Urban Visions: The Future of Cities

The cities of the future might be greener, cleaner and more vibrant if people are put before automobiles. David Biello reports

New York City--and other major metropolises around the globe--face an epic challenge in coping with the impacts of global warming

Automobiles are still part of the American way of life, but in many municipalities other modes of transportation are moving in on what had been car territory

Local energy sources coupled with widespread, inexpensive gadgetry will soon enable cities to become smarter, more sustainable and more self-reliant

People take cars for walkable trips in part because such trips are boring and unattractive. Better design of the urban environment could create more pedestrians. Karen Hopkin reports

Traffic avoided: Software uses road sensors, GPS and historical traffic data to predict congestion

The next wave of high-speed rail lines should do away with the rails altogether, say proponents of magnetic levitation technology

Satellite data reveals that demand from urban areas may be the primary driver of the loss of trees--a shift from the patterns of the past

Industry leaders look way down the road

Wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world's energy, eliminating all fossil fuels. Here's how

Growing crops in city skyscrapers would use less water and fossil fuel than outdoor farming, eliminate agricultural runoff, and provide fresh food

The Web-only article below is a special rich-media presentation of the feature, "A Path to Sustainable Energy by 2030", which appears in the November 2009 issue of Scientific American. It was created by FlypMedia.com. Use the arrow in the lower corner to navigate

To boost urban bicycling, figure out what women want

Home sweet home: Not all honeybees work far afield--some are making honey high in the rooftops

Redesigning metropolitan areas as bioregional city-states can reduce our human footprint

Urban travel is slow and inefficient, in part because drivers act in self-interested ways

Constructing buildings to the LEED standard can conserve energy and materials-or be exploited for promotional gain

Cultivating crops in downtown skyscrapers might save bushels of energy and provide city dwellers with distinctively fresh food

Suburbia was a dream inspired by revulsion to city life. Now many suburbs are just as crowded, and sprawl moves on.