One particular fitness app had a weird year. But it's also changing our neighborhoods — for the better. Plus:

• The best North American Chinatowns: Get your fill of Peking duck and dumplings in these thriving neighborhoods.
• From HoopsHQ: Seth Davis' rankings for Week Five. Seven new teams jump in, led by Clemson and UCLA.

How Strava Metro Became the Secret Weapon of City Planners

As you may or may not know, Strava is in hot water these days for privacy concerns. Leaked data from exercising bodyguards revealed the movements of high-security personnel and world leaders, including Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. User negligence is to blame here, but try telling that to the #MyDataNotStravas people.

As Strava tightens up its API restrictions headed in to 2025, and hopes its latest Year in Sport Report (TL;DR: huge year for run clubs) cultivates general goodwill, we thought it was a unique time to highlight something Strava is actually doing right.

Strava Metro is a program dedicated to leveraging the company's enormous dataset for good. For over 10 years now, transportation departments, park services and advocacy groups have used Strava's facts and figures to make meaningful changes for commuters and recreationalists. If you build it, they will bike, basically. This story charts the history of the project, explores the ethics of data collection and highlights case studies throughout the world, from London to Los Angeles.

The 10 Best Chinatowns to Visit in North America

Chinatowns have been part of major North American cities since the first ones were established in the Bay Area around 1850. While Chinese neighborhoods in Boston, San Francisco and Toronto remain major tourist attractions, other cities like Houston; Brooklyn, New York; and Richmond, British Columbia have Chinatowns that remain more off the beaten path, even though they’ve eclipsed their more well-known counterparts in size and variety. Chinatowns are no longer just places to get late-morning dim sum and soup dumplings around the clock. Whether you’re looking for regional Chinese classics or award-winning Vietnamese food, here are 10 Chinatowns you need to visit in North America.

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