Upcoming Programs

In his new book, Queens: A History of the Most Diverse Place on Earth, prolific author Lawrence R. Samuel charts the historical development of the New York City borough from the 1920s to today. Samuel’s narrative traces the evolution of Queens from a quasi-suburb of Manhattan for the white middle class into, today, the most diverse multiethnic, multiracial, and multireligious county in the United States. From the leafy enclaves of Forest Hills Gardens and Sunnyside to the transformations of Flushing Meadows, Samuel focuses on the residential development that has become home to more than 2.4 million New Yorkers. As he argues, following the trajectory of Queens adds much to our understanding of the city, the country, and the world.

In her new book Albert Kahn Inc.: Architecture, Labor, and Industry, 1905–1961, Claire Zimmerman charts a history of second-wave industrialization associated with the growth and development of the United States auto industry and its global footprint. Her case study of the architecture firm most closely associated with the major auto companies in Detroit explores how industrial capitalism fueled campuses of the auto industry and helped catalyze the militarization of industry.

As the US struggles to provide affordable housing, millions of Americans live in deteriorating public housing projects, enduring the mistakes of past housing policy. In his new book The Projects, Howard A. Husock explains how we got here, detailing the tragic rise and fall of public housing and the pitfalls of other subsidy programs. He takes us inside a progressive movement led by a group of New York City philanthropists, politicians, and business magnates who first championed public housing as a solution to urban blight.