The public sitting area of IBM Building on 56th and Madison in Manhattan, 2009

POPS Goes the City: Privately Owned Public Space and Its Discontents

Why is so much of the “public space” in cities actually private, and who benefits from it being that way?
Snowflake Waltz in the White Forest (The Nutcracker Act I, Scene III) performed by The New York City Ballet in 1954.

Making Sense of The Nutcracker’s Libretto

Early audiences loved it, even as critics questioned its structure. Returning to the story helps illuminate what makes the ballet so strangely captivating.
Several thousand reindeer rounded up for slaughter in northern Sweden in 1988, following the Chernobyl accident.

The Radioactive Reindeer Problem

Cold War nuclear testing left troubling levels of Cesium-137 in caribou, prompting years of research into Arctic fallout and its risks to human health.
Two Members Of The Ku-Klux Klan in front of a cipher

A Secret Cipher for the KKK

How did the Ku Klux Klan spread across the South? Part of its journey depended on a code for secret correspondence.
Landscape garden showing the foot path, lawn area, benches, water feature and pavilion on background. This sketch created, drawn in pen and marker.

Landscape Architecture: A Reading List

A survey of classic and contemporary works revealing how cities, materials, power, and ecology shape landscapes—and how design can create healthier, more just places.
Lucy Stone

Marriage and the Maiden Name

While many women trade surnames they had at birth for their husbands’, some hold on tightly to the former, a tradition famously established by Lucy Stone.
A series of images in color block colors, including a map, a photo of a group of people digging, and an architectural mockup of a park landscape

Designing for Community and Climate in Los Angeles

How can we design public spaces that help people thrive and connect—with each other and with their environment?
Photo of a playful couple in holiday accessories by the Christmas tree

Face Value: Can You Spot a Cheater at First Glance?

Looking for love this holiday season? Science suggests first-glance impressions may offer tiny signals about personality, trust, and even cheating tendencies.
An aerial view of Bermuda

Bermuda: The Long and the Shorts of It

A tiny Atlantic outpost once central to Britain’s colonial world, Bermuda’s calm seas conceal centuries of trade, slavery, and superstition.
Crowd On Mumbai City Street At Night

In Praise of Loitering

A possible remedy to sexual harassment and assault in public spaces is to encourage more people of all kinds to spend time on the streets.