Trump megalomania manifests itself in architecture as he vandalizes the White House, threatens to gut the Kennedy Center, demands a triumphal arch, and extorting Congress to rename Penn Station and Dulles airport after him. Architects: Resist, don't collude. james560.substack.com/p/trumps-sla...

After throwing off monarchy we see the White House turning into a palace--suited to mega-shakedowns of those seeking government favors--but also as creating the reality of a new authoritarian state. james560.substack.com/p/trumps-sla...

The Trump Administration is inducing global conflicts over resources as it grabs Venezuela’s oil infrastructure pursuant to its embrace of empire as well as a catastrophic fossil-fuel future. Why aren’t we talking more about reducing DEMAND for energy? james560.substack.com/p/energys-fo...

A new era of global strife over oil? Boring old efficiency undercuts this madness as it saves the planet. james560.substack.com/p/energys-fo...

The Studio Museum in Harlem, which has incubated most of the great Black visual artists working today now has the extraordinary new home it deserves. Unfortunately its architect has been cancelled. james560.substack.com/p/two-archit...

Princeton University's new art museum, designed by David Adjaye, offers intensely tactile experiences entirely in synch with a highly eclectic collection. Worth a detour! open.substack.com/pub/james560...

in the Civil Rights era Harlem grew an art museum that's nurtured some of the biggest names in art. Now it has the new home it has long deserved thanks to architect David Adjaye. james560.substack.com/p/two-archit...

They had to build a new seawall, a new highway tunnel and take down and elevated highway--then they could build Seattle's transformative Waterfront Park. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Food banks are fonts of ingenuity and adaptability; the link gives a peek at how architecture helped two of these great nonprofits do their jobs Better. The cutoff of SNAP benefits places new strains. Don't forget them! james560.substack.com/p/designing-...

Steven Blier brings the alchemical artistic process of singing to witty and insightful life in his memoir “From Ear to Ear: A pianist's life in Song.” Stories of the brightest stars in music, mentoring young singers, adapting to decline imposed by muscular dystrophy. wwnorton.com/books/978132...

It looks like a Federal judge has forced the Trump administration to retain SNAP funding, but don't forget food banks--a vital resource! An architecture writer, I love writing about great organizations made even more effective by architecture. james560.substack.com/p/designing-...

My profile of architects uniquely tuned to landscape and place. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/18/a...

Aristo palace or casino blackjack tables: james560.substack.com/p/ready-for-...

The apocalyptic rhetoric on crime in cities damages their economies and denigrates good people. Cities have been the anti-crime innovators and have nothing to apologize for. james560.substack.com/p/troops-wre...

A small architecture firm persisted with FEMA over years, I wrote in the New York Times. The factory-built houses they designed for survivors of Lahaina wildfire could be a post-disaster game changer but the program has no clear future. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/a...

After natural disasters, FEMA is supposed to provide housing for up to 18 months. If replacement housing is approved, HUD is supposed to build it, but that takes years. Here's housing that fills the gap for wildfire victims in Hawaii. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/a...

Most people missed coverage of the massive tax and spend bill Congress just passed. A few outcomes: more expensive housing, more dependence on dirty fuels, less education opportunity, and aspiration-killing rules. Pls have a look at my Substack column. james560.substack.com/p/a-win-for-...

DOGE can break things, it can't build. Some ways to think about that. james560.substack.com/p/how-americ...

Purposeful, inspiring architecture helps essential anti-hunger groups scale up to meet frighteningly growing need--as Trump admin. pulls the rug out form under them. james560.substack.com/p/designing-...

james560.substack.com/p/changing-t... It's time for a fresh agenda for the big issues Trump and Congress are ignoring.

the Frick Collection has got a major overhaul that reveals anew the crown-jewel collection of a notorious robber baron that's nevertheless beloved. Architect Annabelle Selldorf's balancing act: Respectfully assert the new; do no harm. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

AI's big-tech boys, having purchased Trump, see the no-guardrails sky as the limit (with T cutting himself in...) but where is all the electricity coming from? james560.substack.com/p/who-pays-f...

Federal foreign aid remains halted--a huge disaster in the making. So many NGOs save lives like Partners in Health that works in some of the world's poorest places or World Central Kitchen which has been heroically feeding Gazan's. (I don't know if either receives gov't $.) Pay attention, pls!

On my Substack I link recent stories for publication just to give a sense of what's going on in architecture and design. OK, they are a little random but touch on cool things like great parks, an arts-driven tech building, amazing philanthropy, more. Have a look! open.substack.com/pub/james560...

As a journalist I know people won't trust what I write if they perceive it is paid for by someone with an agenda. Too many now think avoiding conflicts of interest doesn't matter. Read all about it in my new Substack column and subscribe! open.substack.com/pub/james560...

People think gas is expensive but US prices are the same as in the 1950s (Inflation adjusted)! It takes a lot to keep gas cheap and it may not be possible.... From my new Substack! james560.substack.com/p/living-in-...

With storms becoming more severe, the just-completed Living Breakwaters project by the landscape architecture firm SCAPE shows how innovation can improve coastal protection and rebuild essential dune, reef, and beach habitat. #climate #Resiliency #sustainability www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

An impressive philanthropic gesture. Young couple buys precious Long Island Sound Waterfront to restore its polluted lands and convert a mothballed power plant to an extraordinary attraction. Did this for the NYT. Lucky Norwalk, CT! www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/a...

A new aquarium in Seattle embeds itself in a new park, telling global stories of ocean stewardship including indigenous actors who stay the course while everyone else gets distracted. www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/171...

Housing costs were a key source of rage in the election. A story on some fixes not being discussed, but also important to focus on 3/5 of people not being served. james560.substack.com/p/feeble-nos...

Oddly some major park and public garden projects are coming to fruition this Fall--when you would least expect them to open. Here's a preview of some very cool places in the NYT: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/02/a...

I'm happy to join bluesky, and excited to learn what people are posting and discussing. To give people a sense of what I do I'm posting links to some recent stories. I hope you enjoy