Anjulie Rao

Hi! Are you a millennial who once used the internet to obtain real-life social opportunities? Did you use CouchSurfing, Craigslist for rideshares, time banks, etc etc etc? I want to talk to you!

I see that Lyft has updated its terms for users to include that you agree to waive your right to a jury trial

Chicago: Any insight into why Girl I Guess hasn’t endorsed in the 7th? This pool is too deep

Woah! Who’s the architect here?

I will!

Kim “A1” Bellware is one of the most talented reporters out there. Thorough, ambitious, devoted to reporting stories in their fullest. She mentors young journalists and brings integrity to every place she works. Hire her.

Replacement and Reuse, Reconsidered Join this dynamic talk focused on reuse over demolition—how existing materials can be repurposed to shape low-carbon urban futures.

If you’re in Chicago, I’ll be in conversation with architects and engineers from SOM to present my work on demolition, material “recycling,” and erasure on February 9. Come! www.eventbrite.com/e/replacemen...

There are 44 days until spring.

Ogling this track suit in the same way I ogle the sleeper car to San Francisco

One Crisis Pregnancy Center Has Received $1.1 Million in Federal Housing Funds Since 2020 A Georgia anti-abortion organization is building a maternity home. Public opposition surfaced allegations of false advertising and medical licensing issues—and resulted in cease and desist letters.

NEW: An Atlanta-area crisis pregnancy center has raked in more than $1 million from an unusual source: the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The CPC is opening a maternity home, worrying advocates that residents may be coerced into relinquishing children for adoption.
@autonomynews.co

Can We Blame the Banks for the Dearth of American Starter Homes? The popular narrative for why there’s an insufficient supply of houses for first-time buyers centers on new construction, but small dollar mortgage policy is a big barrier worth further critique.

I get frustrated when the conversations happening about starter homes are why we aren’t building new ones. I get frustrated because we’ve locked out an entire swath of people who would normally be eligible to buy the ones that already exist. I wrote about it for Dwell: www.dwell.com/article/bank...

City Paid $26.5M in Overtime to Ineligible Employees: Watchdog “The city’s finances are, needless to say, in an extremely precarious place, and we can ill-afford mistakes which run well into the eight figures,” Inspector General Deborah Witzburg said

BREAKING: Chicago paid $26.5 million to more than 1,000 employees for working extra hours between 2020 and 2024, even though they were not eligible for overtime pay, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s watchdog. @wttw.bsky.social

This was so good! I so appreciate you saying that corporate landlords aren’t buying up every home—I feel like folks are often commenting on my pieces about how “if we just get private equity/investors out of housing it would fix everything.”

The genuineness is one thing, but the fact that they felt the need to say something is a whole statement in some ways!

It’s funny—I was listening to KBCO in boulder last month, owned by IHeartRadio. The parent company runs their teaser after ad breaks and it’s something like “KBCO, an IHeartRadio company. Only human music.” Sorta struck me!

Maybe someday a DPD grant will take.

Can someone please expand on if nyc is good at addressing tenant complaints about substandard or dangerous building conditions?

In 2025 I wrote a lot. Gave birth. Upped my teaching game. Helped bargain a winning union contract.
It was a hard year. No recaps; just gratitude to editors who patiently coaxed the best work outta me, friends who supported me, readers who shared my work, students who gave their best. Xo

Hey this is a good time to tell people that if you want to read an article in the New York Review of Architecture, they give you three free articles a month. You provide an email when prompted. Please read things before commenting; it’s like taking 10 deep breaths before yelling at a stranger.

“Practical” isn’t the word I’d use for the design here

SKULL OF THOMAS AQUINAS: TAKE A LEFT NOW
PRIEST: No, the GPS says we have to keep going—
SKULL: I KNOW A SHORTCUT
PRIEST: Do you remember the last ti—
SKULL: FOR THOSE WITH FAITH, NO EVIDENCE IS NECESSARY; FOR THOSE WITHOUT IT, NO EVIDENCE WILL SUFFICE

Thank you to the Nieman Lab for inviting me to think about a topic close to my heart (and bank account): the near-future of cultural reporting

I wish I could throw a holiday party for all the freelancers in Chicago. Between the newsroom-only bowling leagues and softball teams in the summer, the end of the year seems pretty bleh

I’ve been waiting eagerly for a NYTimes article titled “I stopped speaking to my parents because they vaccinated me.” It would be the perfect story that disguises anecdotes as evidence.

Hi! Were you required to go back to the office after several years of working from home? I want to talk to you (anonymously, if you like!) about your experience of the physical office you came back to. DMs are open!

What Happened to Gerri’s Palm Tavern? Gerri Oliver stewarded Chicago’s Palm Tavern, a storied Bronzeville venue rooted in the Jim Crow era, for nearly seventy years until a convergence of…

For MAS Context, I investigated what happened to Gerri's Palm Tavern, a legendary Bronzeville venue established in 1933 that survived World Wars, urban renewal, disinvestment, and urban attrition, but ended up a victim of aldermanic prerogative, and an ill conceived development plan.

God I love when news is about the National Feelings Index

Someone is going to have the write the thing about how “vibe” has become a substitute for meaningful theory in a world where the theory is so clear — grift and power — but we collectively refuse if because it isn’t sophisticated enough to generate make work for empiricists.

Thank you, my friend ❤️