Opinion
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Did New York City just give up on public transit?
The city’s battered subway system deserves a more equitable vision for its future.
Coronavirus is not fuel for urbanist fantasies
Instead of using the crisis to deploy quick fixes, this moment should be about focusing on why cities are broken.
Slow streets are the path to a better city
Overnight, slow streets transformed our neighborhood. Everyone should have access to the same opportunity.
Don’t blame dense cities for the spread of coronavirus
The pandemic has challenged my urbanist beliefs, but buildings aren’t responsible for human problems.
Coronavirus stimulus: Where’s the New Deal for a post-pandemic America?
With 22 million-plus out of work, we need jobs and public-works vision for the future.
Why I didn’t wait for my city to order me to stay home
Coronavirus is a global pandemic, but our choices today will help our neighborhoods tomorrow.
In a disaster that calls for isolation, your community will help you survive
Preparing for coronavirus at home isn’t about shutting yourself in—it’s about reaching out.
Safe streets are the best tool we have to combat climate change
Driving short trips because walking and biking doesn’t feel safe is one reason transportation emissions keep going up.
The case for keeping things
We live in a throwaway society, but our objects deserve better.
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Make the Oscars street closures permanent
Oscar Sunday is the best example of how residents already adjust to car-free Hollywood Boulevard.
The real reason California’s upzoning bill failed
SB 50 was opposed by wealthy homeowners—but that’s only part of the story.
Design competitions won’t solve your city’s problems
Contests to fix everyday urban issues create spectacles instead of solutions.
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7 Los Angeles streets that should go car-free
If San Francisco can do Market Street—why can’t Los Angeles do Hollywood Boulevard?
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If you have a home, sign up for the homeless count
It’s always important to gather accurate data for LA’s homeless count—but this is the year that our unhoused neighbors need us most.
What the housing debate misses when all the candidates onstage are white
In this country, race still influences where and how you live. The Democratic debate lost the voices that can explain why.
Where’s Joe Biden’s housing plan?
In a dwindling field, Biden is the only Democratic presidential contender without a housing platform.
Will Elon Musk’s Boring Tunnel Really Be Public Transit?
The "people mover" being built in Vegas appears to be more of a mechanism for giving one-minute test rides in Teslas.
Should we still be building single-family homes?
Single-family homes are partly to blame for our housing mess, but they can also be a tool to solve our problems.
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A decade of regret in Chicago
How the loss of historic churches, affordable housing, and 50 public schools changed the city.
These mayors pledged to reduce emissions. Why are they widening highways?
Some Climate Mayors make big promises on the international stage, but expand fossil-fuel infrastructure at home.
Want to get people to fly less? Stop funding billion-dollar airport expansions.
Flight shaming should be directed at officials building fossil-fuel infrastructure, not passengers.
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The real answer is ‘maybe’
Why "YIMBY" vs. "NIMBY" is no way to think about the most complex human creation: the contemporary city
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It’s time to end NYC’s free parking giveaway
Eliminating free street parking is good for the environment, and good for the city, argues 2nd Ave. Sagas’ Benjamin Kabak
Why street vendors make cities feel safer
Vendors not only activate public space—they do so in places chronically ignored by city planners.
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The real problem with LAX-it? The airport is still too reliant on cars.
Long waits will only get shorter when the airport truly prioritizes shared transportation options.
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Corey Johnson’s streets master plan is a great first step for a more livable NYC
But meaningful action on the streets will depend upon the next mayor
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Brooklyn gained a Wegmans, but lost the 19th-century mansions of Admiral’s Row
For many Brooklynites, the destruction of Admiral’s Row and its extensive woodlands represents a tragic loss
Don’t Lecture California About Fires. Look at the State’s Climate Action.
The state has worked for 40 years to successfully reduce emissions—but that never gets mentioned when hillsides burn.
Every bus in this country deserves its own lane
Freeing our buses could fix a lot of our problems.
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A Q&A on preservation with Docomomo’s Dan Macey
Macey tells us why we should preserve modern structures, and how to get involved.
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It’s time to ban cars from Manhattan
If we want to alleviate NYC’s traffic woes, we need to start with Manhattan; and instead of small steps we need to take one big leap: ban cars.
A green new home
A Green New Deal would touch our lives at every level, including at home.
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Want to support climate action? Stop driving so much, LA
We need to spend 12 percent less time in our cars—about two car-free trips per week—and probably much more.
Architectural criticism has a problem but it’s not press trips
The issue isn’t flights and hotels—it’s about who grants and gets access.
Mayors are fighting the EPA’s emissions rollback. What cities need are fewer cars.
City leaders will make a bigger climate impact by helping people avoid driving in the first place.
Delivery trucks are hurting cities. Can making them smaller help?
A chilling Amazon investigation shows the importance of "rightsizing" vehicles on city streets.
Mass shootings, school design, and the architecture of resignation
"Hardening" schools exacts a financial and psychological toll on students.
Hey Elizabeth Warren, lightbulbs do matter
The candidate downplayed energy-efficient lightbulbs during this week’s climate town hall, but switching to LEDs has indeed helped reduce U.S. household energy demand.
Only one candidate is talking seriously about transportation. Everyone should be
It’s not just our fossil fuel dependence that needs to be addressed, it’s our car dependence.