The Future of Cities

An article series on the future of our cities and how technology, and the climate crisis, is changing how we think about them.

Wired UK
Cities
Amateur planners are using video games to fix our broken cities
Wired UK - Will Bedingfield
Getty Images / WIRED The Golden Gate Bridge was redesigned last month. If you missed it, you can watch it on YouTube. The urban planner responsible …
Wired UK
Trains
The dream of high speed trains is already coming off the rails
Wired UK - Frank Swain
Michael H / Getty Images / WIRED On April 3, 2007, a sleek train raced across the countryside of northeast France, pursued by a small jet aircraft. On …
Wired UK
Wheelchairs
How Europe’s big cities can innovate for people with disabilities
Wired UK - Alex Lee
Europe, the home of grey cobblestones and ancient castles, isn’t the most accessible continent in the world for people living with disabilities, in …
Wired UK
Sewage
Armies of sewer-scrubbing robots are fighting back against fatbergs
Wired UK - Chris Baraniuk
vavlt / WIRED “It’s really gross,” says Stephen Pattenden, describing the giant conglomerations of fat, wet wipes and other non-biodegradable toiletry …
Wired UK
Transport for London
How to fix London
Wired UK - Nicole Kobie
Mattjeacock / WIRED Cities are becoming more crowded. The climate crisis threatens floods and high temperatures, while air pollution chokes residents. …
Wired UK
London
This is the software meltdown behind Crossrail’s costly delay
Wired UK - Sam Shead
tfl / WIRED The 73-mile Elizabeth Line – running from Reading in the West, through to Bond Street, Farringdon and Canary Wharf in the heart of Central …
Wired UK
Cities
The climate crisis will make entire cities uninhabitable. It's time to head underground
Wired UK - Stephen Armstrong
Alexander Spatari / WIRED Back in 1800 BC, the people of the Cappadocia region of modern-day Turkey decided their environment was so hostile – with …
Wired UK
Skyscrapers
Everyone needs to stop building giant glass skyscrapers right now
Wired UK - Sophia Epstein
Shomos Uddin / WIRED Two cars, a lemon, and a bottle of Lucozade: just a few of the objects that have been melted by London’s Walkie Talkie building. …
Wired UK
Trains
The return of the night train
Wired UK - Nicole Kobie
R H / 500px / WIRED Silent countryside and sleeping towns slip by in the dark outside the window, as the train thump-thumps its way over the tracks. …
Wired UK
Smart Cities
With Ring, Amazon is building a smart city that should worry us all
Wired UK - Matt Burgess
ring / WIRED The race to create the first truly smart city is on. Google has permission to transform a 190-acre plot of land in Toronto and Bill Gates …