amanda kolson hurley

In her new book, Sarah Williams Goldhagen presents scientific evidence for why some buildings delight us and others—too many of them—disappoint. CityLab, July 14, 2017 Sarah Williams Goldhagen was the architecture critic for The New Republic for many years, a role she combined with teaching at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and elsewhere. She is an…

Why Is the Alt-Right So Angry About Architecture? Conservatives have long opposed Modernism, but in the video age, avant-garde buildings can become potent symbols in the hands of groups like Infowars and the NRA. Decrying what it sees as a war on white European culture, the alt-right movement calls out the people it believes stand…

The Military Declares War on Sprawl The Pentagon thinks better designed, more walkable bases can help curb obesity and improve troops’ fitness. CityLab, June 26, 2017 Busy each day with thousands or tens of thousands of people, a military base is a mini-city. It has its own police, fire, and recreation departments, and even a…

National Harbor Is a Private Urban Island Designed for Fun—If You Can Get There Washington City Paper, June 22, 2017 Walking back down the pier at National Harbor after a ride on the Ferris wheel, something caught my eye: a lighthouse. More accurately, it was a miniature replica of a lighthouse set incongruously on top…

Crushing on Concrete The quest to make brutalist architecture lovable  The Washington Post Magazine, May 28, 2017 The Union Station Metro stop was dark as a cave, its high concrete arch coated in years’ worth of grime. To Metro officials, it must have seemed like a no-brainer to break out white paint and rollers and give…