Making Sense of Model Cities

Historians of and planners from the era of Model Cities give their take on the lessons and legacies of this often-overlooked program.

Model Cities Redux

As the city makes moves to improve housing in Mott Haven, Susanne Schindler finds that current approaches bear a strong resemblance to long-forgotten efforts there.

Typecast: Row House

The Row House on Rising Waters

For our Typecast series, Henry Grabar visits Canarsie, where long rows of attached brick houses defy traditional flood-proofing elevation. Could rising flood insurance premiums pose a greater immediate threat to homeowners than rising sea levels?

Building Back the Bungalow

After Superstorm Sandy, a historic housing style is on the brink of extinction on Staten Island's East Shore. A. F. Brady explores what stands to be lost, and gained, in government efforts to rebuild the area after the storm.

Profiles in Public Service

The Immigrant Metropolis: An Interview with Nisha Agarwal

In the latest installment of our Profiles in Public Service series, Nisha Agarwal, commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, talks to Urban Omnibus about fraud in the housing market and confidence in librarians.

The Quest for Community-Run Commercial Space

The Real Estate Investment Cooperative wants to support community-oriented commercial development in New York City. How can a grassroots organization compete in the nation's most expensive commercial real estate market?

When John Lindsay Gave New York to the World

How Mayor John Lindsay turned the city into a set, and a set piece.

Why Hasn't Anyone Built on Newark's $1,000 Love Lots?

Ninety-eight couples bought vacant lots at Newark's Valentine's Day sale in 2015 — a year later, they're still empty.

The Journey from Death to Hart Island

John Surico traces the processes and policies that bring bodies to rest in New York City's potter's field and reports on the ongoing debate around how this necessary but controversial burial ground is managed.