The Tragic Poetry of Building Codes

Stephen Rustow outlines the powerful, intertwined influence of zoning, finance, and building codes on urban form through their discrete histories, objectives, and languages.

The Privatization of Prospect

In his inaugural column for Urban Omnibus, Stephen Rustow reflects on the relationship between individual pieces of architecture and our collective perception of urban landscapes in light of waning public access to the city's iconic heights, its skyscrapers.

Typecast: Towers in the Park

Innovation and Neglect: Sea Rise and Sea Park East

In our final Typecast installment exploring towers-in-the-park, Maura Ewing chronicles the lives of two Coney Island housing developments and exposes the political context that undergirds their architectural innovation, construction shortcomings, and the deferred maintenance that threatens their viability as affordable housing assets.

Profiles in Public Service

Schools of Architecture

Bruce Barrett, the chief architect at New York City's School Construction Authority, explains how design processes and education policy feed into the creation and maintenance of inspiring spaces for learning.

Carnegie's Gift: The Progressive Era Roots of Today's Branch Library

Yael Friedman explores the social, philosophical, and architectural context of Andrew Carnegie's 1901 philanthropic gift to create neighborhood libraries across New York City.

Black Radical Weeksville

Jonathan Tarleton explores how the Weeksville Heritage Center is leveraging Crown Heights’ and Bed-Stuy’s storied pasts, local assets, and arts and culture to catalyze a community in the midst of shifting neighborhood dynamics.

Architecture vs. Housing: The Case of Sugar Hill

Susanne Schindler's in-depth analysis of Sugar Hill, an iconic new housing and cultural complex in Harlem, suggests new ways to broaden limited ideas about what architecture can contribute to housing for low-income residents.