All posts tagged: Cities

Kelvin wave poses new threat to SoCal coastal cities

Kelvin wave poses new threat to SoCal coastal cities

Published by Sam Flores

Coastal communities are beginning to assess the damage from waves and flooding as Southern California braces for more potentially destructive conditions from a “coastally trapped Kelvin wave.” Homes from south Orange County to Malibu were flooded and severely damaged. Erosion chewed away the coast from Carlsbad to Long Beach. Laguna Beach, Dana Point and Carlsbad last week declared local states of emergency, citing coastal erosion and sand loss from the effects of a south swell brought on by Hurricane Marie. El Niño typically results in an unusually active hurricane season in the eastern Pacific, which is where Hurricane Marie formed. “I’d been chatting with other cities and city managers up and down the coast, and I think we all had different levels of damage,” Laguna Beach City Manager Dave Kiff said. “I think Laguna’s was among the greatest, or most significant, but everybody talked about concern about sand and sand replenishment. They do have sand replenishment projects, from Newport to Huntington to Seal Beach, and then there’s some farther down south.” A lifeguard tower was …

How AI is helping cities tackle invisible pollution

How AI is helping cities tackle invisible pollution

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Researchers are designing AI-powered virtual cities to help authorities predict street-level pollution and act where it is needed most. In cities, air pollution can vary sharply from one street to the next. Fumes may linger between tall buildings, collect at busy junctions or drift towards a school gate. However, cities often lack the detailed forecasts needed to act before levels become dangerous. For Professor Soledad Le Clainche, an applied mathematician at the Technical University of Madrid and leader of the ModelFLOWs research group, better understanding how air moves through cities could help tackle one of Europe’s biggest environmental health challenges. As part of an EU-funded research project called MODELAIR, Le Clainche is working with researchers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK to make the invisible, highly local patterns of urban pollution easier for cities to understand. “Many people develop tools for air pollution, but we are the first to calculate, in real time, the 3D pollution environment of the urban areas we are studying,” she said. AI-powered virtual cities The MODELAIR researchers are …

Waymo’s cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities

Waymo’s cheaper, next-gen robotaxi is now open to all riders in these three cities

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Waymo has opened its next-generation robotaxi to all riders in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco — a notable milestone for the Alphabet company as it pushes to expand its fleet with vehicles that are cheaper to build, operate, and maintain. For now, customers in these markets may be matched with the new robotaxi, called the Ojai (pronounced oh-hi) when they hail a ride. Once Waymo has enough Ojais in its fleet, riders will be able to choose between the new vehicle and the older Jaguar I-Pace robotaxi. Waymo has about 300 Ojai robotaxis in its commercial fleet today, according to a company spokesperson. The company said Wednesday that it plans to roll out the Ojai in Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego later this year. For years, Waymo has relied on the all-electric, modified Jaguar I-Pace for its robotaxi fleet, which now operates in 11 U.S. cities. While the white, sensor-laden autonomous hatchback has become ubiquitous in markets such as San Francisco, it has been more of a stopgap in Waymo’s longer-term push toward …

how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

how the colonial legacies of these cities have shaped migration in the region

Published by Sam Flores

Ceuta, a small Spanish enclave on the Moroccan mainland, was unprepared for the arrival of more than 70,000 undocumented migrants on July 30. They arrived mostly by sea, from Morocco via the Tarajal breakwaters and its shoreline. The minuscule city of just seven square miles had few provisions for food, shelter or support for the unexpected arrivals. This was a shocking exposure of the apparent porosity of the city’s heavily fortified borders. More than 95% of the migrants have since returned via the land border, following emergency negotiations between the governments of Spain and Morocco. Those who remain have overwhelmed the city’s migrant reception centres. According to the latest figures from Spain, at least 88 people are known to have lost their lives while attempting to cross into Ceuta. The mass influx, however temporary, has fuelled some far-right and nationalist political reactions, as well as protests by those resisting Europe’s rising populism and anti-immigrant sentiments. Read more: How the Ceuta border crossing incident immediately played into the hands of Spain’s far right It has also …

The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs

The Cities That Said Yes to Drugs

Published by Daniella Wilson

Late last year, I walked roughly a mile from downtown Seattle to the working-class neighborhood of Little Saigon and came upon a montage of human despair. An open-air drug market stretched along the intersection of 12th and Jackson: about 250 people, many smoking fentanyl or bent over in the thrall of the drug, tilting as if mid-fall. Three women lay passed out on the sidewalk, their chests slowly rising and falling, while fellow addicts stepped over them and dealers made sales. Young boys, schoolbags on their backs, stood on a far corner and watched. Explore the September 2026 Issue Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read. View More I walked around the block to the Hoa Mai playground, named for a Vietnamese flower that signifies rebirth. City workers had installed gates to keep drug users away, but at 4 p.m. on a Wednesday, I counted 27 people smoking drugs and nodding off. No children were in sight. Half a mile to the south, in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, I …

Revealed: the top 10 UK cities for first-time buyers

Revealed: the top 10 UK cities for first-time buyers

Published by Sam Flores

The common property rite of passage for graduates and career-focused first jobbers has changed over the past decade. Many careers used to start in London, and an early house-share would be followed by a first flat purchase, then a move to somewhere bigger. However, the heavy burden of housing costs in the capital is making would-be first-time buyers stop and evaluate whether – even with London weighting on some wages – it is possible to get on the ladder there. Some surveys have indicated that the average deposit being put down on a first home in Greater London has reached about £130,000 even as rents continue to rise. So it is little wonder that people are looking beyond London. “For the past decade we have seen a subtle shift in housing and migration patterns, with graduates increasingly weighing up housing costs alongside career prospects, and some choosing to remain in university towns or move to regional cities where housing costs are lower,” says Frances McDonald, the director of research at the estate agents Savills. This …

Why I keep returning to the Twin Cities

Why I keep returning to the Twin Cities

Published by Sam Flores

For months, many people have had their eyes glued to the Twin Cities through the lens of international headlines. The most recent atrocities in Minneapolis showed the world how the city and the people who call it home fight back, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know they’re not new to resilience, community and showing up for one another however they can. I’ve had a soft spot for Minneapolis and St. Paul for a long time. It was the only place where I hosted not one, but two stops on my book tour after the publication of “Mechanic Shop Femme’s Guide to Car Ownership,” and where I had the privilege of speaking at Subaru’s DEIB conference. I’ve returned, spending time with friends, exploring neighborhoods, enjoying the parks and marveling at the lakes that seem to appear around every corner. The Twin Cities are home to a thriving food scene, welcoming people and no shortage of things to do. If you’re planning a visit, here are some of the restaurants, parks and local favorites that …

Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods

Waymo expands pause to four cities as robotaxis keep driving into floods

Published by Miika Tikkanen

Waymo has now paused service in four cities because its robotaxis are struggling to deal with heavy rain and flooded roads, a problem that already prompted the company to issue a recall last week. One of Waymo’s robotaxis was spotted driving through a flooded street in Atlanta, Georgia, on Wednesday before it ultimately got stuck for about an hour, according to local news reports. The vehicle was recovered and removed from the scene, Waymo told TechCrunch. Waymo says it paused service in the city, just like it has in San Antonio, Texas, while it figures out a solution. “Safety is Waymo’s top priority, both for our riders and everyone we share the road with. During a period of intense rain yesterday in Atlanta, an unoccupied Waymo vehicle encountered a flooded road and stopped,” the company said in a statement. Waymo also halted service in Dallas and Houston because of severe weather across Texas this week, the company confirmed to TechCrunch late Thursday. The expansion was first reported by Bloomberg News. A Waymo spokesperson said the …