Election 2024: Revisiting the Duck and the Decorated Shed
08.29.2024
How the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign frame the nation’s inherent tensions.
How the Statue of Liberty and the Hollywood Sign frame the nation’s inherent tensions.
Essays
How the Much-Maligned Porch Supports Walkable, Sustainable Communities
08.19.2024
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
Its aesthetic detractors don’t understand the porch’s ability to create community.
Warlords in Our Midst
08.14.2024
Why Elon Musk is worse than science fiction.
Why Elon Musk is worse than science fiction.
Consuming Provence: The Gentler Footprint of French Sprawl
08.12.2024
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
An expat goes shopping in the European burbs.
The Clever Trick for Living in 350 Square Feet
08.06.2024
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
The solution, surprisingly, lies beyond the walls of our home.
The Deceptive Grandeur of City Skylines
08.05.2024
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
Empty office towers are likely to remain that way for years.
Vivian Maier: Nanny With a Rolleiflex
07.31.2024
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
Fotografiska bids adieu to its current digs with a tribute to the great street photographer.
Buildings Are Not Sacred, but We Can Find Beauty Through Them
07.17.2024
There’s no design recipe for it.
There’s no design recipe for it.
The Next New Thing
07.03.2024
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
In architecture, the gulf between the traditional and the modern seems wider than ever before.
As Brooklyn Nets’ Value Booms, a Missed Opportunity With the Arena
06.25.2024
A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
A $688 million Koch family (!) investment shows the enormous upside for NBA team owners.
Designing for Disaster in an Increasingly Dangerous World
06.18.2024
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
What does it take to protect homes against tornados, hurricanes, flooding, fire, and erosion?
Social Radicalism Reexamined: The Legacies of Christopher Alexander and Joseph Rykwert
06.05.2024
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
What these foreign-born giants of design theory brought to two American universities.
It’s Time to Blur the Boundaries Between Town and Gown
06.04.2024
University campus planning should look outward to the surrounding city.
University campus planning should look outward to the surrounding city.
The Missing Flower Power in Walkability and Neighborhood Vitality
05.28.2024
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
There’s a surprisingly simple alternative to our hard, urban spaces.
Jane Jacobs, Cyclist
05.13.2024
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
We should have known the famed urbanist loved the bike.
O.J. and L.A.
04.29.2024
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
What the iconic car chase revealed about Southern California’s landscape.
The ‘Social Landscapes’ of Lee Friedlander
04.22.2024
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single image was always unique.
For six decades, the photographer’s ability to offer a complex narrative about America in a single image was always unique.
What Happened to New York City Public Housing, and How Can We Fix It?
04.04.2024
The former chief architect for NYCHA on what ails the the system.
The former chief architect for NYCHA on what ails the the system.
Is This Ugly or Heroic? An Eyesore or Gem? What Is ‘Ugly’?
03.27.2024
Truth is, aesthetic inclinations are an expanding multiverse.
Truth is, aesthetic inclinations are an expanding multiverse.
The Making of Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans
03.07.2024
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood development exclusively available to Black middle-class families.
How a pair of wealthy outsiders, Edith and Edgar Stern, helped inspire the first neighborhood development exclusively available to Black middle-class families.
Donate to CommonEdge.org, a Not-For-Profit website dedicated to reconnecting architecture and design to the public.
Donate