The Guardian

With more and more energy-efficient homes being built and environmentally conscious industry sited in the city, Freiburg, Germany may be one of the greenest cities in the world.

Pianos have popped up in random public places in Birmingham, England -- a public art installation that passively invites passersby to take a seat and tickle the ivory.

Crippling violence and dangerous streets in the Rose Town area of Kingston, Jamaica, have motivated Prince Charles to bring his Foundation for Architecture and Urbanism to the island ghetto to attempt a rebirth.

Cities are undergoing major changes in terms of demographics and development patterns. How cities will react to these changes remains up in the air.

Living more sustainably, tackling infrastructure problems and ensuring a more protected way of experiencing natural disasters are among the top challenges of the next 50 years, according to a group of scientists, entrepreneurs and thinkers.

A new map has been released that shows the extent of the effects human development and lifestyle have had on the world's oceans.

Private individuals, investors and charities are buying up environmentally sensitive land all over the world for preservation, but this article wonders whether this method is really such a good idea.

London is planning a new "superhighway" bicycle network that will help transform it into one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world.

On-board shoving and online ranting point to increasing narcissism and incivility in the public realm.

Plans for 250,000 new houses on a floodplain in Britain and broad redevelopment plans in New Orleans have many wondering why planners aren't looking to the flood expertise of the Dutch.

The Guardian has released a list of the "50 people who could save the planet," including some urban innovators who are changing the way the world thinks about cities.

The dam would have forced the flooding of one of China's most visited tourist sites and displaced more than 100,000. Plans are still in the works for a hydropower dam on the river, but the exact location is uncertain.

Some cemeteries are being planned and designed for uses beyond the funeral. But more should be done to improve the banal architecture of the cemetery, according to this article from The Guardian.

The European Union and the desert countries of Northern Africa may form a collaborative effort to harvest solar energy in the desert areas. The solar power effort could power about one-sixth of Europe if it goes through.

In the arid and frequently drought-stricken southwestern city of Phoenix, plans are moving forward to build a 125 acre water park.

This article from The Guardian looks at how the world's major cities are portrayed in film.

Road designers in Japan have created a system of specialized grooves on highway pavement that produce melodies when cars drive over them at certain speeds.

Officials in Paris plan to unveil sketches of high-rise developments proposed for the outer rings of the city -- a development type nearly two-thirds of Parisians oppose. Many argue that the aesthetic focus shortchanges social concerns in the city.

A government report claims that greatly expanding Britain's transportation infrastructure will not work against its goal of reducing carbon emissions, but will actually help push transit technology to be more environmentally-friendly.

Plans to roll out a nationwide road-pricing system in the UK may be dropped.