What Foreign Architects Get Wrong in the Global South
07.08.2026
Vanity projects, corruption, and cultural blind spots are undermining communities.
Vanity projects, corruption, and cultural blind spots are undermining communities.
Equity
Can the NYC Economic Development Corporation Deliver Economic Justice?
07.06.2026
Mayor Mamdani must appoint members to this organization that are aligned with his larger agenda.
Mayor Mamdani must appoint members to this organization that are aligned with his larger agenda.
The Seeds of Our Housing Crisis Were Planted in the Reagan Era
06.15.2026
Corruption in Washington and on Wall Street helped create the problem. Architects are still feeling the pain.
Corruption in Washington and on Wall Street helped create the problem. Architects are still feeling the pain.
Build Neighborhoods Around People Instead of Cars
06.09.2026
The cost of the auto-centric suburb: the address may be real, but the community isn’t.
The cost of the auto-centric suburb: the address may be real, but the community isn’t.
Back to Earth: The Case for Lowering Speculative Land Values
05.26.2026
The question isn’t whether speculative pricing should be siphoned away, but whether it will happen through policy or crisis.
The question isn’t whether speculative pricing should be siphoned away, but whether it will happen through policy or crisis.
How U.S. Cities Lost the Economic Development Plot
04.28.2026
Can Mayor Mamdani forge a new path forward for New York City and the nation?
Can Mayor Mamdani forge a new path forward for New York City and the nation?
With Federal Dollars, Sunnyside Yards Might Just Happen This Time
04.08.2026
Using mass timber would reduce the project’s carbon footprint and keep structural costs down.
Using mass timber would reduce the project’s carbon footprint and keep structural costs down.
Learning to Reject the Transactional City
03.25.2026
As a Mexican American interested in the relational nature of cities, the author was fortunate to attend MIT when vestiges of radical planning still lingered.
As a Mexican American interested in the relational nature of cities, the author was fortunate to attend MIT when vestiges of radical planning still lingered.
Driving Toward Bankruptcy? L.A. Is Almost There
01.21.2026
We should be designing Los Angeles for 2075, not 1975.
We should be designing Los Angeles for 2075, not 1975.
The Coming Redesign of Ruben Salazar Park
01.13.2026
Los Angeles should use this opportunity to capture the many Chicano memories and stories of August 29, 1970.
Los Angeles should use this opportunity to capture the many Chicano memories and stories of August 29, 1970.
No More Atlantic Yards!
12.02.2025
Can Mayor Mamdani embrace “social value” in New York City real estate?
Can Mayor Mamdani embrace “social value” in New York City real estate?
Letter From Los Angeles: ICE Raids and Fear Cloud Rebuilding Efforts
08.20.2025
The Trump administration’s actions are slowing, and possibly undoing, progress toward repairing scorched communities.
The Trump administration’s actions are slowing, and possibly undoing, progress toward repairing scorched communities.
Eric Adams’ War on New York City Street Vendors
08.11.2025
A longstanding element of the city’s retail is shut out again as the mayor rejects a key reform.
A longstanding element of the city’s retail is shut out again as the mayor rejects a key reform.
Dateline January 2026: Mayor Mamdani Unveils His Affordable Housing Plan!
07.21.2025
The new mayor creates the Affordable Housing Authority, bringing the power of government to bear on a problem that the private sector has failed to solve.
The new mayor creates the Affordable Housing Authority, bringing the power of government to bear on a problem that the private sector has failed to solve.
The Irony of Nigeria’s Resilient Democracy and Growing Legacy of Urban Tyranny
07.02.2025
Planning policies reflect a deep disdain for the poor, prioritizing elite aesthetics over social equity.
Planning policies reflect a deep disdain for the poor, prioritizing elite aesthetics over social equity.
Letter From Los Angeles: The Unsettling Silence of Construction Sites
06.16.2025
What happens when the people who will rebuild burned-out L.A. are afraid to come to work?
What happens when the people who will rebuild burned-out L.A. are afraid to come to work?
New York City Is Losing Affordable Housing at an Alarming Rate
02.20.2025
The problem is that City of Yes was an open call to build with no requirements that lost affordable units be replaced.
The problem is that City of Yes was an open call to build with no requirements that lost affordable units be replaced.
NYC Finally Has Congestion Pricing—Now, the Free Parking Must Go
01.07.2025
Giving away public space for automobiles makes little sense.
Giving away public space for automobiles makes little sense.
Will Mayor Eric Adams’ “City of Yes” Be a City for All?
12.16.2024
New York’s massive zoning overhaul has passed. What now?
New York’s massive zoning overhaul has passed. What now?
To Fund Housing, New York State Should Reinstate the Stock Transfer Tax
11.20.2024
Doing so would raise $14 billion annually for the city.
Doing so would raise $14 billion annually for the city.
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