We are excited to share our interview with Juliana DeVaan, a PhD candidate in US history at Columbia University, where she studies 20th-century cultural and intellectual history.

Her work has been supported by the New York State Archives, New York Public Library, Getty Research Institute, and the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy, among other institutions. You can read Juliana’s writing in Public Books, Jacobin, and The Drift.

We discuss two of her excellent pieces in Jacobin about New York City history and urban planning, linked below in the show notes. Juliana brings great insight into how to re-read the legacy of Robert Moses, one of New York’s many infamous characters, and reviews an important recent book: Daniel Wortel-London’s The Menace of Prosperity: New York City and the Struggle for Economic Development, 1865–1981. And we can’t discuss progressive politics in New York City without mentioning Zohran Mamdani, so be sure to listen for our perspectives on his tenure thus far.

Show Notes

“The City the Rich Built — and Broke,” Juliana DeVaan

“An Urban Legend,” Juliana DeVaan

Credits

Theme music by our youngest brother Tate.

Cover art by Arthur Santoro.

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