Facing both urgent land use challenges and growing skepticism of public processes, a new unit for community planning is finding creative ways to engage people in shaping their neighborhoods and the city as a whole.

A half-century of experiments in private sector solutions to urban problems has brought mixed results and exacerbated inequality. How did we get here?

The esthetics of the public sector workplace are mundane, comical, absurd, and constantly navigating the tensions of liberal democracy.

An ambitious new opera plumbs the humanity and contemporary relevance of two mythic figures of New York City: Jane Jacobs and Robert Moses.

A joyful, accessible swing set promises a high-flying experience for people of many abilities. Can it also clear the bureaucratic hurdles that hamper exciting inclusive designs?

At the annual Anti-Prom, queer and trans teens refashion the New York Public Library’s marble-lioned flagship into a kinder, gentler world.

Architectural adaptations create space for prayer for New York City's growing Muslim communities, transforming townhouses and apartments into more sacred precincts.

Recent books explore the potential in underused and overdetermined spaces, from mid-century American city centers and suburban shopping malls to the current glut of vacant retail storefronts and offices.

Banned from residences for more than half a century, lead paint still poisons thousands of children a year in New York City. Who is responsible for ensuring healthy homes for all?

Since 2009, New York City has been incentivizing private cleanup of contaminated sites. Who benefits?