NPR logo NPR
Cities Project Cities Project NPR's Series On Urban Life In The 21st Century
Artists' renderings of New Meadowland show how the wetland would be designed for human recreational use as well as flood control. The berm shown would be a path through the park when water was low (left). When storms came in, the wetlands would flood, and the berm would protect local development.

Artists' renderings of New Meadowland show how the wetland would be designed for human recreational use as well as flood control. The berm shown would be a path through the park when water was low (left). When storms came in, the wetlands would flood, and the berm would protect local development. Courtesy of New Meadowlands hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of New Meadowlands

N.J. Braces For Future Disasters By Fleeing, And Fortifying, The Coast

Federal funds are supporting two different disaster-prevention approaches — coastal retreat, or people leaving flood zones, and coastal defense, or building infrastructure to protect at-risk areas.

Listen Loading… 5:46
New York state is buying homes like this one in Staten Island's Fox Beach neighborhood as part of a Hurricane Sandy recovery project in the hopes that demolishing them will help nature return and provide a barrier to future storm surges.

New York state is buying homes like this one in Staten Island's Fox Beach neighborhood as part of a Hurricane Sandy recovery project in the hopes that demolishing them will help nature return and provide a barrier to future storm surges. Matthew Schuerman/WNYC hide caption

itoggle caption Matthew Schuerman/WNYC

Some On Staten Island Opt For Buyout Of 'Houses That Don't Belong' WNYC

As part of the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Sandy, New York's plan is to buy and demolish hundreds of homes on Staten and Long islands and let nature return as a barrier to future storm surges.

Listen Loading… 4:42
The Mathare Valley, shown here in an aerial map, is one of the largest and oldest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Residents are using hand-held GPS devices to map the area, which comprises 13 villages and is home to nearly 200,000 people.

The Mathare Valley, shown here in an aerial map, is one of the largest and oldest slums in Nairobi, Kenya. Residents are using hand-held GPS devices to map the area, which comprises 13 villages and is home to nearly 200,000 people. Courtesy of Muungano Support Trust and Jason Corburn, UC Berkeley hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of Muungano Support Trust and Jason Corburn, UC Berkeley

Parallels

In Kenya, Using Tech To Put An 'Invisible' Slum On The Map

A billion people worldwide live in slums, largely invisible to city services and governments — but not to satellites. A global movement is putting mapping technology in the hands of slum dwellers to persuade governments and the residents themselves to see these shadow cities in a whole new light. NPR's Gregory Warner visits one slum in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Listen Loading… 7:33
Cable cars move commuters over a complex of shantytowns in Rio de Janeiro, one of many cities taking part in the smart city boom around the world.

Cable cars move commuters over a complex of shantytowns in Rio de Janeiro, one of many cities taking part in the smart city boom around the world. Felipe Dana/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Felipe Dana/AP

All Tech Considered

Tech-Savvy Cities May Be 'Smart,' But Are They Wise?

Around the world, cities like Rio de Janeiro are using new technologies to solve their problems. And while there's great promise in many of these "smart" city programs, urban planner Anthony Townsend is wary of putting so much power in the hands of tech companies.

Listen Loading… 4:44
Miami Public Service Aide Tatayana Harris enters information into her laptop after clearing an accident in Miami's Little Havana community. Harris has been a Miami Police PSA for five years and hopes to become a police officer.

Miami Public Service Aide Tatayana Harris enters information into her laptop after clearing an accident in Miami's Little Havana community. Harris has been a Miami Police PSA for five years and hopes to become a police officer. Marsha Halper for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Marsha Halper for NPR

Police Take Different Approaches To 'The Tyranny Of 911'

Most people know to phone 911 in an emergency, but police departments are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of calls. Some cities use 311 lines to help divert non-emergency requests, while Miami dispatches a group of unarmed public servants to tackle many non-urgent situations.

Listen Loading… 10:33
Micaela Torres and 2-year-old Jakai Johnson swing underneath a surveillance camera at Miwok Park in Elk Grove, Calif. The city's police department collects more than 100 video feeds from across the city.

Micaela Torres and 2-year-old Jakai Johnson swing underneath a surveillance camera at Miwok Park in Elk Grove, Calif. The city's police department collects more than 100 video feeds from across the city. Steve Henn/NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Steve Henn/NPR

All Tech Considered

In More Cities, A Camera On Every Corner, Park And Sidewalk

A growing number of cities are using surveillance cameras in the hope of fighting crime, but all that video is almost useless without powerful search tools to sort the material. The municipal camera trend is proving to be big business for companies that design video analytics software.

Listen Loading… 5:19
Residents of the Estonian capital of Tallinn can use public transportation for free after purchasing a special card for 2 euros.

Residents of the Estonian capital of Tallinn can use public transportation for free after purchasing a special card for 2 euros. Raigo Pajula/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Raigo Pajula/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Tallinn: The Former Soviet City That Gave Birth To Skype

The Estonian capital is dotted with medieval towers and Soviet architecture that belie its status as one of the world's most technologically advanced cities. Residents use a smart card to ride the bus, and mail packages and pay for parking with their phones.

Listen Loading… 6:53
The Spanish city of Santander is using a network of sensors to help improve services and save money. Incidents reported to Santander's command-and-control center, where the city manages data from sensors and smartphone reports made by citizens, are plotted on a map of the city.

The Spanish city of Santander is using a network of sensors to help improve services and save money. Incidents reported to Santander's command-and-control center, where the city manages data from sensors and smartphone reports made by citizens, are plotted on a map of the city. Courtesy of the University of Cantabria hide caption

itoggle caption Courtesy of the University of Cantabria

Parallels

High-Tech Sensors Help Old Port City Leap Into Smart Future

On Spain's Atlantic coast, the city of Santander has installed 12,000 sensors that measure everything from when streetlights need to be dimmed to when trash dumpsters are full — saving millions for cash-strapped public coffers. It's becoming a model for cities worldwide.

Listen Loading… 5:27
Rio's Operations Center brings together more than 30 agencies and allows them to coordinate on daily issues such as traffic, as well as on emergencies such as the frequent flash floods in hillside slums.

Rio's Operations Center brings together more than 30 agencies and allows them to coordinate on daily issues such as traffic, as well as on emergencies such as the frequent flash floods in hillside slums. Raphael Lima/Courtesy of the Operations Center, City of Rio De Janeiro hide caption

itoggle caption Raphael Lima/Courtesy of the Operations Center, City of Rio De Janeiro

Parallels

Rio Goes High-Tech, With An Eye Toward Olympics, World Cup

New technology is changing the way cities are run, with cutting-edge urban innovations around the globe. Sprawling, chaotic Rio de Janeiro has built a state-of-the-art operations center as it gears up for two major events.

Listen Loading… 6:34
Information, like light, flows through cities in interesting, often beautiful, patterns.

Information, like light, flows through cities in interesting, often beautiful, patterns. Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

13.7: Cosmos And Culture

What Big Data Means For Big Cities

Big Data promises a future where our Big Cities become more flexible and responsive to human needs, argues commentator Adam Frank. While danger may lurk in the data sets, the fact is that we may need to mine Big Data for solutions to our everyday problems.

Listen Loading… 5:56