All articles by barbara speed
barbara speed
An artist tried to photograph every CCTV camera around the edge of London’s congestion zone
On 30 October of this year, security guards outside the Grosvenor House Hotel in London saw a man taking photos…
New CCTV cameras can track pedestrians around cities
After two pressure cooker bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon in April 2013, killing three and injuring around 300 more,…
Is manufacturing moving back to cities?
One transition common to most world cities, especially in the developed world, is the shift from industrialisation to post-industralisation. As…
Manhattan’s population density is changing – and not in the way you’d expect
Below are two population density maps of Manhattan. One is from 1910; the other 2010. The latter shows a city…
Cities minister on greater devolution to London: not if, but when
Yesterday, we reported on one entirely unexpected result of Greater Manchester’s devolution deal: cries for more power to the poor,…
The global affordable housing crisis
Next in “no one can afford houses anymore” news: a report has revealed that city-dwellers in the world’s 2,400 largest…
Latin American transport networks are the most dangerous for women; New York's is the safest
Public transport networks can be wonderful things. In many cities, they’re the quickest and cheapest way to get around; most…
Hong Kong has spent millions compensating locals for bad feng shui
Construction often annoys the neighbours. In many parts of the world, it’s pretty routine for developers to pay compensation to…
Manhattan’s trying to stop itself from going underwater by extending 500 feet into the East river
On 29 October 2012, a storm surge from Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, and flooded streets, tunnels and subway…
Radical architects, skyscraper slums and informal cities: an interview with Justin McGuirk
Torre David is a half-finished, 52-floor office building in Caracas, Venezuela, which has been tagged with a bewildering array of…