diff --git a/configure b/configure
index afb94d479..6894a7b27 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -37,21 +37,23 @@ alias mason='~/.mason/mason'
 
 case $MASON_PLATFORM in
     'ios')
-        SQLITE_VERSION=system
-        LIBPNG_VERSION=1.6.13
-        LIBUV_VERSION=0.10.28
-        ZLIB_VERSION=system
-        BOOST_VERSION=system
-        ;;
+	SQLITE_VERSION=system
+	LIBPNG_VERSION=1.6.13
+	LIBUV_VERSION=0.10.28
+	ZLIB_VERSION=system
+	BOOST_VERSION=system
+	NUNICODE_VERSION=1.4
+	;;
     *)
-        GLFW_VERSION=a21f2377
-        SQLITE_VERSION=system
-        LIBPNG_VERSION=system
-        LIBCURL_VERSION=system
-        LIBUV_VERSION=0.10.28
-        ZLIB_VERSION=system
-        BOOST_VERSION=system
-        ;;
+	GLFW_VERSION=a21f2377
+	SQLITE_VERSION=system
+	LIBPNG_VERSION=system
+	LIBCURL_VERSION=system
+	LIBUV_VERSION=0.10.28
+	ZLIB_VERSION=system
+	BOOST_VERSION=system
+	NUNICODE_VERSION=1.4
+	;;
 esac
 
 function abort { >&2 echo -e "\033[1m\033[31m$1\033[0m"; exit 1; }
@@ -138,6 +140,14 @@ if [ ! -z ${ZLIB_VERSION} ]; then
     CONFIG+="    'zlib_ldflags': $(quote_flags $(mason ldflags zlib ${ZLIB_VERSION})),"$LN
 fi
 
+if [ ! -z ${NUNICODE_VERSION} ]; then
+    mason install nunicode ${NUNICODE_VERSION}
+    CONFIG+="    'nu_static_libs': $(quote_flags $(mason static_libs nunicode ${NUNICODE_VERSION})),"$LN
+    CONFIG+="    'nu_cflags': $(quote_flags $(mason cflags nunicode ${NUNICODE_VERSION})),"$LN
+    CONFIG+="    'nu_ldflags': $(quote_flags $(mason ldflags nunicode ${NUNICODE_VERSION})),"$LN
+fi
+
+
 CONFIG+="  }
 }
 "
diff --git a/gyp/mbgl-linux.gypi b/gyp/mbgl-linux.gypi
index 337e98039..9f01ba3bb 100644
--- a/gyp/mbgl-linux.gypi
+++ b/gyp/mbgl-linux.gypi
@@ -9,13 +9,16 @@
         'cflags_cc': [
           '<@(uv_cflags)',
           '<@(curl_cflags)',
+          '<@(nu_cflags)',
         ],
         'cflags': [
           '<@(uv_cflags)',
+          '<@(nu_cflags)',
         ],
         'ldflags': [
           '<@(uv_ldflags)',
           '<@(curl_ldflags)',
+          '<@(nu_ldflags)',
         ],
       },
       'sources': [
diff --git a/platform/default/string_stdlib.cpp b/platform/default/string_stdlib.cpp
index 1acbfa850..d2c02e288 100644
--- a/platform/default/string_stdlib.cpp
+++ b/platform/default/string_stdlib.cpp
@@ -1,24 +1,51 @@
 #include <mbgl/platform/platform.hpp>
-
-#include <locale>
+#include <mbgl/util/utf.hpp>
+#define NU_WITH_TOUPPER
+#define NU_WITH_TOLOWER
+#define NU_WITH_UTF8_WRITER
+#include <libnu/libnu.h>
 
 namespace mbgl {
 namespace platform {
 
-std::string uppercase(const std::string& string) {
-    // TODO: Use a proper Unicode Special Casing-aware algorithm.
-    const auto &convert = std::use_facet<std::ctype<char>>(std::locale());
-    std::string converted = string;
-    convert.toupper(&converted[0], &converted[0] + converted.size());
-    return converted;
+std::string uppercase(const std::string& str)
+{
+    boost::u8_to_u32_iterator<std::string::const_iterator> itr(str.begin());
+    boost::u8_to_u32_iterator<std::string::const_iterator> end(str.end());
+    std::string output;
+    char buf[4];
+    for (; itr!=end; ++itr)
+    {
+        char const* up = nu_toupper(*itr);
+        if (up != 0) output.append(up);
+        else
+        {
+            std::memset(buf, 0, 4);
+            nu_utf8_write(*itr, buf);
+            output.append(buf);
+        }
+    }
+    return output;
 }
 
-std::string lowercase(const std::string& string) {
-    // TODO: Use a proper Unicode Special Casing-aware algorithm.
-    const auto &convert = std::use_facet<std::ctype<char>>(std::locale());
-    std::string converted = string;
-    convert.tolower(&converted[0], &converted[0] + converted.size());
-    return converted;
+std::string lowercase(const std::string& str)
+{
+    boost::u8_to_u32_iterator<std::string::const_iterator> itr(str.begin());
+    boost::u8_to_u32_iterator<std::string::const_iterator> end(str.end());
+    std::string output;
+    char buf[4];
+    for (; itr!=end; ++itr)
+    {
+        char const* up = nu_tolower(*itr);
+        if (up != 0) output.append(up);
+        else
+        {
+            std::memset(buf, 0, 4);
+            nu_utf8_write(*itr, buf);
+            output.append(buf);
+        }
+    }
+    return output;
 }
 
 }