Sweden

Developed by industrial designers Anna Haupt and Terese Alstin, the Hovding is an "invisible bicycle helmet" that may be the key to unlocking anxiety over mandatory helmet laws.

April 12, 2013 - Upworthy

A Swedish research center has been tasked by the government with valuating the services rendered by ecosystems and educating the public on the importance of biodiversity.

February 28, 2013 - Sustainable Cities Collective

Zak Stone looks at the innovative technologies that Scandinavian companies are developing to improve the safety of the most vulnerable road users.

January 28, 2013 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Earlier this week, a rail-company cleaning lady in Stockholm was able to take a commuter train on a late night joy ride through the city. The joy, however, ended when she crashed the train into a tony apartment building.

January 17, 2013 - The Daily Mail

You read that right, Sweden's trash problem is that it doesn't have enough of it. Due to a spectacularly successful rate of recycling, the country doesn't have enough garbage to power its waste-to-energy program. It's solution: import trash.

October 24, 2012 - Fast Company Co.Exist

Is the idea of "farming up" really taking off? Vertical farming could yield long-term environmental benefits, but still faces many obstacles.

October 18, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Not heard of Minecraft yet? Than you must not have a 10-year-old child in your house. Luckily, Sarah Goodyear does, and for our benefit, she describes the popular children's video game that explores real-world urban planning ideas.

September 19, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

As cities across the world look for ways to blend higher densities to accommodate the increased demand for urban living, a recent proposal for how to solve Stockholm's critical lack of housing in the core of the city may define "inelegant density."

June 12, 2012 - ArchDaily

Julie Ma investigates how one Swedish company is paving the way for a new urban food system that aims to increase one city's self-sufficiency.

March 14, 2012 - Good

Internet server farms suck up enormous amounts of energy keeping all those mainframes cool. So Facebook has announced it will build in Northern Sweden and use only the natural air to chill their facility.

October 27, 2011 - The Telegraph

Summer travel took me out of the US and back to Sweden for the first time in five years.  While my initial reaction was that things seemed much the same, I quickly realized that the Swedes had quietly pushed forward a number of projects that, if located in the US, would be on the vanguard of sustainability.  But over there it's just called urban planning.

September 7, 2011 - Walker Wells

In Stockholm, Sweden, planners are moving ahead with a broad central city redevelopment plan that seeks to continue the city's trend of reducing car traffic and congestion, and making it easier for bikers, walkers and transit takers to get around.

June 28, 2011 - Citiwire

Despite having the world's most energy efficient, least polluting auto fleet, greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector continue to rise in Sweden.

June 14, 2011 - Common Dreams

A hub of information and communications technology known as Kista Science City in Stockholm, Sweden, has focused on intelligent transportation to fuel its success.

March 1, 2011 - Next American City

Two industrial design students at Lund University noticed that despite a new law requiring bike helmets in Sweden, many people refused to wear them. They've invented a stylish cowl that inflates on impact just like an airbag.

October 22, 2010 - Core77

The Swedish, apparently, long for community. Kjellgren Kaminsky Architecture has proposed a redesign for an abandoned sanitarium, turning it into a green, multi-family community.

March 5, 2010 - Fast Company

In Stockholm, Sweden, a new group calling themselves YIMBY 'Yes in My Backyard' is promoting a vision of a dense, dynamic city.

November 13, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor - Global News Blog

Stockholm's congestion charge is not only reducing traffic and greenhouse gas emissions, it's also increasing sales of alternative fuel vehicles.

September 30, 2009 - The New York Times

This oped takes on American street design and blames it for causing countless road injuries and deaths.

August 20, 2009 - The Boston Globe

This piece from Wired looks at the Swedish mining town of Kiruna that is literally picking itself up and moving.

June 4, 2009 - Wired