Cities

A drone view of the former stage at People's Park in Berkeley, California.

Should People’s Park Be Consigned to the Ash Heap of History? Should People’s Park Be Consigned to the Ash Heap of History?

Many argue that after five decades of resisting the University of California’s repeated attempts to reclaim the park, it’s time to let go of the past and move on. We disagree.

Jan 31, 2024 / Steve Wasserman, Paul Glusman, Judy Gumbo Albert, and Tom Dalzell

New York Floods

In Ithaca, Climate Change Is Making Gentrification Worse In Ithaca, Climate Change Is Making Gentrification Worse

Revised FEMA flood maps significantly broadened risk zones enveloping the Southside neighborhood, which has provided Black residents with a sense of community for more than 150 ye...

Jan 24, 2024 / StudentNation / Meher Bhatia

Signage outside an Amazon Go store

How Students in Seattle Got More School Counselors—Paid for by the City’s Wealthiest Corporations How Students in Seattle Got More School Counselors—Paid for by the City’s Wealthiest Corporations

Local politicians said it couldn't be done. The Seattle Times said it shouldn't be done. The students stuck to their demands and proved them wrong.

Jan 19, 2024 / Natalya McConnell

San Francisco's Office Vacancy Rate At Record High

California’s Urban “Doom Loop” California’s Urban “Doom Loop”

The West Coast’s major cities are overrun with empty office space—all while the homeless population keeps growing.

Jan 5, 2024 / Sasha Abramsky

A family in masks taking pictures on smartphone.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year—From Covid Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year—From Covid

If we want to mitigate the great existential threats to our survival—from microbes to the warming planet—we’re going to need bolder thinking than “getting back to normal.”

Dec 27, 2023 / Gregg Gonsalves

A person holds drug paraphernalia near the Washington Center building on SW Washington St. in downtown Portland, Ore., on April 4, 2023.

We Need to Modify—Not Trash—Oregon’s Trailblazing Drug Decriminalization Law We Need to Modify—Not Trash—Oregon’s Trailblazing Drug Decriminalization Law

Measure 110 made Oregon the first in country to decriminalize all drugs. The law was poorly implemented and should be changed, not discarded.

Dec 22, 2023 / Column / Sasha Abramsky

Kentucky SB 150 Protest

Fighting Book Bans in Kentucky Schools—and Beyond Fighting Book Bans in Kentucky Schools—and Beyond

The Boyle County School District quietly quietly banned more than 100 books, citing anti-trans bill SB 150. But a local campaign by students and their peers successfully pushed ba...

Dec 19, 2023 / StudentNation / Ramona Pierce

Rudy Giuliani, the former personal lawyer for Donald Trump, arrives at the E. Barrett Prettyman US District Courthouse on December 15, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

The Real Tragedy of Rudy Giuliani The Real Tragedy of Rudy Giuliani

The disgraced former mayor was a racist authoritarian—even back when he was being celebrated by the mainstream media.

Dec 18, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Andrew Cuomo and Eric Adams, 2021, laughing

Blink and You Missed It: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Was Accused of Sexual Assault—and Nothing Happened Blink and You Missed It: NYC Mayor Eric Adams Was Accused of Sexual Assault—and Nothing Happened

Why the big yawn by the media over this particular allegation against New York’s scandal-surrounded mayor might actually be a sign of mature judgment.

Dec 14, 2023 / Ross Barkan

Two children walk along a dirt road in front of a field of huts.

The Progressive Refugee Policy That Puts the West to Shame The Progressive Refugee Policy That Puts the West to Shame

Uganda’s role as a co-convenor of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva this week should raise urgent questions about the interests behind its much-lauded open-door refugee policy.

Dec 12, 2023 / Natasha Hakimi Zapata

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