Source:   Economist Cities Guide:  "Bunker bubble?:  In May the Bank of Japan reported that the total value of all Japanese land inched up by 1.4% in 2005", the "first such national increase in 15 years".  ...  Judge dread:  A sweeping reorganisation of Japan's creaking judicial system has hit a potentially troublesome obstacle: a national reluctance to judge.  ...  Blessed are the matchmakers:  Sweating over the steep decline in Japanese birthrates, particularly in Tokyo, the government has devised a scheme to revitalise the image of Japan's 4,000 matchmakers.  ...  Charity begins on the street:  Dispensing everything from strawberry gateaux to rare stag beetles, vending machines have peppered Japan's streets for decades."

Source:   Economist Cities Guide:  "Thinking big:  As part of a campaign to commemorate German inventions in time for Germany’s hosting of the football World Cup this summer, six giant fibreglass sculptures are being erected in Berlin’s city centre.  ...  Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome!:  Also in time for this summer’s World Cup, tourist guides can now be found on the western Berlin shopping boulevard, Kurfürstendamm."

Source:   Economist Cities Guide:  "Still sinking:  Tales of woe among Dubai’s stockmarket traders spread further as share prices continued to fall in early May.  ...  Access denied:  Dubai’s effort to become a business hub has been accompanied by a push to raise corporate-governance standards.  ...  A violent spring:  Dubai’s reputation for safety has been rocked by a series of violent crimes this spring."

Source:   Economist Cities Guide:  "Failure to launch:  An effort to sell a 33% stake in SEA Milan SpA, a city-owned company that runs the Linate and Malpensa airports, has stalled on the auction block.  ...  Eating out:  A growing number of Milanese are doffing their aprons and buying ready-made meals and take-out food, in a boon for local businesses. ...  Hangman:  Franco De Benedetto, a construction worker who climbed a tree to “liberate” dummy children installed by Maurizio Cattelan, an artist, was sentenced on April 6th to two months in prison for his crime against art.  -  Open water:  After almost 90 years of being closed to the public, two sections of the city’s canals have been reopened for pleasure cruises."

Source:   Economist Cities Guide:  -  "Closed for business:  The public schools in Washington, DC, have long been beleaguered; now the District’s superintendent, Clifford Janey, is expected to announce plans to close or merge 30 of them. ...  Testing ground:  Meanwhile the District is struggling to meet standards set by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the White House’s flagship education reform passed in 2001.  -  Waffling:  A plan to build an expensive new city hospital may have the mayor’s support, or it may not.  ..  Court battle:  Since the attacks of September 11th, the city has seen tension between officials, who are trying to protect federal buildings, and residents, who are concerned with their own safety.  ...  On track:  Plans are slowly moving ahead to extend the Metro to the region’s two international airports."

Source:  Economist Cities Guide:  --  “Fakers beware:  In June Shanghai’s government will open one of China’s first centres for dealing with complaints about counterfeits.  …  The price of free expression:  Two Shanghainese entrepreneurs are offering themselves as verbal and physical punch-bags to frustrated office workers.”

Source:   Economist Cities Guide  --  "Finally:  After 4½ years of fighting over the World Trade Centre site, government officials and the site’s leaseholder have finally struck a deal.  ...  Play ball:  The New York City Council has approved a financing deal worth nearly $2 billion to help the city's two professional baseball teams build new stadiums.  ...  Not so united:  The United Nations will begin a seven-year renovation of its New York headquarters next year.  ...  Happy Birthday:  The Empire State Building kicked off a yearlong celebration of its 75th birthday on May 1st."

Source:  Economist Cities Guide:  --  "Fresh air:  Mumbai's airport, India's busiest, is set to start a new life under private management, but a key aspect of the scheme involves displacing 80,000 slum-dwellers to make room for the expansion.  ...   An open-and-shut case:  Cheering the city's movers and shakers, the Mumbai High Court lifted the Maharashtra state government's ban on dance bars in April.  ...   Car wars:  The state's plan to modernise Mumbai's taxis is worrying cabbies. ...  Thinking small:  Thanks to a boom in urban multiplex cinemas, the economics of Bollywood filmmaking is changing."

Source:  The Guardian:  For almost 30 years a million litres a day of Bath's hot, mineral-rich spring water has poured unused into the river Avon, but visitors will be able to enjoy these waters again in a few weeks.  Read more…