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Cities & Urbanism

Vox’s coverage of the places we live: urban, surburban, and everywhere in between — and how policies are transforming those spaces.

NYC’s congestion pricing is unpopular — for now
Policy

The arc of congestion pricing is long but it bends toward acceptance.

By Abdallah Fayyad
NYC’s congestion pricing is unpopular — for now
Policy

The arc of congestion pricing is long but it bends toward acceptance.

By Abdallah Fayyad
A public housing success storyA public housing success story
Policy

Americans don’t have to look abroad for answers.

By Abdallah Fayyad
The most dangerous roads in America have one thing in commonThe most dangerous roads in America have one thing in common
Future Perfect

We can fix our staggering car fatality crisis. Start with these roads.

By David Zipper
Cities face daunting challenges. Mike Bloomberg wants to help them help each other.Cities face daunting challenges. Mike Bloomberg wants to help them help each other.
Future Perfect

The 11 policies that could help the cities of the future.

By Dylan Scott

The latest in Cities & Urbanism

How hidden fees keep renters trapped
The Highlight

Signing a new lease often comes with high upfront costs that some renters can’t afford. It doesn’t have to be this way.

By Abdallah Fayyad
What happens when everyone decides they need a gun?
Policy

We are living through an inflection point in America’s relationship with guns. There may be no going back.

By Marin Cogan
Do bigger highways actually help reduce traffic?Do bigger highways actually help reduce traffic?
Future Perfect

How America’s ever-widening highways are built on a lie.

By David Zipper
The best plan to help refugees might also be the simplest
Future Perfect

More refugees live in cities. Could cash help them rebuild their lives?

By Jacob Kushner
Business owners are buying into a bogus myth about drivingBusiness owners are buying into a bogus myth about driving
Future Perfect

NYC’s very good plan to fix traffic fell victim to a very bad argument. And it’s not just New York.

By David Zipper
Cities know how to improve traffic. They keep making the same colossal mistake.Cities know how to improve traffic. They keep making the same colossal mistake.
Policy

The US shouldn’t give up on congestion pricing.

By Abdallah Fayyad
A crisis on America’s roadsA crisis on America’s roads
Culture

With pedestrian and traffic fatalities on the rise, how can the US make its roads safer?

By Vox Staff
The reckless policies that helped fill our streets with ridiculously large cars
Future Perfect

Dangerous, polluting SUVs and pickups took over America. Lawmakers are partly to blame.

By David Zipper
How one city pulled public transit from the brink — and what the rest of the country can learn from itHow one city pulled public transit from the brink — and what the rest of the country can learn from it
Cities & Urbanism

There’s no substitute for better service.

By Abdallah Fayyad
Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities
Culture

They’re great for the fast food industry — but not so great for us.

By Marina Bolotnikova
Driving at ridiculous speeds should be physically impossibleDriving at ridiculous speeds should be physically impossible
Future Perfect

Reckless speeding is epidemic in the US. This simple technology could save tens of thousands of lives.

By David Zipper
American drivers are now even more distracted by their phones. Pedestrian deaths are soaring.American drivers are now even more distracted by their phones. Pedestrian deaths are soaring.
Transportation

During the pandemic, distracted driving increased, and it hasn’t gone down since.

By Marin Cogan
Cities have always been havens for immigrants. So why are they struggling now?Cities have always been havens for immigrants. So why are they struggling now?
Immigration

Congressional inaction has created a broken immigration system. But cities can do more for migrants, too.

By Abdallah Fayyad
How the nation’s capital became an outlier on violent crimeHow the nation’s capital became an outlier on violent crime
Cities & Urbanism

Republicans blame Democrats for DC’s rising violent crime. The reality is much more complicated.

By Marin Cogan
Could this obscure tax idea reshape American housing?Could this obscure tax idea reshape American housing?
Housing

Detroit may put the land-value tax to the test

By Rachel Cohen
It takes more than trees to build a livable cityIt takes more than trees to build a livable city
Cities & Urbanism

Why green cities might not be the panacea we think they are.

By Marin Cogan
What Salt Lake City gets right about downtownWhat Salt Lake City gets right about downtown
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Salt Lake City could be a model for downtown development — if it figures out how to address its environmental problems.

By Miles Bryan
The ocean is rising — and so is Miami’s skyline
The United States of Florida

The coastal city wants to build its way out of climate change. Is that smart?

By Umair Irfan
The dream — and reality — of moving to Florida
The United States of Florida

One of the fastest-growing states in the nation is also one of the most complicated.

By Marin Cogan
The future of cities, according to the experts
Technology

Cities aren’t going anywhere, but they do need to change.

By Rani Molla
Why pedestrian deaths in the US are at a 40-year highWhy pedestrian deaths in the US are at a 40-year high
Policy

How many fatalities will it take to get officials to take the problem seriously?

By Marin Cogan
The “return to the office” won’t save the officeThe “return to the office” won’t save the office
Future of Work

More people are going to offices more of the time. Offices are still in trouble.

By Rani Molla
How to save America’s public transit systems from a doom spiralHow to save America’s public transit systems from a doom spiral
Future Perfect

Don’t let buses and subways become another casualty of the pandemic.

By David Zipper
Homeless encampments — and the debate over what to do about them — explainedHomeless encampments — and the debate over what to do about them — explained
Policy

People living in tents has become one of the most urgent issues in American politics.

By Rachel Cohen
Elon Musk’s tunnels to nowhereElon Musk’s tunnels to nowhere
Podcast
Technology

The billionaire dug himself into a hole with the Boring Company.

By Avishay Artsy
A driver killed her daughter. She won’t let the world forget.
Features

Large vehicles and unsafe streets are killing too many people, including 5-year-old Allison Hart. Now, her mother is fighting for safer streets.

By Marin Cogan
The wasted potential of garbage dumps
Technology

Toxic landfills are emblems of environmental injustice across the US. Clean energy can remake them.

By Neel Dhanesha
Our buildings are making us sick
Explainers

Here’s how to fix them — and what’s getting in the way.

By Keren Landman, MD
Too many Americans live in places built for cars — not for human connection
Features

How urban planning contributed to the great undoing of modern friendship.

By Muizz Akhtar
What if the suburbs were just a first draft?
Features

Remote work, the arrival of home-owning millennials, and other forces can be an opportunity to remake them for the better.

By Addison Del Mastro
How to clear the air in the most polluted cities on EarthHow to clear the air in the most polluted cities on Earth
Future Perfect

How countries like India can have economic growth and cleaner air.

By Siobhan McDonough
I changed my mind on rent controlI changed my mind on rent control
Politics

Rent control won’t fix the housing crisis. It’s still a good idea.

By Jerusalem Demsas
The case for funding bike infrastructureThe case for funding bike infrastructure
Politics

It’s about climate change, public health, and economic development.

By Li Zhou
How America’s hottest city is trying to cool downHow America’s hottest city is trying to cool down
Play
The Vox guide to extreme heat

Can trees help save Phoenix from extreme heat?

By Joss Fong
California is ending a rule that helped cause its housing crisisCalifornia is ending a rule that helped cause its housing crisis
Technology

Gov. Newsom signed bills ending single-family-only zoning, a step toward addressing the housing crisis.

By Jerusalem Demsas
The housing crisis is the top concern for urban residentsThe housing crisis is the top concern for urban residents
Politics

A new poll shows people are fed up with housing costs. And they want to build more housing.

By Jerusalem Demsas
The affordable housing shortage is hurting Afghan refugeesThe affordable housing shortage is hurting Afghan refugees
Politics

Finding housing is the most difficult part of the resettlement process.

By Nicole Narea
The “g-word” of urban policyThe “g-word” of urban policy
Explainers

The worst problems are in the neighborhoods that aren’t gentrifying.

By Jerusalem Demsas
New York City issues vaccine mandate for indoor activities, confuses entire countryNew York City issues vaccine mandate for indoor activities, confuses entire country
Technology

No, it’s not launching another app.

By Rebecca Heilweil
How to redesign cities to withstand heat wavesHow to redesign cities to withstand heat waves
Climate

Trees, green roofs, and white paint can help in a changing climate.

By Rebecca Leber