Here’s a map of the United States if each state had the same population (about 5.5 million apiece). According to this, I’ve lived in the states of Green Bay, Erie, New York, and Willamette. Here’s why this map is an improvement over current state boundaries:

• Ends overrepresentation of rural areas and underrepresention of cities in presidental voting.
• Ends the imbalance of federal funding in favor of small states.
• Preserves the historical structure of the electoral college and the United States unique federal system, balancing power between levels of government.
• States could be redistricted after each census - just like house seats are distributed now.

“The Berg” is a proposed artificial mountain to replace an airport in Berlin, Germany. The mountain would be 1000 meters (!) high and serve as wildlife habitat and recreation space for nearby residents. This thing has some measure of local support, and I could see how it would be a tourist destination. I get the sense that this kind of thing could only work once before completely becoming a gimmick (and I think this is pretty gimmicky already).

Found via ArchDaily and photo © The Berg.