TED Talks
TED: The hidden danger of lead in soil | Yvette Cabrera
There's an invisible health threat right under our feet, says investigative journalist Yvette Cabrera. She digs into the pervasive problem of lead contamination in soil — a particular risk for children in cities — and shares her action...
TED Talks
TED: A street librarian's quest to bring books to everyone | Storybook Maze
As a self-proclaimed radical street librarian, Storybook Maze makes books appear where they're scarce. Through initiatives like free, public book vending machines and street corner story times, she eliminates book deserts — or areas with...
TED Talks
TED: How fantasy worlds can spark real change | Annalee Newitz
When the world's problems have you weary, journalist and science fiction writer Annalee Newitz suggests a good dose of escapist fiction to refresh your perspective. Step into the whimsical world of science fiction, cosplay and...
MinuteEarth
Why do Some Species Thrive in Cities?
Urban development can be tough on wildlife. But some plants and animals are adapting to our cities in surprising ways.
TED Talks
TED: Lessons from the past on adapting to climate change | Laprisha Berry Daniels
Laprisha Berry Daniels' grandparents left the Southern United States and migrated north to Detroit in the 1950s — a move that could be considered a big "climate change." Now, as a public health social worker, Berry Daniels mines the...
TED Talks
TED: The vital data you flush down the toilet | Newsha Ghaeli
Everybody pees and poops — and we know that urine and stool contain a rich source of information on our health, says data detective Newsha Ghaeli. Exploring the growing field of wastewater epidemiology, she shows how studying sewage can...
TED Talks
TED: Why you should ditch deadly fossil-fuel appliances | Donnel Baird
In the US, people spend the overwhelming majority of their time inside buildings that burn fossil fuels, which are bad for both the environment and human health. (Think: breathing in air pollution from gas stoves, furnaces and water...
TED Talks
TED: Detroit's climate crisis -- and how to build a resilient future everywhere | Anika Goss
How can cities become resilient to the shocks of climate change? As a leading force behind Detroit's ongoing revitalization, Anika Goss spends a lot of time thinking about this question. Connecting the city's industrial past to its...
TED Talks
TED: How to make sure materials get reused -- again and again | Garry Cooper
What if we could harness the power and value of all that we discard? Circular economy builder Garry Cooper presents a compelling vision for transforming cities into sustainable, circular economies, citing real-world examples of how...
SciShow
The Future Of Trees Is Liquid
We love trees, but the main problem is that they aren't exactly travel-sized. However, new technology wants to bring the fresh-air benefits of trees to places that the real deal just can't thrive, like dense urban areas!
SciShow
Laser Archaeology: Revealing the Amazon's Urban Jungle
Hard-to-reach places, like the Amazon rainforest, can hide traces of past civilizations. But scientists are finding ways to explore these areas from above and discover the effects these ancient peoples had on their environment.
SciShow
7 New Species Discovered in Cities
Scientists are discovering new species at the bottom of the ocean and deep in the rainforest, but there are also plenty of new animals being discovered in cities around the world!
SciShow
6 Animals Living Their Best Lives in Cities | Synurbic Species
When humans build a city, most species in the area tend to disappear. But there are some, called synurbic species, that are living their best lives in our concrete jungles. Hosted by: Stefan Chin
SciShow
The Strange Scourge of Light Pollution
Light pollution -- it's not just the bane of light sleepers and frustrated astronomers. It also is tinkering with the biological cycles of all kinds of living things, including us! SciShow takes you behind the glare to understand the...
TED Talks
TED: 5 lessons on building an emissions-free city | Heidi Sørensen
Confronting climate change makes for better cities and a better quality of life, says Heidi Sørensen, director of the climate agency for the city of Oslo, Norway. From construction sites without noise pollution to fully electric...
TED Talks
TED: Climate action's hidden opportunities for women | Zineb Sqalli
Climate action has historically had a gender-neutral lens, but this lack of intentionality allows underlying biases to sneak in and negatively impact women, says gender and climate researcher Zineb Sqalli. Using Vienna, Austria's...
TED Talks
TED: The global opportunity to accelerate Africa's sustainable future | Vanessa Nakate
Climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate sits down with former president of Ireland Mary Robinson for an enlightening, intergenerational conversation about the state of the climate crisis. Nakate paints a picture of life in her home...
PBS
As Evanston, Illinois Approves Reparations For Black Residents, Will The Country Follow?
The nation's first government-backed reparations initiative was green lit
this week in Evanston, Illinois, a Chicago suburb where about 16 percent of
its 75,000 residents are Black. The city council has promised $10 million
over 10...
PBS
Uneasy Peace Takes Hold In Contested Region Of Azerbaijan
Ethnic-Armenian forces last week handed over two regions to Azerbaijani
control as part of Russia-brokered armistice that ended the six-week war
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Moscow has sent peacekeepers to the
ethnic-Armenian...
Crash Course Kids
Resources: Welcome to the Neighborhood
Welcome to the Neighborhood! Humans need a lot of things to survive (I'm sure you've noticed). We need food, water, and shelter and it takes a lot of resources to get all of those things. What are resources? In this episode of Crash...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees? | Stefan Al
By 2050, it's estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering...
Crash Course
Cities of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology
This week on Crash Course Mythology, we're getting urban. Mike Rugnetta is the man with the orange umbrella who's about to give you a free tour of mythical cities. We'll talk about a few cities that didn't exist, but we're going to focus...
Curated Video
Mansa Musa and Islam in Africa: Crash Course World History
In which John Green teaches you about Sub-Saharan Africa! So, what exactly was going on there? It turns out, it was a lot of trade, converting to Islam, visits from Ibn Battuta, trade, beautiful women, trade, some impressive...