| In Tokyo, elderly residents take night shifts to guard a row of some 30 ginkgo trees slated to be cut down for wider sidewalks and a new bike lane in the Chiyoda ward. They’re one of several groups of activists across the Japanese capital fighting to stop trees from being felled or relocated for urban development projects, including skyscrapers and a proposed baseball stadium in the heart of the city. Trees are increasingly becoming a flashpoint in Tokyo, as another scorching summer puts the role of greenery in mitigating heat on citizens’ minds, Mia Glass reports. Today on CityLab: Tokyo’s Scorching Summers Focus Public Anger Against Tree Cutting — Linda Poon When the School Bus Doesn’t Come
The school commute is turning into a nightmare for many families, as cities across the US grapple with a severe driver shortage. Tisch Tapped to Run NYPD Amid Federal Probe, Wave of Departures
NYC Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch would be the second woman to lead the police department in its 180-year history. How a Washington, DC, Suburb Became the Safest Place in America
Across the Potomac from the capital is a county of high-rise apartment buildings and extremely low traffic-fatality and homicide rates. | 
