Urban journalism dealt another blow as Guardian Cities ends its six-year run

City-focused reporting has suffered another setback this week as news that the Guardian Cities initiative at The Guardian will be shuttering has been made public. 

In a farewell letter published in The Guardian, Guardian Cities editor Chris Michaels writes, "Since its founding six years ago, Guardian Cities has grown from a small experiment into a huge community," adding, "We have tried to shape how the world understands urbanisation: namely, as one of the truly transformative global phenomena of the 21st century." Regarding the end of the vertical's run as a leading source of global urbanism in-depth reporting, Michaels added, "Now, however, it’s time for a change. After many years of renewed generosity from the Rockefeller Foundation, whose arms-length support meant that we retained full editorial independence in every way, Cities is closing its doors."

No specific reason was given for the end of the initiative, though online commentators were quick to point out that the end of Gu...