Urban Farming: A Sustainable Pathway Out of Nigeria’s Unfolding Food Crisis
07.24.2024
Havana, Tokyo, and Paris offer successful examples of how it might work.
Havana, Tokyo, and Paris offer successful examples of how it might work.
urban planning
Jane Jacobs Would Reject NYC’s Proposed “City of Yes”
07.22.2024
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
YIMBYS get a lot wrong about the legendary citizen planner.
Explaining NYC’s Arcane, and Possibly Unconstitutional, Planning and Approval Process
06.17.2024
It’s the “City of Yes”—even if you say “NO”!
It’s the “City of Yes”—even if you say “NO”!
Declaration of Independence From Sprawl
05.22.2024
Toward the New Urban Place and away from the Industrial Development Complex.
Toward the New Urban Place and away from the Industrial Development Complex.
A Model for a Healthier, Adaptive Approach to Community Development
01.17.2024
The Smiling Gecko project in Cambodia addresses a more complex and systemic view of community life.
The Smiling Gecko project in Cambodia addresses a more complex and systemic view of community life.
How Madagascar Is Confronting Climate Change
12.06.2023
The island nation is grappling with unique and formidable environmental challenges.
The island nation is grappling with unique and formidable environmental challenges.
San Francisco’s Long Love Affair With the Ferry Building
11.15.2023
John King, urban design critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, talks about his new book, Portal.
John King, urban design critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, talks about his new book, Portal.
Our Cities Aren’t Dead Yet!
10.24.2023
Forget the “doom loops,” there are plenty of indicators that urban centers are recovering.
Forget the “doom loops,” there are plenty of indicators that urban centers are recovering.
Why Cities Must Embrace Getting Smaller
10.17.2023
Urban researcher Alan Mallach on the global phenomenon of shrinking—and “thinning”—cities and countries.
Urban researcher Alan Mallach on the global phenomenon of shrinking—and “thinning”—cities and countries.
Does Brooklyn’s New Brooding Monolith Deserve Kudos?
10.02.2023
Closer in, SHoP’s Brooklyn Tower reveals texture, color, and personality, but for many it’s a bleak middle finger on the skyline.
Closer in, SHoP’s Brooklyn Tower reveals texture, color, and personality, but for many it’s a bleak middle finger on the skyline.
Fixing the Mess That Is Penn Station
09.05.2023
A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New York’s most conflicted transportation-entertainment site.
A talk with architecture critic Justin Davidson about the thorny knot of issues involved at New York’s most conflicted transportation-entertainment site.
Revisiting Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—a Telling Landscape
08.29.2023
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
The arena and plaza have become notably more commercialized since 2012, while the towers lag in affordability and represent a modular failure.
Letter From Ljubljana, Slovenia: The Human-Centered Urbanism of Jože Plečnik
07.11.2023
The architect created interventions small and large, all informed by his love of walking the city’s streets.
The architect created interventions small and large, all informed by his love of walking the city’s streets.
What’s the Point of Lower-Density Urbanism?
07.05.2023
We need new models for fixing existing sprawl and growing small towns.
We need new models for fixing existing sprawl and growing small towns.
Why Mass Transit in America Disappeared
05.22.2023
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight.
A talk with the author of The Great American Transit Disaster: A Century of Austerity, Auto-Centric Planning, and White Flight.
Buildings, Communities, Cities: Things Fall Apart
05.11.2023
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
If the detached house is “The American Dream,” do we need a new dream?
What Would Jane Jacobs Do? Toward a New Model for Houses of Worship
04.10.2023
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining churches.
Cities need to prepare for a wave of declining churches.
10 Ways to Make Struggling Downtowns Thrive
01.30.2023
Many of them are easy and low-cost.
Many of them are easy and low-cost.
How Atlantic Yards Failed to Deliver Affordable Homeownership (With a Hakeem Jeffries Cameo)
01.10.2023
A project that has “promised much and delivered little.”
A project that has “promised much and delivered little.”
Hobson’s Choice: Princeton University Forsakes Its Architectural Roots
12.13.2022
Caving to a wealthy donor, the school proposes an out of scale insertion into its historic core.
Caving to a wealthy donor, the school proposes an out of scale insertion into its historic core.
Donate to CommonEdge.org, a Not-For-Profit website dedicated to reconnecting architecture and design to the public.
Donate