Look for the special, single-topic April issue online now at natgeo.com/cities and on print newsstands March 26.
This issue explores how we can best coexist en masse. Should we live in dense urban areas with public transit and walkable amenities? In sprawling suburbs created by our infatuation with the car? In high rises now dotting urban districts across China? National Geographic has spent the past year digging into these questions for this month’s special coverage of cities.
The Future of Cities
By Robert Kunzig, photos by Andrew Moore, graphic by Jason Treat
RETHINKING COMMUNITIES: What are the best ideas in the world on how cities might tackle pollution, affordable housing, sustainability, hardening the coastline from climate change? How can they strengthen infrastructure, grow public safety, and increase public health while promoting innovation, job growth, economic development and enhanced arts and culture? This feature takes a look at some of the ways urban planners are thinking about cities of the past, present and future.
AVAILABLE:
- Interviews with author Robert Kunzig and featured presidentof Calthorpe Associates Urban Design Firm, Peter Calthorpe.
- Photos of city landscapes and futuristic architecture byphotographer Andrew Moore, who is known for his work withcapturing societies in transition
- Graphic detailing the ideal future city describe and howarchitects are planning the City of the Future in 5 scales: regional, city, neighborhood, buildings, and interiors.
Photograph by Charlie Hamilton James
In Our Shadow
By Emma Marris, photos by Charlie Hamilton James
RATS: They live below. We live above. We work by day. They work by night. By 2050, more than 70% of the 9.8B global population is projected to live in urban environments. And in those cities, rats populations are on the rise – leaving it all but certain that a vast majority of us will be co-existing with a species best known for lurking in the shadows.This feature explores the symbiotic relationship we have with rats and the various ways of dealing with them – from poisons to night time raids with Patterdale Terriers.
AVAILABLE:
- Interviews with author Emma Marris, whose workfocuses on modern environmentalism androdentologist, Robert Corrigan
- Images of rats in New York City by acclaimed wildlife photographer, Charlie Hamilton James
Photograph by Nora Lorek
A City Rises
By Nina Strochlic, photos by Nora Lorek
MASTERS OF DISGUISE: Massive global forced migration has resulted in refugee camps, which are supposed to be temporary, but often, these days, are not. This story shows how people create an infrastructure from nothing, sometimes not out of choice but necessity, focusing on the Bidibidi refugee camp in Uganda.
AVAILABLE:
- Interview with author, Nina Strochlic
- Images by Nora Lorek, known for her work capturing life in Bidibidi, Uganda
Photograph by David Guttenfelder
Walking Tokyo
By Neil Shea, photos by David Guttenfelder
THE WALK: In ten years, two-thirds of the world’s population will reside in cities. Follow along as photographer David Guttenfelder and writer Neil Shea take readers on a journey across Tokyo, the world’s most populous city, and pull back the curtain on the lived experiences of Tokyo’s residents. This feature highlights Tokyo’s culture, traditions, quirks, and pain points, conveying the advantages and challenges of modern city life.
AVAILABLE:
- Interview with author Neil Shea and photographer David Guttenfelder
- Images by acclaimed photographer David Guttenfelder, who is known for his work capturing life in North Korea
Media Contacts:
Anna Kukelhaus Dynan: 202-912-6724, Anna.Kukelhaus@natgeo.com
Kelsey Taylor: 202-912-6776, Kelsey.Taylor@natgeo.com