I regularly write essays, feature stories, and reports for the public. Below is a selection.
Urban Development
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.
Additional Dwelling Unit Ordinance Predominantly Benefits the North Side, Data Shows
Three years after the pilot’s creation, 94 percent of ADU permits went to Chicago’s North and Northwest zones.
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.
Illinois Tried to Bait Restaurants With Carp But Customers Won’t Bite
Copi are an existential threat to Lake Michigan fisheries, but despite Illinois’s promotional campaign, it’s a challenge to entice customers.
As Residents Struggle with Property Tax Hikes, Relief is Slow Coming
Homeowners are picking up more of the tab as commercial reassessments go down.