Longform

The radical possibilities of a box

How pioneering designer Louise Brigham found creativity in isolation.

Shared from:

• From Curbed LA

10 years. $20 million. Inside the fight to save Broad Beach.

Malibu homeowners banded together to address sea level rise. A decade later, they are at war with the city, the surfers, and each other.

Don’t blame dense cities for the spread of coronavirus

The pandemic has challenged my urbanist beliefs, but buildings aren’t responsible for human problems.

Shared from:

• From Curbed SF

The house on Magnolia Street

Even before Moms 4 Housing was evicted from 2928 Magnolia, racism and capitalism shaped the home’s history.

In the Hamptons, coronavirus heightens tensions

The spread of COVID-19 has heightened tensions between wealthy homeowners and year-round residents.

The green dream of Portland

Decades ago, Portland, Oregon established an image as the most environmentally friendly city in the world. But is the progressive city’s progress still too slow?

Welcome to the agrihood

In these suburban subdivisions, farming is just another amenity.

Filed under:

• The living alone issue

The teenagers who live alone

Getting one’s own place before 18 can be a crash course in independence.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

NYC has a plan to clean its sewage-filled waterways. Does it go far enough?

Critics say the latest plan to address sewage overflows in NYC, which dump millions of gallons of sewage into the city’s waterways every year, is "barely a drop in the bucket."

The case for keeping things

We live in a throwaway society, but our objects deserve better.

Filed under:

• The living alone issue

When living apart keeps you together

For some couples, sharing their hearts doesn’t mean sharing a home.

How to end traffic

European cities offer a roadmap for life with fewer cars.

How the country’s deadliest city for pedestrians plans to save lives with safer streets

In Orlando, ground zero of the pedestrian safety crisis, a mayor’s traffic reform goals are put to the test.

Sound and the city

Urban silence is increasingly endangered—and primarily available to those who can pay for it.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

Curbed New York’s 11 best longreads of 2019

Hudson Yards, the loss of neighborhood bars, and more

13 favorite Curbed longreads of 2019

The magic of estate sales, life in a converted school bus, how homeownership became part of the American dream, and more.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

A decade of destruction in New York City

New York City has lost countless cultural and historic institutions in the past decade

Should we still be building single-family homes?

Single-family homes are partly to blame for our housing mess, but they can also be a tool to solve our problems.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

Everyone has their own ‘Home Alone 2’

What role do movies play in helping us understand a version of New York that is no longer with us?

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

Exploring Staten Island’s hidden North Shore Branch, eyed for a new bus line

The MTA wants to build a new bus rapid transit line through a forgotten stretch of the Staten Island coastline

Filed under:

• The suburbs issue

Duluth’s ‘demographic destiny train’

Every year, the U.S. becomes more diverse in race and ethnicity—and so do its suburbs.

Filed under:

• The suburbs issue

Growing up in Levittown

The quintessential suburb was built on rules, and they still shape the town today.

Filed under:

• The suburbs issue

A manifesto for a new suburbia

Eight ideas for future-proofing the suburbs.

Filed under:

• The suburbs issue

Preparing for the thousand-year storm

Sprawl has made Baltimore suburb Ellicott City more vulnerable to climate change.

Filed under:

• The suburbs issue

Frisco, Texas, has a plan

After engineering its own growth, can the Dallas suburb stay on top?

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

Brooklyn gained a Wegmans, but lost the 19th-century mansions of Admiral’s Row

For many Brooklynites, the destruction of Admiral’s Row and its extensive woodlands represents a tragic loss

Shared from:

• From Curbed Philly

Following in Frank’s footsteps

How a Philly couple discovered the modern architect Frank Weise through his plans

Touring cities, from Paris to Oakland, on foot

Something transcendent happens on walking tours—and the stories they tell can have powerful effects in our neighborhoods.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

What does the future hold for the East River waterfront?

The city’s billion dollar plan to make the East River waterfront more resilient has a neighborhood up in arms.

The quest for the perfect closet

What today’s idealized closets and pantries say about our inner lives.

Can a $1,300 baby bed make me a better mom?

The Snoo promises more sleep, but the problems families face are too big for furniture to fix.

Shared from:

• From Curbed NY

It’s time to ban cars from Manhattan

If we want to alleviate NYC’s traffic woes, we need to start with Manhattan; and instead of small steps we need to take one big leap: ban cars.