cities
-
From sky gardens over Rio to sprawling slums in Blackpool, artists at the game development studio Eidos-Montréal have reimagined global cities as part of their Deus Ex universe
-
Rush-hour bike jams, speeding scooters, ignorant tourists … Amsterdam may be the world’s busiest cycling capital but it is no two-wheeled paradise. ‘Bicycle mayor’ Anna Luten is working to smooth conflict and export the lessons learned
-
The volcanic eruption that destroyed the Roman city also froze it in time – but now, 2,000 years later, it is alive with people who threaten its existence all over again
-
In the first century BC it was one of India’s most important trading ports, whose exports – especially black pepper – kept even mighty Rome in debt. But have archaeologists really found the site of Muziris, and why did it drop off the map?
-
We asked readers for stories of urban wandering, and they shared their favourite city walks – from Dublin to Detroit – that explore history, culture and nature
the big picture
-
These photographs showing the construction of landmark London buildings and infrastructure projects are taken from Collage: The London Picture Archive
-
While cities around the world embrace pedestrianisation, Bucharest’s new mayor is blaming traffic on street events such as Via Sport, when a central boulevard is closed to cars on the weekend. Is the Romanian capital taking a step backwards?
-
More than 2.5 billion people don’t have access to basic levels of fresh water for at least one month each year – a situation growing ever more critical as urban populations expand rapidly
-
Elements of stylish, civilised Gaza have survived its darkest decade. Palestinian businessman Basil Eleiwa believes his city could become a world tourist hub – but are Gaza and its people holding out for a future that will never arrive?
-
A new breed of anti-corruption politicians, civil society groups and entrepreneurs are beginning to push back against graft in Mexico’s second city
in depth
-
Ozersk, codenamed City 40, was the birthplace of the Soviet nuclear weapons programme. Now it is one of the most contaminated places on the planet – so why do so many residents still view it as a fenced-in paradise?
-
get involved
-
What have you discovered from exploring cities on foot, and what does urban walking mean to you? Share your memories and experiences here
-
From filling billboards to mapping a whole city, readers and their experiences have played a huge role in the development of Guardian Cities. But what stories are we missing, and how can we improve? Share your ideas and suggestions
-
Throughout Guardian Canada week, current and former residents shared their perspectives on life in Canadian cities, from street hockey and multiculturalism to the challenges of urban sprawl and unaffordable housing
-
New developments, and the historic buildings they dwarf, can look out of place as the cityscape evolves. Our readers shared their pictures of the conflict between old and new in cities around the world – from Aberdeen to Zagreb
in pictures
-
Peter Mitchell worked as a truck driver in Leeds in the 1970s, photographing the city during his rounds. These fascinating portraits of factories and small shop owners in Yorkshire and London are found on his website Strangely Familiar
-
The Big Apple’s early 20th-century building boom transformed the city with skyscrapers, subways and an awful lot of cement – as documented in these photographs from the New York Public Library’s archives
-
Yangon has some of the least public space of any major city – but new efforts to open up Myanmar have seen the creation of projects like this one: the country’s first international-standard skatepark
-
Whether for safety, art or celebration, pedestrian crossings in cities around the world have been transformed with colourful or unusual designs – from rainbows and piano keyboards to french fries and bullets
-
When it opened in 1955, the Grande Hotel in the Indian Ocean city of Beira was one of the most luxurious in Africa. Photojournalist Fellipe Abreu documents the lives of the 3,500 people who now fill this long-closed hotel to capacity
-
Photographer Marc Vallée spent a year documenting a graffiti crew, exploring the tension between public and private space in London
popular
you may have missed
-
Thirty years on from The Smiths’ only UK No 1 studio album, how do the band’s legendary evocations of 1980s Manchester compare with life in the city today? There’s only one place to start …
-
The truth about property developers: how they are exploiting planning authorities and ruining our cities
Oliver WainwrightAffordable housing quotas get waived and the interests of residents trampled as toothless authorities bow to the dazzling wealth of investors from Russia, China and the Middle East -
The heavyweight world championship showdown between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman electrified a city full of pride and promise in the early years following independence – and then the money ran out …
-
What is life like in Mali’s ‘city in the middle of nowhere’? Guardian photographer Sean Smith recently spent a week there, meeting everyone from Timbuktu’s chief muezzin to its only DJ
Lost cities #5 How the magnificent city of Merv was razed – and never recovered