The Imaginary AppleA museum exhibition shows off the New York City that designers dreamed up, but which never actually got built.
The Lessons of Marco IslandForty years ago, a battle over this beachfront community changed the way Florida builds. After Irma, could it happen again?
Your Misery at the Airport Is Great for BusinessRetail in terminals is booming. How else would we soothe our anxiety?
Please Step Aside, SirMy medical devices help keep me alive—and subject me to uncomfortable scrutiny every time I pass through airport security.
How Can You Stop Cars From Plowing Into Crowds?The sturdy posts called “bollards” are our best defense against the use of vehicles as weapons. They’re also the rare anti-terrorism policy that makes cities more pleasant.
The Red Cross Won’t Save HoustonIt has proven itself unequal to the task of massive disaster relief. We need a new kind of humanitarian response.
Eclipse Chasers Are Descending on OregonSmall towns have spent months figuring out how to handle a million extra people—and procure enough toilets.
“Run Them Down”Driving into crowds of protesters was a right-wing fantasy long before the violence in Charlottesville.
A Bargain at $5.3 BillionLos Angeles’ plan for an Olympics on the (relatively) cheap should change the games forever.
The Invisible Segregation of Diverse NeighborhoodsEven in remarkably integrated towns, like mine, true equality remains elusive.
Downtown Homeless Shelters Are DisappearingCities are getting pricier. Federal funding is getting scarcer. And Americans who need emergency shelter are suffering the consequences.
Puerto Rico’s Best Hope for Keeping the Lights OnThe indebted island was already eager to hand its electric utility to private owners. Hurricane Maria just made it much more likely.
Your City Will Lose the Contest for Amazon’s New HQNo town truly fulfills the company’s demanding wish list.
How We Ruined Airline JobsWorking in aviation has lost its glamor. It happened because the law gave carriers every advantage over their workforces—and because we demanded lower airfare.
Flying While Brown Is Getting More TraumaticThe screenings that are often forced on travelers send a clearer and clearer message: Go away.
Don’t Blame Houston’s Lax Zoning for Harvey’s DestructionCities with stringent zoning would have been just as vulnerable to the flood.
Why It’s Misleading to Say That Houston Showcases “America at Its Best”Natural disasters shouldn’t be used for the purpose of national mythmaking.
Why Detroit EruptedAnd what Kathryn Bigelow’s movie about 1967 gets right and wrong about its complicated history of civic abuse and unrest.
Is Techno Tourism What Detroit Needs?The Motor City is asking whether its history of electronic music can boost its fortunes. It should also ask what techno can do for Detroiters today.
What a Bar With Decorative Bullet Holes Really MeansIt’s shameful—and part of a broader gentrifying instinct to mine the past for authenticity.
San Francisco’s Civil WarYIMBYs! Socialists! The only thing the Bay Area’s tenant activists hate more than high rent is each other.