Vito Battista’s journey from public architecture to right-wing politics is an echo of New York’s own cyclical, reactionary tides — and a reminder of how closely the city's politics are tied to the fate of its urban fabric.

When it comes to providing safe and affordable housing, why does the public sector receive so little funding and so much scrutiny, while the private sector gets ample incentives with minimal accountability?

This building is fast.

In Western Queens, activists see a waterfront warehouse as an opportunity to broaden the horizons of a community's control over its own future.

In Berlin’s city center, an activist-led redevelopment scheme is setting a bold example for rescuing financially valuable public land from privatization and gentrification.

Removing a vault can cost up to $150,000.

The balance between New York City's public and private pools has shifted dramatically in recent decades. Why has so much city swimming retreated into towers or behind fences?

An artist stalks the storefront ruins of Lower Manhattan, documenting the material traces of real estate's perpetual churn.

From face masks to diaries, institutions are collecting artifacts from daily life under COVID-19. One itinerant museum has preserved letters from landlords to tenants for posterity.