In a piece at Failed Architecture, Sasha Plotnikova reports on the tiny shed villages in Los Angeles that are meant to get unhoused people off the streets but instead are dehumanizing camps that criminalize homelessness. But when these hotel rooms, sheds, and dorms are seen for what they are—the architectural expressions of policies that invisibilize […]
cities
Posted inEditor's Pick
Where Did All the Public Bathrooms Go?
“For decades, U.S. cities have been closing or neglecting public restrooms, leaving millions with no place to go. Here’s how a lack of toilets became an American affliction.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Great Lockhart Exodus
“For some, Lockhart is a nostalgia trip across a past that may not have ever really existed. For others, it’s just an opportunity to build something better.”
Posted inNonfiction
Curator Spotlight: Robert Sanchez on Highlighting Notable Storytelling from City Magazines Across the U.S.
The longtime writer at Denver’s 5280 magazine talks about City Reads, the stellar work published by fellow journalists, and the intimate experience of reading thousands of solidarity letters mailed from across the country, demanding justice for Elijah McClain.
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘A Profound Betrayal of Trust’: Why Jackson’s Water System Is Broken
“How a shrinking city, aging infrastructure and racism left thousands of Jacksonians without water for weeks.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Death and Life of the Greatest American City
“The city feels simultaneously attacked, abandoned, and bereft of competent leadership. It also feels very, very alive.” In an essay at GEN, Glynnis MacNicol explores New York City’s #NoFilter era.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Home Body
On the visible and invisible systems that connect our homes to the outside world — and that bring injustice, power imbalances, and the labor of others into our private spheres.
Posted inEssays & Criticism, Featured, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
‘You Could Literally See Our Shit From Space’: The Broken Bowels of Beirut
Beirut’s disintegrating sewage system and corrupt politics have put its residents in a shitty situation.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Waste Away
“To say that we’re drowning in our shit—the shit we all made together—is no longer a figure of speech in Lebanon today.” Lina Mounzer writes about Beirut’s broken sewage system and the political and economic factors that have drowned the city in its own waste.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Where Water Used to Be
A look at another crisis the world is facing: water scarcity. Rosa Lyster examines the water-stressed cities of Cape Town and Mexico City — cities grappling with issues related to climate change, infrastructure, and inequality.