Transportation engineer Henry Perahia discusses his 15 years as the DOT Chief Bridge Officer and sheds light on what it takes to design, construct, and maintain 789 City-owned bridges.

In an excerpt from the new book Public Housing Myths: Perception, Reality, and Social Policy, Nicholas Dagen Bloom challenges the assumption that high-rise public housing is fundamentally unmanageable by examining the history and vital importance of NYCHA’s dedicated maintenance staff.

Laura Hansen explains how the Neighborhood Plaza Partnership supports the local non-profits that operate the city’s newest plazas and asks how much we should, and can, rely on private support for maintaining our public realm.

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.

Presenting one of two runners-up in our Common Shares writing competition: Keith Engel gives voice to a man who takes it upon himself to enforce the rules governing the gray area between personal and collective responsibility.

David Bragdon outlines his vision for a public transit agency that meets 21st century needs for flexible, multi-modal, and on-demand mobility.

Presenting the winner of our Common Shares writing competition: Frederica Hill sifts through what her neighbors discard to find her own place in the city.

Henry Grabar joins subway historian Joseph Raskin on a tour of the G train, charting a history of proactive investment in infrastructure through the vestiges of uncompleted projects along its route.

Sarika Bansal investigates how local traditions of advocacy, a history of community tensions, and the chronic underfunding of public housing inform residents' opposition to a controversial new development proposal at Smith Houses.

Juliette Spertus discusses her exhibit - which combines infrastructure, New York history and alternative urban futures - about Roosevelt Island's trash collection system.