For those not ready to invest in an EV of their own, community-first car shares are an affordable way to plug in to sustainable transit.

A behind-the-scenes look at one of the stories we’ll be sharing at RTBC’s upcoming live event in celebration of our fifth anniversary.

Barcelona is using its subways’ regenerative braking to power trains, stations and neighborhood EV chargers. Could other cities do this?

The NYCHA Swim Corps program brings swimming lessons to youth in New York’s public housing developments. It’s harder than it sounds.

Less than a third of all US waste is recycled or composted. So companies are stepping in to take what traditional recyclers reject.

The city’s Reforestation Hub is turning as many trees as possible into “Carbon Smart Wood” — and creating jobs along the way.

Across Europe, cities are proving that lowering speed limits makes neighborhoods safer and more livable while reducing dependence on cars.

A controversial but effective policy is keeping residential streets quiet, getting more people walking and reducing pollution.

The delusion that cars belong in places like Manhattan is stubbornly hard to break. But across the world, cities are coming to their senses.

As New York puts its gridlock-busting plans on hold, the success of congestion pricing elsewhere proves it’s not just smart — it’s popular.

For those who are “right at the line of homeownership but can’t seem to cross it,” a pioneering partnership lends a hand.

A Colorado factory is making homes that are indistinguishable from traditionally built ones — and chipping away at the housing crisis.

Usually known for their work in more rural places, nature’s best engineers have brought their ecosystem management skills to the big city.

New skate plazas in cities from San Francisco to Paris are proving that making spaces skateable makes them safer and more dynamic, too.

As Tucson gets hotter and hotter, creating more shade in its most vulnerable neighborhoods is making a vital difference.

Regardless of how the US Supreme Court rules on a high-profile case, programs in New Orleans and Houston could serve as models going forward.

Through Backyard Habitat Certification, individuals strive to make even the smallest outdoor spaces more biodiverse. Those changes add up.

The effort to match rural homes with “Plus Codes” began as a way to increase voter registration, but the benefits have gone much further.

Designated eateries in India’s capital are addressing the problem of plastic waste while providing warm meals for those in need.

Communities across the US are finding clever ways to crack down on the short-term housing market, making more homes available for residents.

The Colombian capital is creating a more sustainable, safe, equal and just transport system. Women are at the heart of it.

From Vancouver to Barcelona, city transportation agencies are turning to NaviLens to make wayfinding easier for blind and low-vision riders.

Personalized, flexible support is helping low-income Californians navigate an intense real estate market.

From parking fees in Paris to registration fees in Washington D.C., forward-thinking cities are slapping heavy penalties on heavy vehicles.

In Aarhus, material exchange centers are preventing everything from dishes to electronic devices from going to waste.

With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures — and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.

In Maine, an enormous 3D printer is turning natural materials into sustainable, carbon-sequestering homes.

The roar of leaf blowers has long been ubiquitous in fall. But as more US cities ban the gas-powered devices, that’s starting to change.

The massive project — a years-long deep dive into sustainable forestry — used only timber from within 300 miles of the airport.

A phony ad campaign. A forgotten transit graveyard. The story of how this Texas city resurrected its streetcar system takes an unusual track.

A concept that spread to meet an urgent need amid the pandemic remains a low-key yet efficient way to feed people and prevent food waste.

Developed by a Japanese botanist, the Miyawaki method of reforestation has taken root in a wide range of landscapes.

From urban swimming to fixing leaks to public fountains, France’s capital is getting smart about its most precious resource.

In an unusual approach, a land trust and a co-op collaborated to save a mobile-home park from corporate buyout.

The Catalan city is making big moves to get visitation and its impacts under control — and other European destinations are taking action, too.

Wastewater recycling is gathering steam. If you’ve been to Disneyland lately, you’ve already tried the clean water it can produce.

When Ouray’s main attraction dried up, an alliance between ice climbers and silver miners created a blueprint for how drought-stricken towns can keep water flowing.

The property rental service will offer its Massachusetts hosts thousands of dollars to help pay for heat pumps, new insulation and more.

Water management that prizes lakes and greenery over concrete makes for less flood-prone cities — and prettier ones, too.

In Khonoma, traditional knowledge has led to a boom in ecotourism and sustainable cultivation practices.

Even before it is finished, the East Coast Greenway, an emerald necklace of car-free paths from Maine to Florida, is revealing surprising benefits.

The city scaled up the planting of self-watering residential rooftop gardens that mitigate flooding and lower temperatures.

In Jakarta, a building for evicted slum-dwellers has alcoves for hawking goods, stairs designed for cross-floor conversation and gardens to grow your own food.

Ben Wilson’s “Urban Jungle” explores how cities teem with life — and the vital role urban ecology plays in the era of climate change.

The US needs to convince millions of drivers not to worry about where they’ll charge an electric car. Norway, the world’s EV capital, has cracked that code.

In a city conflicted about transit, an unusual Uber-like bus system is so popular it can barely keep up with demand.

Architects are using lightweight wood to add on to existing buildings, preserving what’s already there and preventing wasteful demolitions.

Architecture pioneer Anna Heringer takes sustainable construction to a new — old — level, building with the earth beneath her feet.

Long dismissed as hippie havens, off-grid communities are getting a fresh look as wasteful construction practices come under scrutiny.

The Inflation Reduction Act could usher in a new era of freeway removal in cities like Milwaukee, which transformed its urban core by tearing down a highway 20 years ago.

Architect David Benjamin is bringing his biology-inspired recipe for construction materials to an affordable housing project in Oakland, California.

As the city grew, they arrived in droves — and found a surprisingly welcoming habitat.

Cars? In this economy? Here’s how four cities kept miles of pavement traffic-free, turning a popular pandemic solution into a permanent fixture.

After disasters, the wealthy often buy up working-class housing. On Big Pine Key, one community has found a way to ride out the storm of speculation.

Cheap, strong and plentiful, bamboo has been used in Hong Kong for ages as an ultra-sustainable building material. Other countries are catching on.

In our new ongoing series, Build Better, we explore how advancements in construction are leading the way toward decarbonized cities.

A false association with drugs that banned ‘hempcrete’ from the US residential building code has been lifted, paving the way for widespread use.

Hop on the ‘bicibús,’ a highly replicable model that makes getting to school fun, safe and sustainable.

It’s billed as the country’s only master-planned development for people coming out of homelessness. Residents call it the best neighborhood they’ve ever lived in.

The share of journeys made by car in the city has fallen by nearly half, and the trend is only accelerating.

With traffic deaths rising in the US, some cities are turning crosswalks and intersections into eye-catching murals — with life-saving results.

Eliminating fares was meant to give straphangers “the right to the city.” It ended up giving them a safer ride, too.

With strategically placed channels for air flow, the birthplace of the automobile is using urban design to lower the temperature.

Tramways were once a staple of European cities. Now, a new generation is enhancing urban life once again.

In India, a new way of identifying where people live is changing the lives of thousands whose homes never officially existed — until now.

If Gothenburg doesn’t meet its climate and social goals, its lending banks will charge it a fine — at the city’s request.

When Covid hit, Alexandria, Virginia saw an opportunity to make its residents fall in love with the least-loved transit option of all.

U.S. renewables experts support the war-besieged country with tech hailed a ‘game-changer’ for disaster relief settings.

A cutting-edge form of urban energy independence could make cities more resilient to blackouts — and greener in the process.

After a tornado, Greensburg, Kansas rebuilt as a shining example of red-state sustainability. It wants to be more than a curiosity.

California’s program to lower carbon emissions has a surprising side benefit: preventing displacement.

While communities often see large mental health facilities as a threat, one Kansas City neighborhood is discovering it can be an asset.

Giving people bicycles may be one of the cheapest, easiest ways to support them. One group is distributing them by the thousands.

Austrians now have access to every form of public transit in the country through a single affordable ticket. Is it enough to make a dent in carbon emissions?

Single-family zoning laws lead to sprawl, segregation and expensive real estate. They’ve also seemed untouchable — until now.

A new land policy replacing outdated colonial laws is being piloted in Sierra Leone — and putting the power back in the hands of the people.

As the only major Western city that is home to lions, L.A. is breaking new ground in infrastructure designed for big wildlife.

In South Bend, Indiana, a unique development model is putting ownership into the hands of hundreds of local residents — and giving big developers a run for their money.

No other country has more heat pumps per capita, a cheap, highly efficient tool to keep homes warm — and carbon footprints small.

Tired of waiting for government to step in, New Orleans residents are flood-proofing their own communities — sustainably.

The German postal service wants to be carbon neutral by 2050. Its fleet of battery-powered cargo bikes could help.

The library partnered with behavioral scientists to help people return their books on time.

The social spending bill includes funding — proven to work in other countries — that would help millions buy their first home.

By fixing up homes in Black neighborhoods, one group is slowing down harmful gentrification and keeping communities intact.

From apps that read what’s on the signs to staff who meet you at the door, the country has built one of the world’s most accessible railway networks.

A new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes are helping railways compete against discount airlines.

A new city policy allows working-class families priced out of their neighborhoods to come back — affordably.

The air in these neighborhoods is getting cooler — with huge implications for sweltering cities worldwide.

When vendors in Queens started self-governing during Covid, the city got a glimpse of how public spaces can truly flourish.

Instead of just kicking residents out, officers started tipping them off that they were in danger of losing their homes. Suddenly, eviction rates started to tumble.

The city’s transit agency is building apartments by light rail stations that folks can actually afford.

Before being zoned out of existence, boarding houses gave less privileged city dwellers a place to live. Some places are bringing them back.

They own prime land in expensive residential areas and have a mandate to help the vulnerable.

“Transit to trails” is opening up breathtaking natural spaces to an outdoorsy crowd that is more urban-based than ever.

Arnsberg, Germany’s Department of Future Aging has made it a prototype for how cities around the world can help their older residents thrive.

In a city-state that imports 90% of its food, rooftop gardens are a matter of national food security.

Sprouting in our concrete jungles, high-rises built of wood are pointing the way to a greener form of construction.

Agape Village is a place where people find community, structure, stability — and a path to permanent housing.

In Philadelphia, face-to-face mediated chats help both parties get what they need.

By squeezing in more housing, the city is giving new life to spaces that were once for throwing trash and parking cars.

The Bay Area is walking back a proposal that would have forced residents to work remotely.

When the city closed streets to traffic during Covid, it revealed a fix for designs that cater to white and moneyed interests.

How Canadian cities and First Nations territories discovered the catalytic power of collaboration.

By sharing everything from services to accessibility renovations, co-housing strikes a balance between autonomy and affordability.

Why should homeowners get all the perks? How a different type of rental model puts equity back in the pockets of tenants.

Millions of Europeans now commute by e-bike, a mobility revolution carefully cultivated by governments and employers.

In the city’s Mission District, renters are collectively buying their buildings before they get priced out.

For the first time, a major Canadian city won’t require space for cars on any property.

Intergenerational homesharing has taken off. The pandemic has complicated the calculus, but some say it’s more vital than ever.

When correctly designed, housing that gives people personal space can make them feel closer.

Hundreds of cities have handed over their streets to pedestrians and cyclists during the pandemic. Some of them plan to keep it that way.

Benches that become stoves and manholes hiding emergency toilets reflect the survival instincts of a country that has learned to live with peril.

A profit-making enterprise with a mandate to serve the people, the city’s transit system is uniquely designed to weather a crisis.

In Singapore, housing is affordable, diverse and impeccably maintained.

As cities around the world confront an affordability crisis, a few have spent a century perfecting the art of subsidized housing for the masses.

Is rainwater capture the new solar panel? How drought-stricken cities are capitalizing on a building solution so simple, it’s almost like it’s right above our heads.

No, seriously. Like, actually make it free. A rust belt guide to increasing ridership.

Pontevedra, once choked with cars, is a laboratory for how smaller cities can implement a few simple tricks to reduce driving dramatically.

They’re dangerous, destructive, polluting, expensive, inefficient and inequitable—not to mention a pain in the ass. Now cars are being chased off city streets. That’s progress.

A deep-red town in Indiana has a bicycling network that would make Boulder blush. Their secret? Forget the politics and treat bikes more like cars.

Opponents say fees for urban services hit poor people hardest. But the data show that, implemented right, dynamic pricing can be a tool for equity.

Until recently, Mexico City was building more parking than housing. Now new reforms are pushing the parking aside and returning the pavement to the people.

Urban neighborhoods that were severed decades ago by massive highways are finally being sewn back together by public spaces designed to reconnect and heal.