urban-studies

Cities use many systems each day. Most people do not notice them. But we use them all the time. Roads, paths, bus stops, schools, parks, airports, and shops need smart design. These places help people walk, wait, wash, rest, and leave safely. Large buildings often get the most praise. But small choices make a city...

Twenty years after its ideation, Herzog & de Meuron 's controversial Tour Triangle in Paris is reaching completion. The triangular, all-glass tower located in the city's 15th arrondissement topped out at 42 stories on April 24, 2026. The project's progress was marked by opposition, financial roadblocks, and legal disputes before construction began in 2022 . The 180-meter tower is now the third-ta…

Located at the intersection of Adriatic landscapes and Balkan geopolitics, Tirana has undergone one of the most accelerated urban transformations in Europe over the last three decades. Once defined by rigid socialist planning and political isolation, the city has progressively reoriented itself through a combination of informal growth, international investment, and strategic urban interventions t…

Marsh Street has been cited as Bristol’s worst for potholes. But it’s just one of many crumbling roads in Britain as councils face repairs backlogs and lack of funds Marsh Street in the historic centre of Bristol is a modest little stretch of road with an office block at one end, a Thai restaurant at the other, and an almighty mess in between. Along its length of 200 metres or so, the tarmac surf…

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 21 May 2026; doi:10.1057/s41599-026-07664-4 Understanding nighttime leisure activities in various urban leisure spaces: a multi-factor interaction perspective based on mobile signaling data

This study examines how the meaning of “home” changed for young individuals residing in Malatya after the twin earthquakes centered on Kahramanmaraş on February 6, 2023. Designed as a phenomenological study, the research explores how perceptions of home shifted across spatial, emotional, and social dimensions before and after the disaster using a thematic analysis. The findings show that, before …

The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) concludes today, May 22, in Baku , Azerbaijan , after six days of discussions, exhibitions, and international exchanges centered on the theme "Housing the World: Safe and Resilient Cities and Communities." Co-organized by UN-Habitat and the Government of Azerbaijan , the forum marked the first time the event was held in the Caucasus region, …

After the Eaton fire, a movement arose to counter the threat to Altadena's working class character by investment capital. Now, some investors are welcomed for building what the community needs.

Lund Point in east London was once ‘a beautiful community’, according to Tee Fabikun, who has lived there since 1997. Now just four flats are occupied. Why are Fabikun and her friends hanging on? And what happened to the long-promised redevelopment? Tee Fabikun is sitting in an armchair in her cosy, homely flat, surrounded by her things – papers and letters, family photos, a few Nigerian handicra…

City made outsized contribution to falling levels of deprivation between 2010 and 2025, thinktank finds Manchester has recorded the biggest fall in inner-city deprivation in Britain, according to a report, as Andy Burnham stakes a claim that he could replicate the city’s revival nationwide. As the frontrunner to replace Keir Starmer , the Greater Manchester mayor has placed the city’s economic pe…

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1057/s41599-026-07489-1 Unraveling dynamic evolution of urban social resilience under new-type urbanisation in the Yellow River Basin

Nature, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10479-7 Analysis of five types of warm-season storms in Texas using three-dimensional radar reflectivity data shows that urbanization can influence storm frequency, intensity, or vertical distribution, depending on the storm type.

Pakenham Station redefines the role of transport infrastructure as both a civic landmark and a catalyst for urban renewal. Delivered as part of Victoria's Level Crossing Removal Project, the station replaces three dangerous level crossings and establishes a new elevated rail precinct that reconnects the heart of Pakenham . Positioned as the transition point between metropolitan Melbourne and Gipp…

José Antonio Donaire is not against tourists but wants to return the city to its residents – and he is starting with its most iconic market After decades of relentlessly marketing their vibrant Mediterranean city, the Barcelona authorities have appointed a man on a mission to say “no more” – and, he says, to return its most iconic market back to local residents. Last year, the Barcelona area last…

Rapid urbanisation is closely linked to industrialisation and global development. As countries industrialise, people often move from rural areas to towns and cities in search of paid work, education, healthcare and better life chances. Modernisation theorists may see urbanisation as part of development because cities can create jobs, infrastructure, innovation and access to services. However, [&#…

The holes we painted (and why we did it anyway) A bit more than a year ago, we did something a bit weird. We took a few cans of spray paint and we went out on the street. Not to paint a mural. Not to make art for art's sake. We went out to paint the potholes on a road that the municipality had been ignoring for months. Maybe years. Who can count anymore. Yes, you read that right. We painted the h…

BackgroundUrban ecological resilience is critical for sustainable development, yet the effects of energy transition policies on specific ecological dimensions remain poorly understood. This study evaluates whether China’s National New Energy Demonstration City pilot policy, implemented in 2014, improves urban ecological outcomes, and if so, which dimensions of the ecological system are most respo…

Marina Alberti, a University of Washington professor of urban design and planning, studies how cities and natural ecosystems influence one another. UW News spoke to Alberti about how climate change is triggering evolutionary change within nature-based infrastructure projects — and what urban planners can do about it.

A new tool for assessing climate adaptation planning quality, applied to more than 2,000 climate action plans, reveals consistent patterns in how cities structure climate adaptation, and where performance varies.

The energy-consuming right trading policy is an important policy initiative by the government to use market mechanisms to curb energy consumption and improve energy efficiency, thereby exerts a profound impact on urban ecological resilience. Based on panel data of 243 cities from 2006 to 2019, this study employs the Propensity Score Matching-Difference-in-Differences (PSM-DID) method and a mediat…