Longform
Deep dives on cities, architecture, design, real estate, and urban planning.
One day at Ikea’s biggest store in the U.S.
How 12 hours in the Burbank Ikea destroyed my soul.
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The remains of Brooklyn’s disappearing industrial waterfront
The S.W. Bowne warehouse is a uniquely feral 1800s artifact that may soon disappear
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All the single homeowners
Two cultural movements, minimalism and singledom, are now colliding within some American lives.
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Building a Downtown LA for everyone
How does a city keep one of its hottest neighborhoods from becoming just another enclave of the superrich?
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How five fallen Broadway theaters paved the way for a new Times Square
The `Great Theater Massacre` of the 1980s led to the destruction of five historic Broadway houses to make way for a hotel—and forever changed Times Square as we know it.
Donald Trump’s wall: an explainer
The wall’s journey from idea to U.S. government policy began at the signing of an executive order in January. But a 2,000-mile infrastructure project presents vast challenges in terms of labor, cost, geography, and effectiveness.
Crowdfunding the skyscraper
Can a new model for real estate investment help spread the wealth?
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Biddy Mason was one of LA’s first black real estate moguls
Biddy Mason was enslaved when she was brought to Los Angeles in 1851; she died free—and one of the city’s wealthiest women.
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What's next for the EPA in New York City?
In NYC, the EPA has been instrumental in improving the environment, but now, many New Yorkers are now contemplating what the future will be for the agency’s work across all five boroughs.
16 architects of color speak out about the industry's race problem
Architects of color—from the young to the experienced—on the race-related challenges they have faced and their advice for how the profession can break down barriers to entry for people of all backgrounds.
How cities can stand up to climate change
Donald Trump has pledged to defund climate change science and undo Barack Obama's progressive climate legacy. As the White House abandons the climate change fight, "resilience" is becoming a big part of the way cities design and build for the future.
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Surveying the NYC toxic sites owned by the Trump family
Ironically, several of the most toxic properties in New York City are currently under the control of Trump family members who stand to benefit from their remediation and development.
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The birth and rebirth of LA’s hottest block
When it opened in 1908, the enormous Hamburger & Sons department store made Downtown LA’s South Broadway into a destination for the first time. Thanks to the area’s explosive redevelopment, the building is now making a comeback.
The forgotten history of Japanese-American designers’ World War II internment
Understanding how the Japanese-American experience of internment affected postwar design history, 75 years after FDR's executive order.
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Why doesn’t MacArthur Park gentrify?
LA’s second-densest neighborhood has a Metro station, a central park, and a prime location next to Downtown LA, but it also has a long history of overcrowding, underinvestment, and lack of basic resources.
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How Trump's NYC strongholds are fighting climate change
The map of NYC’s Trump supporters closely resembles the map of which New York neighborhoods suffered the worst damage from Hurricane Sandy, and the communities that are at the greatest risk from rising sea levels.
The unknown Eameses of New Jersey
Power couples in the world of design and architecture have long captured the public imagination: Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Florence and Hans Knoll, Charles and Ray Eames. We assume all of their stories have been told, but the works of Claude and Helen Habberstad have remained little-known outside of the New Jersey county where they built.
Unlearning the lessons of the housing crisis
Trump’s history, promises, and recent appointments indicate that the new president may roll back progressive housing reforms made in response to the foreclosure crisis, and in turn unleash new (and old) forms of discrimination onto millions of Americans.
The art of the New Deal
Self-anointed "great builder" Donald Trump loves putting his name on big developments. Can he put his stamp on the project of a lifetime, a plan to upgrade America’s crumbling infrastructure?
What does Trump’s built legacy say about his politics?
Buildings, bridges, and monuments were used as a tool of political power and a projection of greatness by the likes of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. Now, a man whose name is emblazoned across skyscrapers is about to assume the presidency.
Will Trump make the trains run on time?
If Donald Trump curtails federal transportation funding, it could spell the end of major projects, like the extension of Boston's Green Line, and doom repairs for aged subway systems in Chicago, New York, et al. Will he unsheathe the federal paring knife?
Our cities, our politics
Dr. Lily Geismer studies how the places we live inform our politics. Curbed spoke with her about how urban and rural America will fare under a Trump administration. "I think there’s a sense that cities are now going to be a place of progressive politics," she says.
One reluctant homeowner’s journey into the paint color wheel
How choosing paint colors for my new house triggered an existential crisis
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Building a beach town on Hollywood's favorite desert set
In the early days of Hollywood, two sleepy waterfront ranches in Ventura County served as the setting for countless epics of blood and sand. Developers saw an opportunity to turn those unspoiled Ventura beaches into a vacation community, offering Hollywood glamour at Ventura prices.
Is the world ready for Frank Lloyd Wright’s suburban utopia?
Inside the architect’s overlooked plan for Broadacre City
The 18 best city-related longform stories of 2016
The last week of December is a time for catching up on all the internet you missed this year. When it comes to cities, architecture, and design, we've got you covered.
12 favorite Curbed longreads of 2016
The rise of Scandinavian design, Fixer Upper as feminist fantasy, the future of Austin, and more
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Curbed New York’s 12 best longreads of 2016
Stories of the last gas man of Lower Manhattan, reshaping a former Coast Guard base, infiltrating a notoriously private park, and more.
Curbed’s 10 best West Coast longreads of 2016
This year, Curbed launched its West Coast features program, and we took you from Portland to the Mexican border to bring you tales of disappearing water, secession movements, hypergentrification, strip clubs, and more.
What we can learn from Italy’s radical design movement
Fifty years ago, a ferociously anti-design, anti-dolce vita force came into being in the halls of the architecture department of the University of Florence.
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The last artists’ haven in Los Angeles
As skyrocketing rents in Los Angeles continue to squeeze renters farther into the outskirts of the city, the Antelope Valley is positioned to become a new frontier for emerging artists—if they can get over its terrible reputation.
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The long road to North Broad
It’s been one year since the start of North Broad Renaissance, a non-profit dedicated to revitalizing the corridor north of City Hall. While improvements are afoot, there’s still a long way to go.
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A hidden mansion in oil country
Hidden in industrial Santa Fe Springs is the Clarke Estate, a 1920s testament to the ideals of three progressive Southern California pioneers who believed the West was the perfect place for culture, art, and new ways of thinking to flourish.
Austin faces the future
Austin is changing. The city once known for music and slackers is more famous these days for its booming population, tech scene, and festivals. As it reshapes itself to meet residents’ needs, what will Austin become next?
Reinventing Waller Creek
Waller Creek, once a problem for the city, is now the centerpiece of a massive renovation project—a connected "chain of parks" spanning 37 acres—that could transform downtown Austin.
How South by Southwest transformed Austin
The festival may be temporary, but it has shaped the city’s future
Recoding Austin
In 2013, to adjust for its growing population, Austin began the process of rewriting its zoning code. Here’s how the new Land Development Code could be dramatically transformative for Austin.
The fight for Rosewood Courts
Officials and preservationists in Austin are fighting over the potential redevelopment of Rosewood Courts, which was the country’s first African-American housing project. The fight is a proxy for opposite visions of East Austin: preservation or redevelopment.
Uber, Lyft, and the future of transportation in Austin
The unorthodox Texas capital recently became the biggest U.S. city without Uber or Lyft. Nearly a dozen startups have swooped in to claim market share. What can other cities learn from Austin’s peculiar ridehailing situation?