The New York Times recently published an article exploring six cities from around the world reinventing themselves for the 21st century: Paris, Sydney, Medellin, Lisbon, Singapore, and Durban.

Words and photography by the journalists at the New York Times explore ambitious efforts to remake cities from around the globe. The author of the article, Jenna Schnuer, writes to introduce the subject of the exploration:
What makes a city great? Whether you’re living in Durban, South Africa, or Medellín, Colombia, perhaps no two people living in one place will have the same answer. But ask residents across different cultures and regions about challenges facing their own cities, and common issues will emerge, like the need for more affordable housing, better public transportation and access to resources and services.
As an antidote to the common practice of municipal initiatives failing to address the needs of actual residents, the article presents six examples, one from every continent outside of North America and Antarctica.
In Medellín, Colombia, the article explores the revitalization of the public realm through public transit and parks. Durban, South Africa, offers an example of the benefits of involving vendors in the design of one of the city’s public market at Warwick Junction. A model for struggling U.S. downtowns can be found in Sydney, Australia, which has reinvented former industrial and commercial districts with public space and native plants. Paris is featured for its adaptive reuse of historic structures (though the city’s transition away from automobile dependence certainly gets a mention). Lisbon passed a landmark “Green Plan” in 2008 to mitigate the effects of extreme heat, and has since been declared the “green capital” of Europe. Singapore adopted its Park Connector network of trails, stretching nearly 19 miles around the island, as one component of efforts to create more outdoor spaces on a heavily developed island.
There is a lot more detail to see and read at the article below.
FULL STORY: 6 Cities on 5 Continents That Are Reimagining Urban Life

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie