Urban Issues
Here’s How A Local Group Is Reviving The Chicago River’s Freshwater Mussels
Urban Rivers has helped reproduce more than 1,500 mussels, which improve the water quality by filter feeding and removing pollutants.
South Side UPS Workers Demand More Amid Contract Evaluations
Some part-time UPS workers express reservations about the tentative contract terms amidst Teamsters’ celebration of historic wins.
The Furama extravaganza celebrates community and upends stereotypes.
Environmental Governance
Shanghai’s Urban Scavengers Rescue Memories of a Vanishing City
Just before historical neighborhoods are razed, collectors of everyday items swoop in for one last rummage through the ruins.
In China’s Voguing Houses, Queer Millennials Strike a New Pose
Ballroom culture is quietly flourishing in China’s cities, creating a safe space for young LGBT people to explore their identities.
Is Chicago Experiencing an Urban Foraging Renaissance?
Chicago’s restaurants are benefitting from a growing movement that reconnects city dwellers with the land.
Other Essays
Inside Chinatown’s Century-Long Fight for Power
The immigrant enclave was once isolated and excluded from city politics. How did Chicago Chinatown’s community leaders transform the neighborhood?
Asian American environmental activists strive to make climate crisis an electoral priority
Despite the pressing urgency of climate change, environmental issues receive limited attention during elections among AAPI voters. Activists strive to engage AAPI communities in the fight for environmental justice.
In China’s New Age Communes, Burned-Out Millennials Go Back to Nature
Fed up with the grind of urban life, young Chinese are starting over in the countryside, where they aim to build a new society without “privilege or hierarchy.”
With Podcasts, a Generation of Young Chinese Find Their Voice
The rise of audio is helping young Chinese storytellers explore contentious social issues, but some worry the medium's growing mainstream appeal will spoil the fun.
Inside NYC Home Care Workers’ Fight to End 24-Hour Work Shifts
Thousands of home care workers in New York City complete 24-hour shifts and suffer from chronic illness after years of overwork and sleep deprivation.