United Kingdom

Owen Hatherley looks to the approach to public housing pioneered in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden in the 1960's and 70's for a solution to the capital's extreme gentrification.

October 6, 2013 - The Guardian

Urban agriculture is a promising solution to a variety of ills afflicting our increasingly urbanizing planet. Milton Keynes, Britain's largest New Town of the 20th Century, is forging a path towards food sovereignty by growing its urban farms.

October 4, 2013 - Christina Sgro

All 17 Ikea stores in Britain will begin selling solar panel packages within the next 10 months. The announcement by the Swedish retailer is "a sign of the growing mainstream appeal and affordability of solar energy," says Jessica Leber.

October 2, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

This year's Stirling Prize, the highest honor awarded by the Royal Institute of British Architects, has gone to Witherford Watson Mann architects for their deft renovation of historic Astley Castle, which was destroyed by fire in 1978.

September 27, 2013 - The Guardian

Natural disasters affect millions of people each year, and cost between $60 billion and $100 billion worldwide. Here are the 10 global cities most at risk.

September 25, 2013 - Future Cities

A warehouse, electricity substation, and brutalist apartment complex are among the buildings recently granted heritage protection by the British government. Heritage designation for post-war architecture, however, remains contentious.

September 23, 2013 - The Guardian

By the end of 2013, the British real estate website Rightmove expects house prices to have risen six percent as Chancellor George Osbourne defends a government scheme many blame for fueling the rise.

September 18, 2013 - The Guardian

In the decade before George Eastman developed film, photographer John Thomson and journalist Adolphe Smith published a series of influential magazines and books exploring London's street life. PetaPixel has collected some of the images.

September 13, 2013 - PetaPixel

Carrying 2.3 billion passengers a year, London's buses are the most popular they've been in more than fifty years and 60 percent more utilized than in 2000. Is the city doing enough to plan for future demand and threats to service?

September 11, 2013 - The Guardian

With increasing fares, delays and an "awful" service on Sundays, the British Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin isn't the only commuter unhappy with the service and admits that the expediency of HS2 was exaggerated.

September 9, 2013 - The Telegraph

This week, sun rays bouncing off the "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper in London have caused cars to melt and forced the city to ban parking in the area. Here are 7 other skyscraper design fails that have led to mishaps and disasters for cities.

September 5, 2013 - Future Cities

The new "Walkie-Talkie" skyscraper at 20 Fenchurch Street in London has been accused of using the sun to melt cars, damage bikes, and blind pedestrians.

September 4, 2013 - Future Cities

In an echo of the urban inversion confronting many of America's cities, London's phenomenal economic growth over the past decade has come at the expense of the city's suburbs, where unemployment and poverty are growing. Could this be a good thing?

August 31, 2013 - The Economist

Far from applying the government's policy of brownfield first, the number of new houses planned for greenfield sites has doubled since reform of the planning system in England reduced protection for greenbelt land.

August 28, 2013 - The Telegraph

A new report out this week has ranked the Top 10 "Internet Cities" around the globe, based on a set of five criteria: connection speed, availability of citywide WiFi, openness to innovation, support of public data, and security/data privacy.

August 27, 2013 - Future Cities

Prime Minister David Cameron is hoping that Britons will support hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, pointing to its use in the US as a success to be replicated. Religious leaders and some conservatives in his party aren't sold.

August 21, 2013 - The New York Times

Those well intentioned urban beekeepers trying to prevent colony collapse and contribute to local food movements may actually be doing more harm than good say researchers from the University of Sussex.

August 20, 2013 - NPR

"If all the food produced in the UK in a year were stored and eaten from January 1, the 'cupboard' would be bare by August 14" suggests the National Farmers Union. Advocates urge the government to help farmers produce more of the country's food.

August 20, 2013 - The Telegraph U.K.

Famed Danish architect Jan Gehl shared his thoughts this week about people-friendly cities, and why we have no option but to build them.

August 18, 2013 - Future Cities

The startup Renew has taken targeted advertising to a whole new level. Its Internet-connected recycling bins look for cell phones they recognize, then alter their video displays accordingly.

August 11, 2013 - Quartz