3+ day, 15+ hour ago   (1038+ words) Common Edge Single-use plastic bags are the urban tumbleweed of many cities around the world. They clog storm drains, whirl in the wind, and get caught in branches like dystopian ornaments. On Amazon, $20 buys you a thousand (or one for…...

4+ day, 16+ hour ago   (216+ words) The dynamics of the OneLIC Oversight Task Force exemplify a dysfunctional planning and engagement model. It’s a bargaining-based model that began under Mayor Bloomberg and continued through the DeBlasio and Adams mayoralties. This is deeply illogical. Why should philanthropic dollars…...

5+ day, 15+ hour ago   (1258+ words) Common Edge When I began writing for Common Edge almost a decade ago, I resolved to let readers know when a significant book appeared that might change their view of architecture, urbanism, and landscape. I missed the publication of one…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago   (120+ words) By Justin R. Wolf To follow up the 2020 article, I had considered penning a “My 15-Minute City” piece to highlight downtown Biddeford’s walkability and varied amenities. I even mapped out my walk, starting at my regular coffee house and ending at…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago   (291+ words) I think so. So I’ve been asking: How can architects, planners, developers, and policymakers design for spontaneity? How can we nourish places so people discover new friends and abilities? This challenge arises everywhere, dovetailing with the loneliness plaguing America’s quietest…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago   (209+ words) By Mathias Agbo, Jr. This is not about nationalism in its narrow sense, but about fairness, especially for countries where most architects often earn less than $400-a-month; the sight of foreign firms receiving commissions worth tens of millions of dollars…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago   (516+ words) The EDC is suffering an identity crisis. Su faces a dual challenge—first, who to appoint to carry out this new agenda at EDC, and second, how to restructure the corporation from its previous focus on the “Best and Highest…...

3+ week, 2+ day ago   (877+ words) New Orleans has always known how to live with death, to the point where it’s almost a cliche. When they’re not playing in a second line or in a jazz club, for example, musicians tell tourists that they “put the…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago   (587+ words) When I was a child, crawling between the plants in my grandmother’s garden always provided surprises: a beautiful flower, a broken ceramic statue, an edible delight hidden among the leaves. My abuela’s house and garden were my second home. She…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago   (361+ words) The city’s reputation for liberal culture and tolerance of religious differences became legendary, and Amsterdam became a haven for people of all backgrounds. This distinctive social fabric was, arguably, born from the shared struggle against water, which required everyone to…...