Linda Poon

Linda Poon

Linda Poon is a writer for CityLab in Washington, D.C., focused on climate change and urban life. She also writes the CityLab Daily newsletter.

Latest

Goethe-Institut Dakar

Cultural Center Shows the Future of Sustainable Architecture in West Africa

Also this week: What robot cars are actually promising, and Morocco debuts a $700 million rocket-shaped tower.

April 24, 2026

April 24, 2026

Cultural Center Shows the Future of Sustainable Architecture in West Africa

Also this week: What robot cars are actually promising, and Morocco debuts a $700 million rocket-shaped tower.

Goethe-Institut Dakar

April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026

The Elusive Promise of Safer School Bus Stops

Also this week: An arch fit for a monarch, and streets not fit for walking

School bus with traffic camera attached

April 10, 2026

April 10, 2026

The Typical Family Has Changed. So Should Home Designs

Also this week: Bucharest’s accidental urban wilderness, and where police are working with ICE.

The Typical Family Has Changed. So Should Home Designs

April 4, 2026

April 4, 2026

Sydney’s E-Bike Boom Hits the Brakes as Injuries Rise

Serious injuries are on the rise, and authorities are increasingly concerned about high-powered models.

Properties in Sydney

April 3, 2026

April 3, 2026

Will a Court Order Actually Stop Trump’s Ballroom?

Also this week: Lessons from past oil crises, and what it takes to count 1.4 billion people.

President Trump Returns To The White House From Florida

April 2, 2026

April 2, 2026

Global Cities Relearn an Old Lesson: How to Weather an Oil Shock

Past energy shortages triggered gas-saving policy changes and a surge of ridership — and funding — for public transit. What will this oil crisis bring?

A petrol pump attendant fills fuel in a bike at a petrol

March 27, 2026

March 27, 2026

How the World Cup Stands to Make Gentrification Worse in Mexico City

Also this week: The urban displacement of wild bees, and how past planners envisioned future cities.

How the World Cup Stands to Make Gentrification Worse in Mexico City

March 27, 2026

March 27, 2026

What Urban Planning’s Past Says About Tomorrow’s Cities

A new book from Harvard scholar Bruno Carvalho marks the milestones and missteps that have shaped urbanization patterns around the world.

PORTUGAL-HEALTH-VIRUS-LOCKDOWN

March 20, 2026

March 20, 2026

What Happened When Paris Ousted Cars

Also today: New love for London’s “ugliest” building, and the AI boom comes to NYC real estate.

What Happened When Paris Ousted Cars

March 13, 2026

March 13, 2026

The Space-Age Bid to Reshape US Housing With Factory-Built Homes

Also this week: Manila renews effort to restore its river, and can LA electrify the 2028 Olympics?

Operation Breakthrough: Factory-Built Public Housing

March 7, 2026

March 7, 2026

The New EV Charging Dynamic Emerging in the US

Few sales but more charging demand.

Inside The 2026 North America International Auto Show

March 6, 2026

March 6, 2026

How to Design a City For the Blind and Visually Impaired

Also today: The economic toll of inner-city highways, and how to fireproof a whole neighborhood.

Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette is a USM student who is legally blind

March 4, 2026

March 4, 2026

How to Fireproof a Neighborhood

In wildfire-prone California, one developer is using an HOA model to incorporate prevention across the whole community’s design.

How to Fireproof a Neighborhood

February 27, 2026

February 27, 2026

How the Ultra-Wealthy Are Building Bigger Mansions in the Heart of NYC

Also this week: Oslo opens new government quarters on the site of tragedy, and it’s a tough time to be a Black developer.

How the Ultra-Wealthy Are Building Bigger Mansions in the Heart of NYC

February 20, 2026

February 20, 2026

White House Ballroom Plan Greenlit By Panel of Trump Appointees

Also today: The next phase of ICE's $38 billion detention plan, and Saudi Arabia's $32 billion bet on fun.

Trump Signs Order To Bring IndyCar Race To DC

February 19, 2026

February 19, 2026

100 Years Later, Zoning Leaves Mixed Legacy on US Cities

Also today: How MAGA’s census fight would reshape political power, and a Shaker revival points to something deeper than a trad obsession.

Homes

February 18, 2026

February 18, 2026

How Ethiopia’s Ban on Gasoline Car Imports Fueled an EV Boom

Also today: NYC mayor throws down ultimatum in push for wealth tax, and Gen Alpha helps revive China's struggling malls.

How Ethiopia’s Ban on Gasoline Car Imports Fueled an EV Boom

February 17, 2026

February 17, 2026

LA’s Radical Fix for Freeway Traffic

Also today: India's toxic air crisis is reaching a breaking point, and New Zealand net migration sinks to record low.

Motorist make their way through the Sepulveda Pass as Metro plans a multibillion-dollar Sepulveda Transit Corridor project that would connect the Westside to the San Fernando Valley in less than 30 minutes

February 13, 2026

February 13, 2026

Karaoke Crackdown Tests Vietnam's Tolerance for Urban Noise

Also today: A tunnel to transform Los Angeles, and Sao Paulo battles drought and floods together in climate paradox.

Vibrant nightlife and street entertainment in Bui Vien Walking Street, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, Vietnam Southeast Asia

February 12, 2026

February 12, 2026

How Cities Can Slow Down Speeding Drivers

Also today: Trump’s EPA is trying to scrap climate rules, and how housing impacts the way Americans consume.

How Cities Can Slow Down Speeding Drivers