How the Super Bowl failed its transit-riding attendees, an L.A. museum that collects houses, and why Monarch butterflies are dying (spoiler: because of us). Plus a McDonald's in Queens, Millennials in St. Louis, and biking in Las Vegas. It's time for your weekly Urban Reads.
- What was promoted as the "Mass Transit Super Bowl" was a nightmare for fans. NJ Transit only expected between 12,000 and 15,000 fans to take the train to the stadium. At the last minute they changed their estimate to the more realistic 27,000. "But by that time, though, it was too late. Commuters on the way to the game described the transit as 'worse than a sauna' and 'an epic fail'" [Gawker]
- Fantasy transit maps from almost every major public transportation city, and why it's important to dream about the transit systems we want [Wired]
- How a quirky museum in Los Angeles "collects" Victorian houses by moving them on-site to create a fake neighborhood of historic homes [Curbed LA]
- Populations of Monarch butterflies have dropped to their lowest levels in history, and it's pretty much all our fault [The Guardian]
- Michael Kimmelman visits a McDonald's in Queens that's become famous as a social center for elderly Koreans and sees how architecture can foster accessibility, convenience, and independence [New York Times]
- Road diet porn! 25 before-and-after images of New York City streets transformed with bike lanes, better landscaping, new sidewalks and reduced car traffic [Architect's Newspaper]
- Millennials are moving to St. Louis at an unprecedented rate and contributing to the revitalization of the city [nextSTL]
- How LED streetlights will change the look of films shot in our cities (and also make everything look better in general) [Gizmodo]
- A German technology reporter went to Las Vegas for CES and tried to rent a bike to get around. Absurdity ensues [The Old New Thing]
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Opening image courtesy Tina Roth Eisenberg—who you should be following on Instagram. Got an Instagram of your own you'd like us to use in our next link round-up? Tag it #gizmodocities and we'll be in touch if we want to post.