it is about is truly embracing the Christmas spirit—the part where you give of yourself. Finland celebrates its centennial on December 6, 2017. 100 years! Such a milestone! How do you possibly commemorate such an event? To properly … Continued
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io9Books & Comics
12 Books That Will Change The Way You Experience Cities—Starting With Your Own
You might use an app or VR headset to explore your neighborhood these days, but books still win when it comes to truly understanding where we live—and how those places are changing. Here are 12 books published in 2015 that helped me to see and interpret cities in an entirely different way. And they all … Continued
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Tech News
7 Ways Cities Will Get Better When Driverless Cars Hit the Streets
The idea of streets swarming with robot-piloted vehicles paints a scary picture for some urban-dwellers. But a new project called FutureNYC showcases how autonomy will benefit New Yorkers, by highlighting what residents will get back when our cars can drive themselves. FutureNYC is the brainchild of designers Ari Teman and Elliot Glassman, who created these … Continued
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Tech News
A Totally Feasible Plan to Turn Manhattan’s Busiest Street Into a 40-Block Park
New York City has plenty of parks that revamp aging transit infrastructure: The High Line transforms a decrepit elevated rail route, the Lowline reclaims forgotten tunnels. But neither of those is as ambitious as the Green Line, a concept that would turn a major street into a linear park. The Green Line is an idea … Continued
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Tech NewsThis NYC Skyscraper Design Is Like the Chrysler Building Went to Burning Man and I Love It
The crop of new skyscrapers going up on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan are very tall, whisper thin, and—yawn—rather boring. This idea for a supertall on the same street is a throbbing EDM antidote to the architectural elevator music that’s taking over New York City. The proposal that takes design audacity to new heights is … Continued
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EartherClimate ChangeBan Cars
In December of 2015, 195 countries announced that even a global effort to reduce emissions probably won’t prevent the catastrophic warming of the planet. But there is a way we can reach our climate goals. It’s not a pledge. It’s not a tax. It’s easier than that. We ban cars. Aside from a single panel … Continued
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Tech News
Why Cities Are Better at Fighting Climate Change Than Countries
As the second week of global climate negotiations gets underway, the world waits for national leaders to make meaningful commitments to save the planet. But it’s become clear that cities, not countries, are leading the way in the fight against climate change. There’s a good reason for that: the world’s cities account for 70 percent … Continued