You might think that coasts are always buzzing with activity, but how do we really know? Well, one way scientists have been checking is by looking at how brightly lit these areas are at night. Over the past decade, from 2014 to 2023, researchers took a close look at the nighttime lights (NTL) along Italy's coasts to understand how much and how intensely human activit...
Have you ever noticed how the sounds around you can change how you feel? Like how birds chirping makes a park feel peaceful, but traffic noise can make it feel busy and maybe even uncomfortable? Scientists call this 'soundscape appropriateness', or SA for short. It's like how well the sounds around you fit with what you're seeing and doing. A team of researchers in ...
Have you ever wondered if everyone in your city has the same access to important services like public transport, restaurants, and entertainment? This study dives into that question by focusing on Wuhan, China. The researchers wanted to see if people living in different areas have equal access to these services. To figure this out, they created a new model that consi...
For years, Asheville, North Carolina, has been promoted as a safe haven from extreme weather. But Hurricane Helene recently showed that this isn't true at all. Asheville is actually very vulnerable to flooding because of its geography and climate history. The city sits in a spot where water can easily pool up. Plus, it has steep hillsides that make landslides happen ...
Evanston, a city with ambitious goals for affordable housing, sustainability, and community development, has received a significant boost in the form of a $985,000 federal grant. The grant, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program, will enable the city to leverage local, regional, and national exper...
As we navigate the complexities of modern childhood, it's essential to acknowledge the profound impact of our built environment on kids' mental health. Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US surgeon general, has sounded the alarm on the crisis of youth mental health, and experts like Jonathan Haidt and Peter Gray have shed light on the role of social media and urban design in this...
Akon, the famous singer, announced in 2020 that he would build a futuristic city in Senegal, his "hometown." Dubbed "Akon City," this ambitious project would be powered by green energy and solar power, feature condominiums, a seaside resort, and a university, and use Akoin, his cryptocurrency, as its primary source of exchange. Akon promised that Senegal would have a...
In the face of rising intense storms and urban flooding, one Chinese landscape architect is challenging the norm by embracing nature instead of controlling it. Kongjian Yu, founder of Turenscape, has been designing 'sponge cities' for over a decade, allowing nature to soak up and retain stormwater before releasing it back into the environment. These projects, which ...