Urban studies, territory and technology

The city, explained

The width of your pavement, the height of the building opposite and what you pay in rent were all decided by somebody. Here you find out who, on what criteria and at whose expense.

Browse by topic Watch the channel ↗

Browse by topic

Housing

Land prices, rent and gentrification.
90 pieces
Streets & mobility

How the width of the street is shared between those passing through and those staying put.
78 pieces
Urban form

Why the city has the shape it has.
33 pieces
Climate & nature

Heat, water, flooding and green.
45 pieces
Technology & power

Who programs the city, and with whose data.
56 pieces
Thinkers

From Lefebvre to Sassen: who thought the city, and what exactly they said.
45 thinkers

Most watched

Public space
Henri Lefebvre: urban space as a social product

Henri Lefebvre showed that urban space is not a neutral setting: it is socially produced, and whoever produces it…

Henri Lefebvre 3 min read
Public space
Tactical urbanism: testing the city before building it

Tactical urbanism tests plazas, bike lanes and pop-up gardens to find out what works on the street before it is…

Anthony Garcia 2 min read
Urban geopolitics
Saskia Sassen: what makes a global city global

New York, London and Tokyo concentrate capital, information and decisions. Saskia Sassen explains what links them…

Saskia Sassen 2 min read
Public space
Jane Jacobs: the street as the engine of the city

Jane Jacobs showed in 1961 that mixed uses, density and active streets keep a neighbourhood safe better than any…

Robert Moses 3 min read

No city is an accident.
Every pavement, every height limit and every rent is the result of a decision somebody made and almost never explained.

Latest

Urban AI
Models reveal hidden essence of cities

Models help understand how cities change through interactions and patterns. Main keyword: cities. Ends with a period.

Michael Batty 3 min read
Infrastructure
Cities Link and Rank Within an Invisible System

A city receives goods, people and information throughout the day. At the same time, it sends services and…

3 min read
Urban history
City as Tool of Power Through Memory

A historic square keeps old facades, but their images now appear in shops, advertisements and screens.

Christine Boyer 3 min read
Urban geopolitics
Neil Brenner. Global urbanization goes beyond city borders

Neil Brenner explores how urbanization extends beyond city boundaries through networks and regional processes. Read…

Neil Brenner 3 min read
Surveillance / data
Urban Fear and City Segregation

A wall separates two streets only a short distance apart. On one side there is surveillance, controlled access and…

3 min read
Urban economy
Urban evolution in the digital age

How cities adapt to digital changes through collective consumption, social movements, and network society. Learn…

Manuel Castells 3 min read
Housing
Street Science and Urban Planning

Street Science integrates community knowledge with technical expertise to achieve health equity in urban planning.

3 min read
Housing
Urban disaster is shaped by inequality and power

This article explains how urban disasters are shaped by inequality and power, focusing on the social construction…

Mike Davis 3 min read