For The Architect’s Newspaper I wrote about the Obama Center. Since people are mad I guess I should clarify now that this piece makes a distinction between two different versions of hope. And only one of those could cost $850 million. www.archpaper.com/2026/06/bara...

If anyone is looking for a take on Everlane’s sale to SHEIN and the mythology of “millennial optimism” please call me I’ve been writing this since 2016

It's Earth Day, which means you should preorder my new book, "Building Postcarbon Futures: Land, Justice, and Energy Transitions." cup.columbia.edu/book/buildin...

During a hearing on Trump's arch, White House ballroom designer James McCrery said that the new monument needs to be mindful of Robert E. Lee's home: “All of that land on the other side of that bridge used to belong to him, and the nation took it from him” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

My dad worked on some of the earlier forest service satellite programs that would measure heat to easily track how fires would spread. When I was kid he’d talk abt how the same tech would be used to predict malaria outbreaks, heat-related deaths, and lots more. Guess that’s irrelevant

Imagine posting a racist video on the culminating day when thousands came together to slingshot 4 people around the moon. Imagine holding hate when we can watch in real time as a solar body enters the camera frame. Imagine boiling about borders when we are so close to infinity.

👀👀👀👀

It is now spring. Congratulations—we all made it.

Feeling bored might start a journalism square dancing league

Hi! Are you a millennial who once used the internet to obtain real-life social opportunities? Did you use CouchSurfing, Craigslist for rideshares, time banks, etc etc etc? I want to talk to you!

I see that Lyft has updated its terms for users to include that you agree to waive your right to a jury trial

Chicago: Any insight into why Girl I Guess hasn’t endorsed in the 7th? This pool is too deep

Kim “A1” Bellware is one of the most talented reporters out there. Thorough, ambitious, devoted to reporting stories in their fullest. She mentors young journalists and brings integrity to every place she works. Hire her.

If you’re in Chicago, I’ll be in conversation with architects and engineers from SOM to present my work on demolition, material “recycling,” and erasure on February 9. Come! www.eventbrite.com/e/replacemen...

There are 44 days until spring.

Ogling this track suit in the same way I ogle the sleeper car to San Francisco

NEW: An Atlanta-area crisis pregnancy center has raked in more than $1 million from an unusual source: the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The CPC is opening a maternity home, worrying advocates that residents may be coerced into relinquishing children for adoption. @autonomynews.co

I get frustrated when the conversations happening about starter homes are why we aren’t building new ones. I get frustrated because we’ve locked out an entire swath of people who would normally be eligible to buy the ones that already exist. I wrote about it for Dwell: www.dwell.com/article/bank...

BREAKING: Chicago paid $26.5 million to more than 1,000 employees for working extra hours between 2020 and 2024, even though they were not eligible for overtime pay, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s watchdog. @wttw.bsky.social

Can someone please expand on if nyc is good at addressing tenant complaints about substandard or dangerous building conditions?

In 2025 I wrote a lot. Gave birth. Upped my teaching game. Helped bargain a winning union contract. It was a hard year. No recaps; just gratitude to editors who patiently coaxed the best work outta me, friends who supported me, readers who shared my work, students who gave their best. Xo

Hey this is a good time to tell people that if you want to read an article in the New York Review of Architecture, they give you three free articles a month. You provide an email when prompted. Please read things before commenting; it’s like taking 10 deep breaths before yelling at a stranger.

SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going— SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti— SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE

Thank you to the Nieman Lab for inviting me to think about a topic close to my heart (and bank account): the near-future of cultural reporting

I wish I could throw a holiday party for all the freelancers in Chicago. Between the newsroom-only bowling leagues and softball teams in the summer, the end of the year seems pretty bleh

I’ve been waiting eagerly for a NYTimes article titled “I stopped speaking to my parents because they vaccinated me.” It would be the perfect story that disguises anecdotes as evidence.

Hi! Were you required to go back to the office after several years of working from home? I want to talk to you (anonymously, if you like!) about your experience of the physical office you came back to. DMs are open!

For MAS Context, I investigated what happened to Gerri's Palm Tavern, a legendary Bronzeville venue established in 1933 that survived World Wars, urban renewal, disinvestment, and urban attrition, but ended up a victim of aldermanic prerogative, and an ill conceived development plan.

Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.

Uh well a lot of adjunct faculty are about to lose their jobs for no reason except someone else’s vanity—including myself. This is to say if anyone needs someone with 10 years of experience teaching urban design criticism, climate change narratives, writing for artists, etc…I am available.

“Things happen”

City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin begins her office's annual budget hearing by announcing that the city will no longer buy U.S. Treasury securities to protest the Trump administration's aggressive immigration raids. CONTEXT: Conyears-Ervin is running for Illinois' 7th Congressional District.

My last big story for the year is up at @dwell.bsky.social: I spoke with ~a dozen millennials who left big cities during or after the pandemic. What I found was a lot of people trying to redefine what ‘upward mobility’ might mean: www.dwell.com/article/rura...

Uh this is a weird moment to ask but if you’re planning on participating in any kind of “exodus” I’m writing a book about that and would love to talk to you

I like to believe that Chicago stands firmly in the “a better world is possible” camp. Sending love and solidarity to anyone voting for that premise today.

What is this on whitehouse dot gov

My new essay is up at @dwell.bsky.social: in the depths of postpartum depression, I found solace in the IKEA Catalogue Museum. www.dwell.com/article/the-...

🚨🚨🚨 Major announcement!!! I am extremely pleased to announce that HAA is searching for a senior, endowed position in premodern art or architecture. The subfield is wide open. Please spread the word and encourage curious scholars to write to me with questions! 🚨🚨🚨 cfopitt.taleo.net/careersectio...

This might be a long shot but: I'm looking to speak with architects/developers who have worked on affordable housing projects that required (or got feedback to include) some type of 'historic complement' aesthetic—massing, materials, etc—for a story. Recommendations appreciated! thanks!

ICYMI: Chicago's new public developer, the Residential Investment Fund, has a Request for Information for private developers interested in a potential partnership! The RIF has access to a $135m revolving fund to build permanently mixed income housing. Learn more: www.chicagorif.com/work-with-us

This whole White House demolition saga has big “Dwight Schrute buys replica of Uday Hussein’s desk” vibes

I’ve covered extensively the “return to office” as it has played out in architectural work; design is sold as a means to ‘attract’ workers back is some kind of red herring. It was never about magnanimity or workplace happiness. The beer taps and pod seating were sticks dressed as carrots

For the upcoming EVERYTHING CHICAGO symposium on Friday, I’ll be moderating a panel about public space, featuring some of the city’s most important shapers of the public realm. 9:30am! Driehaus museum! Register to attend (or just show up) www.eventbrite.com/e/everything...

I had a baby on Wednesday. Idk. Take the Tylenol.

We're looking for a new EIC at @chicagoreader.com, so if you know a great candidate, tell them to apply! (To be clear, I have nothing to do with the hiring process.) chicagoreader.com/about/career...

At this point, I wonder if states making childcare free would be akin to mass affordable housing construction in terms of attracting new residents.

Everyone’s wondering if or when this charming city might be invaded by masked bozos but in the meantime take a look at the dahlias and zinnias my neighbor planted on her corner

I’m giving myself parental leave from 9/15-10/20. This means, for the first time in a decade, I won’t be publishing a review or big feature about the Chicago Architecture Biennial when it opens. Kinda sad, but openings are for onlookers. I’m in this game for Chicago. So please stay tuned. Xo