Latest Stories
On race & architecture
From solving architecture's pipeline problem by diversifying schools, to addressing the challenges that race poses for practicing designers, these features face the industry's diversity problem—and offer ways it can change.
101 books about where—and how—we live
Urban classics and new favorites to read and give.
A couple scores the ultimate midcentury time capsule
If anything could be considered a midcentury modern miracle, this is it.
Filed under:
The Big Little Lie of the TV kitchen island
The women of the HBO series should lose their spectacular, high-maintenance houses.
Filed under:
‘Paradise at the end of the world’: An oral history of the Sea Ranch (Part I)
A two-part oral history mining the origins and controversies surrounding California’s most bucolic planned community—and forecasting its future
The United States of Texas and California
When it comes to urban policy, transportation, economy, and immigration, what’s happening in Texas and California is really the story of what’s happening in America.
The rise of the McModern
McMansion Hell writer Kate Wagner on a new strain of modern houses for the masses, which marries the McMansion to architectural styles of the mid-to-late 20th century.
Why did Gilded Age mansions lose their luster?
When—and why—did these symbols of prestige become too much to maintain as private residences?
How bike share became the decade’s biggest transit success story
Over the last ten years, bike share has proven to be safe and sustainable for cities. So what happens next?
Filed under:
‘Tiny House Hunters’ and the shrinking American dream
"It is painfully transparent that people with tiny house budgets often have McMansion dreams"
‘If you take out the art, the building itself can’t stand’
Architect Davide Macullo and artist Daniel Buren collaborate on a whimsical house that combines familiar and the fantastical in a small Swiss town.
Everything you need to know about shipping container homes
Are shipping container houses really more sustainable or affordable than traditional homes? Here’s what you need to know.
Filed under:
The Modernist Next Door
Exploring the multifaceted story of modernist architecture in America, from regional gems to forgotten midcentury architects
The U.S. has an affordable housing crisis. Here’s why
Market forces, policy decisions, and demographic changes have converged, making it more difficult to increase affordable housing for renters and buyers in U.S. cities.
The A-frame effect
The A-frame, both doll- and human-sized, is back, and for all the same reasons that made it a phenomenon in the first place.
The business of van life
How the RV industry is falling short, and how van lifers are filling the gap.
10 streets that define America
We take an exhaustive look at the forces shaping our cities today: the regenerative power of small businesses, changes brought by new development, alternative transportation options, and rich, if burdensome, cultural legacies.
How trees can save us
They are the most effective, efficient, and immediate form of urban climate action —provided they’re planted where people need them most.
Cities Are Even Worse For Women Than You Might Imagine
The overlapping care crises of COVID-19 make the case for feminist cities clear — and more urgent.
Filed under:
‘We never dreamed we’d live in a Neutra house’
A midcentury modern-loving couple finds their dream house where they least expect it.
Filed under:
How HGTV’s ‘Fixer Upper’ changed Waco, Texas
Often associated with cult leader David Koresh, Waco has found new life as a tourist attraction thanks to the home renovation show
Why there are so many online mattress-in-a-box companies
Some industry insiders estimate there are as many as 100 brands selling compressed foam mattresses online.
The end of the architect profile
It’s time to stop perpetuating the myth of the lone genius.
What’s your star(chitect) sign?
Mercury will soon be in retrograde, so what better time to brush up on a little architecture astrology?
Splash Pads Are the New Public Pools
These urban oases offer residents a refuge from the summer singe, provide accessible recreational opportunities, and create a heat-friendly public space.
Will upzoning neighborhoods make homes more affordable?
Cities and states across the country are proposing new upzoning laws to combat the housing crisis. Will they work?
Filed under:
‘BoJack Horseman’ is the only show that really gets my city
Unlike other shows set in LA, the Netflix series feels like it was made for people who actually live here.
Filed under:
Are home renovations necessary?
Our culture celebrates renovation, but McMansion Hell’s Kate Wagner argues that our homes need less of it.
100 years of Bauhaus: The short-lived school that changed design forever
Curbed spoke with 11 of today’s design leaders to assess its impact.
101 ways to live sustainably
The least you can do to make a big difference where you live.
Filed under:
I watched a full day of HGTV
I was drained, but still had 15 tabs open looking at faucets and tile options and flights to Aruba.
This $135K shipping container house lets its owners live mortgage free
Missouri couple makes an affordable, recycled home out of shipping containers.
Hitting the road
"Skoolies" are one of the fastest-growing subsets of the van life community.
I found lead paint in my historic house
As homeowners, our job became spending money to prevent our house from killing us.
The women designers who made Herman Miller furniture shine
Sizzling graphics, bright colors, and bold juxtapositions
Filed under:
Tiny Town, USA
Curbed visits four cities to uncover why the next big thing in American homes is small
Introducing the World's First Architecture Emoji
A batch of design-focused emoji icons, culled from Curbed architecture critic Alexandra Lange and the vocal members of #architecture Twitter.
In a post-mall era, why are starchitects building more retail?
It’s not that bricks and mortar is out of fashion; bad customer experience is out of fashion.
Filed under:
How wealthy tourists gentrified a ski town into a housing crisis
Tourism has created the most unequal city in the U.S.
NYC prewar apartments: A design nerd’s guide
While floorplans can be helpful when deciding how to organize your furniture, they’re also an interesting window into the past.