[URBAN NOTE] Five links about cities: renters' unions, maglev, birds, environment, loneliness

[rfmcdonald]

• Philip Jones at Open Democracy makes a case for renters' unions in the United Kingdom, here.


• Guardian Cities considers the potential for maglev trains in world cities.


• Birds in urban habitats engage in intense competition over food and territory, the National Post reports.


• JSTOR Daily contrasts and compares the heavy urban footprint of Dubai versus the light one of Manhattan. What did planners do differently in the two metropolises?


• Ankita Rao at VICE looks at how cities have been designed in ways that encourage loneliness, and at how some city planners are trying to overcome this.