Houston struggles to save the Astrodome, London vows to make biking safer, L.A. sees light rail successes, and San Francisco mounts a shitty campaign for its sewers. It’s Christmastime in the city for this week’s urban reads.

The blind Vancouver artist Carmen Papalia leads “Blind Field Shuttle” walking tours through cities so residents can discover and appreciate landmarks of sound [KCRW]

Ta-Nehisi Coates encounters the real gangs on Chicago’s streets: Law enforcement officials [The Atlantic]

Houston, we have a problem: Why the city can’t save the Astrodome [Texas Monthly]

Washington D.C. might fight congestion by adding an “inner loop” to its Metro system [Washington Post]

Angelenos who live half a mile from the city’s newest light rail line tripled their rail ridership and reduced their daily driving by 40 percent [Los Angeles Times]

After tragic deaths and massive protests, London plans to add a 60-mile network of bikeways to “de-Lycrafy” cycling [The Evening Standard]

A London photographer captured the sites of all 201 homicides in the city for an entire year [Atlantic Cities]

“The city’s rhythms are different by bus. You move slower, but you take in more. There’s time to think, to read. You step off a bus and breathe the scent of flowers or sizzling food on a grill. You see people whose country of origin is hard to guess and hear languages you can’t identify.” Steve Lopez’s day in the life of a bus rider is also a powerful reminder that many transit riders are not doing so by choice [Los Angeles Times]

Living over a bakery, flower shop, locksmith, bank or a funeral parlor is a way of life for many city dwellers [New York Times]

“Your #2 is my #1.” “No one deals with more crap than I do.” San Francisco mounts a city wide potty humor campaign to get residents to support infrastructural improvements to the sewer system [Atlantic Cities]

From holograms to Legos: Seven of the world’s most unusual alternative Christmas tree displays [Gizmodo]

Top photo by… yours truly! You can follow me on Instagram at @awalkerinLA and check out my holiday light series at #25daysofchristmaslights. Have a photo you’d like us to share? Tag it #gizmodocities and we’ll be in touch if we want to post. Have a wonderful and restful holiday in whatever city in which you find yourself.