Cities
The peculiar logic behind how metropolises grow, die, and reinvent themselves.
72 articlesLatest Cities
Zheleznogorsk/Krasnoyarsk-26: Siberia’s Secret Nuclear City
Explore the hidden history of Krasnoyarsk-26, a Soviet secret city built to produce weapons-grade plutonium, its luxurious gilded cage existence, and the devastating environmental legacy that outlasted the Cold War.
The Most Extreme Prison in Russia
Discover Black Dolphin, Russia's most notorious supermax prison. From its brutal conditions to its depraved inmates, explore what makes this modern-day gulag inescapable.
Alnwick Poison Garden: The Deadliest Plants in the World
Explore England's Alnwick Poison Garden, where deadly plants require government permission to grow and visitors risk fainting among nature's most dangerous killers.
The Boötes Void: The Biggest, Emptiest Thing in the Universe
Discover the Boötes Void, a 330 million light-year expanse of near-nothingness that changed our understanding of cosmic structure, and explore the theories behind this mysterious region of space.
Cactus Dome: The Nuclear Tomb in Paradise
The Cactus Dome on Runit Island contains 111,000 cubic yards of radioactive waste from US nuclear testing. As sea levels rise and concrete cracks, this Cold War tomb threatens to release its poison into the Pacific.
The Caribbean Capital City... That is a Ghost Town
How Mariupol, Ukraine's tenth-largest city, was besieged, destroyed, and rebuilt as a Russian city—erasing its people, culture, and identity in one of the most brutal urban campaigns of the 21st century.
More in Cities
Kowloon Walled City: Inside the Most Crowded Place on Earth
Explore the remarkable history of Kowloon Walled City, Hong Kong's infamous shanty town that housed 2 million people per square kilometer and became one of humanity's most unique urban experiments.
La Mesa: The Incredible Story of Tijuana's Prison-Village
Discover the bizarre history of La Mesa, Tijuana's infamous prison-village where cartel members lived in townhouses with jacuzzis, children attended school, and 7,000 residents created a self-governing society behind prison walls.
The Malacca Straits: The Most Pirate-Infested Waters in the World
Discover why the Straits of Malacca and Singapore remain the world's most pirate-infested waters, from ancient sea peoples to modern fuel-siphoning gangs.
Malawi: The Dictatorship that Nobody Noticed...
Discover how Malawi endured one of history's most oppressive dictatorships under Hastings Banda, and how this small African nation found its own path to democracy without foreign intervention or civil war.
The Story of Missouri's Toxic Ghost Town.
Discover the tragic story of Times Beach, Missouri—a thriving community destroyed by dioxin contamination, flooding, and government inaction, leaving behind a toxic ghost town.
Mount Rainier: Inching Towards Disaster.
Mount Rainier isn't just a picturesque peak—it's an active volcano whose deadliest threat isn't lava, but lahars: fast-moving walls of mud and debris that could obliterate towns and displace hundreds of thousands.