A London art exhibit lets visitors experience a simulation of the polluted air from five cities around the world.
Walk into the tent-like structure meant to simulate Beijing's air and your mouth fills with the taste of ash. "Built for Earth Day by artist Michael Pinsky and Danish air-filtering company Airlabs, the exhibit recreates the smell, heat, and haze of four notoriously polluted cities: London, New Delhi, Beijing, and Sao Paulo," Feargus O'Sullivan reports. The artists behind the little environments say they are safe to visit, because they merely simulate the air in these cities. The installation inhabits the courtyard in front of Somerset House in London.
"For a Londoner, at least, what you can’t see or feel in the domes is as disconcerting as what you can," O'Sullivan writes. The insidious nature of air pollution is that eventually you can't tell the air is bad anymore. "Fine particles may cause concern in London, but it’s perfectly possible to go about one’s business there without registering their presence, until asthma or bronchitis hit."
FULL STORY: London's Latest Exhibit: Horrendous Pollution
How Cities Are Responding to Automobile Congestion
As economies begin to reopen around the world, some cities are taking action to prevent widespread gridlock.
E-ZPass Could Limit the Effectiveness of NYC's Congestion Charge
The known quantity of the EZ Pass system could prevent innovations in congestion pricing that would prevent the challenges since London enacted a similar policy.
Cities Have Tried to Rein in Cars, and the Results Have Been Mixed
Vehicle pollution is making cities around the world unlivable. Some cities have taken steps to curb auto use and emissions, with varying levels of success.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
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.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research