Michael Murphy and John Cary on Design For Good

How does a first-year grad student of architecture end up designing a ground-breaking hospital in Rwanda? Find out on my latest Common Edge Podcast as I talk with Michael Murphy, co-founder of MASS Design, which just won a National Design Award. And then stay tuned for John Cary, author of Design For Good: A New Era of Architecture For Everyone, which features projects by MASS Design and other firms that are tightly integrating architectural design and social justice. Both Murphy and Cary have a lot to say about what the profession should be doing to break down the barriers that …

Justin Davidson on the Common Edge Podcast

ICYMI, I interviewed Justin Davidson, architecture critic for New York magazine, for the Common Edge Podcast. We talk about his new book, Magnetic City, and a host of other architecture and urban design issues, such as how the role of the architecture critic has evolved; the imminent collapse of the skinny condo tower market; and why he’s optimistic about the still evolving World Trade Center site.

Talking Bikes, Street Design and Safety on The Common Edge Podcast

For the second episode of the Common Edge Podcast, I talk to two transportation experts who were at the forefront of remaking New York City’s streets over the past ten years. Janette Sadik-Khan was New York’s transportation commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She caused some controversy by moving quickly to redesign streets that hadn’t been changed in fifty years, most notably Times Square. In her book, Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, which is now out in paperback, Janette reflects on the conflicts she encountered along the way, including a “bikelash” in Williamsburg and attacks by then mayoral candidate Anthony …