Cities

MIT startup teams meet with Chinese industry partners at the China Future City Lab demo day.

China Venture Workshop announces first cohort

Ten teams will collaborate with local partners, pilot solutions to urban challenges.

May 31, 2018

Rear view of yellow taxi in city traffic

How many taxis does a city need?

New dispatching approach could cut the number of cars on the road while meeting rider demand.

May 23, 2018

MIT composer Tod Machover, center-left, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, center-right, at the conclusion of Machover’s new symphony “Philadelphia Voices,” at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 6, 2018.

Q&A: Composer Tod Machover presents “Philadelphia Voices”

Ambitious new piece in his “City Symphony” series features the birthplace of American democracy.

April 9, 2018

Bill Evans, co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, discusses the current evidence on strategies to reduce homelessness.

Conference advances use of data and evaluation in policymaking

Government leaders, social service providers, and leading scholars gathered for the second conference of J-PAL North America’s State and Local Innovation Initiative.

March 7, 2018

J. Phillip Thompson, MIT associate professor of urban studies and planning

J. Phillip Thompson named deputy mayor of New York City

Appointment recognizes Thompson's expertise in urban politics and coalition building.

February 28, 2018

A new study found that cities with an orderly pattern, like the street grid seen in most of this map, have a much greater urban heat island effect than those with a more disorderly pattern, such as areas in the upper right.

Urban heat island effects depend on a city’s layout

The way streets and buildings are arranged makes a big difference in how heat builds up, study shows.

February 22, 2018

East Pacific Center Towers, Shenzhen, China.

New connector helps faculty, student startups launch in China

The new connector helps faculty, students, and alumni launch startups in China.

February 14, 2018

MIT Media Lab spinout Ori is developing smart robotic furniture that transforms into a bedroom, working or storage area, or large closet — or slides back against the wall — to optimize space in small apartments.

Robotic interiors

Smart furniture transforms spaces in tiny apartments into bedrooms, work spaces, or closets.

January 31, 2018

Brent D. Ryan, an associate professor of urban design and public policy in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning, has detailed his perspective on urban design in a new book, “The Largest Art: A Measured Manifesto for a Plural Urbanism,” recently published by the MIT Press.

A manifesto for designing cities

MIT professor’s new book calls for a more pluralistic, democratic vision of the city.

January 4, 2018

A new digital tool developed by an MIT team lets people design alterations to transit networks and estimate the resulting improvements, based on existing data from urban transit systems.

3 Questions: Chris Zegras on designing your city’s transit system

MIT-designed tool lets people test realistic changes to local transit networks.

December 8, 2017

J-PAL North America is inviting governments and health care organizations across the United States to apply for support evaluating innovative approaches to address critical social challenges.

J-PAL North America calls for proposals from governments and health care organizations

MIT research center aims to support state and local governments and health care organizations in testing innovative approaches to address pressing policy challenges.

December 6, 2017

Adèle Naudé Santos and Débora Mesa's plan for low-income housing in Colombia includes a market square within the proposed live-work neighborhood.

MIT architects, planners honored for sustainable design

MIT faculty and alumni projects are recognized for excellence in the international LafargeHolcim Awards competition.

December 1, 2017

MIT Associate Provost Richard Lester, left, during the launch of the China Future City Lab, Friday, November 17, 2017. Lester welcomed executives from the lab's group of founding partners at a formal signing ceremony.

MIT launches China Future City Lab

New urban studies program to spur research and innovation in China.

November 20, 2017

Researchers looked at 11 metro areas — including Atlanta, Georgia, pictured — to examine how much local emissions-reductions programs can help combat climate change. They found that there is likely to be greater impact in the area of residential energy rather than transportation, especially given local hurdles against more compact development.

How cities can fight climate change most effectively

Energy-efficient construction is key to lowering urban emissions, study finds.

October 26, 2017

"Strange Weather," appearing at the 2018 Seoul Biennale, focuses on artificial distinctions between interior and exterior.

Innovative MIT projects at the Seoul Biennale

Projects by School of Architecture and Planning faculty, researchers, and alumni explore the exhibition's theme of “Imminent Commons.”