A project launched several years ago in New York City is making its way to cities around the world—much like the bacteria that the world's billions of transit users transfer around the surfaces of subway trains, stations, and buses.
The Centre for Genomic Regulation put out a press release earlier this month announcing the latest developments in the MetaSUB research project: an unprecedented study of urban mass-transit systems and cities around the world with the goal of creating to establish a "DNA map" of the microbiomes found in mass transit systems.
According to the press release, "[m]ass transit systems represent unique urban biomes, microbiomes, and metagenomes," enabled by "perhaps one of the world’s largest, high-traffic, and universal built environments."
The release notes the invisible importance of the microbiome in the biological makeup of humans ("bacterial cells in and on our bodies outnumber human cells by a 10:1 ratio," for instance). According to the release, "[t]he data produced by the consortium will benefit city planners, public health officials, and designers, as well as the discovery of new species, biological systems, and biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), thus enabling an era of more quantified, responsive, and 'smarter cities.'"
June 21 was the "Global City Sampling Day" for the MetaSUB project. Barcelona is the latest large city to join the project, which began in 2013 in New York City. The New York City effort already produced a widely circulated microbiome map of that city's subway system.
FULL STORY: MAPPING THE SUBWAY’S MICROBIOME
Poking around the New York Subway for Germs
Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have spent the last 18 months scouring the New York Subway in the search for a DNA profile of the system. They even created a map of the 15,152 microbes they found.
Strange Bedfellows: Germs and Architecture
A study from the University of Oregon has laid the foundation for a new level of architectural outcome: how the materials of buildings can facilitate healthy kinds of bacteria while managing the pernicious sort.
Phoenix Shade Plan Focuses on Bus Stops
The city’s updated Shade Master Plan calls for trees and built structures at bus stops to protect residents from heat.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Has President Trump Met His Match?
Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.
Can State Lawmakers Make the Case for Road Charges?
More state legislatures are considering fees based on vehicle miles traveled as a replacement for declining gas tax revenues.
10 States Follow Through on Promise to Put 3.3 Million EVs on the Road
Rebate programs are at the heart of collaborative success.
Surf’s Upcycling: Hawai‘i’s Latest Green Building Material is Recycled Surf Boards
“Surf Blocks” are fire-resistant, termite-proof, and close the loop on mountains of waste from the state’s beloved sport.
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.
Florida Atlantic University
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service