The Best Articles in Future Cities
The most useful articles and videos in Future Cities from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Future Cities Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved in Future Cities by Refind users in 2023 so far.
Videos
Watch a video to get a quick overview.
8 Sustainability ideas that will change the world
Diving into some of the most innovative ideas across retail, city planning, policy, technology and construction. Ideas that will truly change the way we thin...
These Stupid Trucks are Literally Killing Us
Save $20 on an annual membership to Nebula & watch this video and more ad-free: https://go.nebula.tv/notjustbikesEngineers, planners, politicians, and advoca...
How Dubai is building roads in the sky
The Jetsons taught us to dream of futuristic cities. Now, Dubai is building one. Subscribe to Freethink on YouTube ► https://freeth.ink/youtube-subscribe So...
We’re using our streets all wrong #shorts
The rise of the private automobile in American life and culture has dramatically changed how cities were designed, John Frazer, a mobility futurist, wrote fo...
These 8 cities are putting their focus on biking and walking — not cars
Even though cities have been centers of culture, ideas and industry since the Neolithic Revolution 12,000 years ago (!), today’s urban-centric global civilization is just a couple of hundred years …
What is ...?
New to Future Cities? These articles make an excellent introduction.
What Is Trauma-Informed Design?
Shared by 462, including Greater Greater Washington
«The growing awareness of the impact of the built environment on our health is one reason for the growth of trauma-informed design»
What Is The Future Of Cities?
As COVID-19 makes density a danger, we look at what's in store for cities.
How to ...?
How to build the city of the future, according to Ikea’s innovation lab
‘The Ideal City’ collects the most successful urban ideas from around the world, to serve as a sort of cookbook of best practices for city leaders.
Trending
These links are currently making the rounds in Future Cities on Refind.
New York's skyscrapers are causing it to sink
The ground under New York City is sinking 1-2mm per year, partly due to the sheer mass of all the buildings but it isn't the only city to be suffering – what can be done to save them?
New York City is sinking due to weight of its skyscrapers, new research finds
City is sinking approximately 1-2mm each year on average, worsening effects of sea level rise and flooding threat
The Grind Challenges
The grand challenges of engineering are widely celebrated, but the grind challenges—like testing and standards—go underappreciated.
In Washington state, a new initiative to boost urban tree cover
The program aims to bring more greenery to underserved communities.
Return of the child-friendly city? How social movements are changing European urban areas
Urban development and social norms concerning childhood have led European cities to a situation where public spaces are no more spaces for children and young people.
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles in Future Cities—all under 10 minutes.
The progressive city that few know
Nijmegen may be the oldest city in the Netherlands, but it punches above its weight in terms of green initiatives and sustainability.
The Astonishing Transformation of Austin
My town, once celebrated for its laid-back weirdness, is now a turbocharged tech megalopolis being shaped by exiles from places like Silicon Valley.
Locals and Tourists
(Click Detail to see the city names) Some people interpreted the Geotaggers' World Atlas maps to be maps of tourism. This set is an attempt to figure out if that is really true. Some cities (for example Las Vegas and Venice) do seem to be photographed almost entirely by tourists. Others seem to have many pictures taken in piaces that tourists don't visit. Blue points on the map are pictures taken by locals (people who have taken pictures in this city dated over a range of a month or more). Red points are pictures taken by tourists (people who seem to be a local of a different city and who took pictures in this city for less than a month). Yellow points are pictures where it can't be determined whether or not the photographer was a tourist (because they haven't taken pictures anywhere for over a month). They are probably tourists but might just not post many pictures at all. The maps are ordered by the number of pictures taken by locals.
Will we ever… live in city-sized buildings?
The cities of science fiction are frequently portrayed as all-encompassing and self-contained structures, but how feasible is it build a colossal city in a building?
«A vortex is the effect caused by wind hitting the surface of a building, creating an area of low pressure on the opposite side, then swirling around to fill it. It is this vortex action that causes tall buildings to sway during high winds.»
Can Tearing Down Freeways Bring New Life to Cities?
New federal programs allocate billions of dollars to improving transportation infrastructure. Some states are using funds to reconnect communities divided by highways.
Long Articles
These are some of the most-read long-form articles in Future Cities.
Paris Pulled Off the Dream of Many City Dwellers Around the World. It’s Been Thrilling—and Complicated.
To twist a French idiom, now it’s vélo, boulot, dodo—bike, work, sleep.
Why skyscrapers are so short
The height of skyscrapers is limited by physical, economic and regulatory barriers, but we should want to overcome them and build taller. Here's how we can do it.
How Tokyo Became an Anti-Car Paradise
The world’s biggest, most functional city might also be the most pedestrian-friendly. That’s not a coincidence.
Why Is Everything So Ugly?
Dodging huge grilles we walk on, pulled by ugliness toward a gentrified retail strip. Here the violence of the new ugliness comes more fully into focus. The ruling class seized cities and chose to…
Make Parking Impossible
Cars have made American cities uglier and more dangerous. Here’s the solution.
Thought Leaders
We monitor hundreds of thought leaders, influencers, and newsletters in Future Cities, including:
World Economic Forum
The international organization for public private cooperation.

LSE Cities
LSE Cities is an international centre carrying out research, education, engagement + advisory activities in the urban field at @LSEnews. Tweets for @UrbanAge_.

Smart City Expo World Congress
The world’s leading event for cities. Next edition 7-9 Nov 2023 #SCEWC23. @Fira_Barcelona

UCL Urban Laboratory
Crossdisciplinary centre for critical and creative urban research, teaching, practice and participation @ucl. Conference Tickets - https://linktr.ee/UCLurbanlab
Next City
Next City’s journalism centers marginalized voices while amplifying solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities.
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Future Cities, including:
grist
We're a nonprofit news org dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future. Get our journalism in your inbox: https://grist.org/subscribe/
Next City
Next City’s journalism centers marginalized voices while amplifying solutions to the problems that oppress people in cities.
Visual Capitalist
Data-driven visual content focused on global trends, investing, technology, and the economy.
MIT Technology Review
Our in-depth reporting on innovation reveals and explains what’s really happening now to help you know what’s coming next. http://technologyreview.com/newsletters
Smart Cities Dive
We provide business journalism and in-depth insight into the most impactful news and trends shaping smart cities. Sign up here: http://dive.pub/_scd
What is Refind?
Every day Refind picks the most relevant links from around the web for you. Picking only a handful of links means focusing on what’s relevant and useful. We favor timeless pieces—links with long shelf-lives, articles that are still relevant one month, one year, or even ten years from now. These lists of the best resources on any topic are the result of years of careful curation.
How does Refind curate?
It’s a mix of human and algorithmic curation, following a number of steps:
- We monitor 10k+ sources and 1k+ thought leaders on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
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How many sources does Refind monitor?
We monitor 10k+ content sources on hundreds of topics—publications, blogs, news sites, newsletters, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc.
Which sources does Refind monitor in Future Cities?
We monitor hundreds of sources in Future Cities, including grist, Next City, Visual Capitalist, MIT Technology Review, Smart Cities Dive, and many more.
Who are the thought leaders in Future Cities?
We follow dozens of thought leaders in Future Cities, including World Economic Forum, LSE Cities, Smart City Expo World Congress, UCL Urban Laboratory, Next City.
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