Times Op-Ed: Hole Earth Catalog

On the New York Times Op-Ed page today, my suggestion for an adopt-a-pothole program for New York City. If we are teaching our children about botony in the schoolyards, why not teach them about the ecology of the urban environment?

Urban ecology is very topical, what with the opening of the MoMA exhibition Rising Currents tomorrow (I wrote about it here). Among the five fascinating proposals is one by ARO and dlandstudio to replace the asphalt of Lower Manhattan, block by block, with permeable pavements that would absorb rainwater and storm surges, rather than redirecting both to the overtaxed sewers. Planted swales along the sides of the streets would replace parking spots with native, absorptive plants. A side benefit would be no more potholes: these streets would breathe, thus ending the freeze-thaw cycle that results in pocked pavement.

If you are just joining me as a result of the op-ed, you might be interested in some of my previous posts on New York City and public works: Governors Island, Brooklyn Bridge Park (opening today!) and Atlantic Yards.

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By Alexandra Lange

Alexandra Lange is an architecture critic and author, and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize winner for Criticism, awarded for her work as a contributing writer for Bloomberg CityLab. She is currently the architecture critic for Curbed and has written extensively for Design Observer, Architect, New York Magazine, and The New York Times. Lange holds a PhD in 20th-century architecture history from New York University. Her writing often explores the intersection of architecture, urban planning, and design, with a focus on how the built environment shapes everyday life. She is also a recipient of the Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary from AIGA, an honor she shares with Design Observer’s Editor-in-Chief, Ellen McGirt.