Each year, as many as one billion birds die in the United States alone after colliding with glass — many drawn off course by the artificial glow of cities. From Chicago to New York to Houston, brightly-lit skylines disorient migratory birds, pulling them into urban landscapes where reflective windows often turn into fatal obstacles. 

Birds experts Andrew Farnsworth and Julia Wang from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Lights Out Program — a national initiative to reduce light pollution and urban bird mortality — explore how cities are tackling this crisis, showcasing the policies and interventions making a difference.

Cities are built from thousands of tons of steel, concrete, glass, and wood. We tend to think of buildings as permanent fixtures of the urban landscape — but they don’t last forever. When buildings reach their end of their use, they’re often demolished, dismantled, or left to decay.

But what happens to all that material? Where does it go, and could it be used again?

In Ithaca, New York, a major redevelopment project is bringing these questions to the forefront. As older structures make way for new construction, Cornell Architecture Professor Felix Heisel and Finger Lakes Reuse Deconstruction Coordinator Andrew Boghossian explore the growing movement of deconstruction and discuss how cities like Ithaca can rethink their approach to buildings at the end of their lifespan.

Traffic congestion is more than just a daily frustration — it shapes economies, impacts public health, and defines the way cities function. As urban centers continue to grow, policymakers are grappling with how to manage ever-increasing gridlock. 

In this episode, we examine the challenges of urban traffic and explore congestion pricing as a potential solution. Associate Professor Nicolas Klein of Cornell’s City and Regional Planning Department discusses the economic and behavioral factors behind congestion, while Anshul Mishra, a senior urban planner in Chennai, India provides insight into how one of India’s largest cities is addressing its mobility crisis.

Do you feel more alive when you're in a city? Cities are vibrant centers of creativity, innovation, diversity, and opportunity. But they are also where some of humanity's most "wicked" and entrenched problems are experienced. Our collective future is urban: The Good City explores actions we can take across scales, from the individual to the collective, to create the cities we all want and need.