New Urban Order

Should We Envy Paris’s Swimmable River?

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo got a lot of attention for cleaning the Seine in preparation for the Olympics. But that may not be best goal for Philly’s local waterways

By Diana Lind
New Urban Order

Why Cities Should Invest in “Second Places”

Forget "third places," we need better places for people to work

By Diana Lind
New Urban Order

Why We Need a National Urbanist Party

There is no Republican or Democratic way to pick up the trash piling up in cities — but maybe there should be.

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

Big Events Like the Olympics Matter — Just Not the Way You Think

How cities prep for major happenings — like the country’s 250th anniversary, here in Philly in 2026 — matters just as much (if not more) than how the events themselves go

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

Should City Workers Work in the Office?

Mayor Parker is mandating all city employees work in person starting next month. City Council is pushing back. Is government ever going to be ready to return to office?

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

Higher Ed’s Day of Urban Reckoning

What can cities do to prevent precipitous college closures?

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

The Antidote to Helplessness

Want to make a real, tangible, immediate impact? Look no further than your own block

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

The Future of Post-Pandemic Transit is Post-Commuter

Nationwide, transit ridership remains down from pre-pandemic levels. Is London’s Superloop an idea we should steal?

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

The Sports Economy is More than Stadiums

Whether or not the Sixers get to build their downtown arena, the way we think about sports culture in cities is severely limited. Could a “Sports Mayor” help reshape what athletics mean to a city?

By Diana Lind
The New Urban Order

Send Your Kid to a “Good Enough” Public School

A C+ school for the win.

By Diana Lind