This year’s Pulitzers were dominated by big, well-known and New York-centered names, including Bloomberg CityLab. Wait, CityLab? What’s that?
The vertical, which was acquired in 2020 by Bloomberg from The Atlantic, won its first Pulitzer in the Criticism category for a series focused on the intersection of public spaces and families. Also notable is that the now-award-winning architect of the series is a freelance journalist. Alexandra Lange has written about architecture for many publications since 1999.
The series explores the myriad ways the built world caters to or excludes children and what it means for the family lives of city dwellers. It includes stories about the way architecture influences children’s mental health, the importance of infrastructure that promotes independence and resilience in children — and lessens the burden on parents — and how kid-centered designs play an active role in reducing technology dependence.
Architecture is at the center of city life and family life, Lange said, and it brings together all of the working elements of a metropolis: policy, technology, money and culture. CityLab managing editor Nicole Flatow noted that this is one of the reasons the prize for this particular series is such a win for CityLab.
“It really is about solutions, but also striving for solutions, looking at what works, looking at what doesn’t, being at this very tangible ground level, looking at the real lived experiences of people and how kind of places and infrastructure shape those experiences,” Flatow said.
“I’m feeling amazing,” Lange said of her win. “People from different segments that my work overlaps with are taking this as a win. Especially, you know, other people that are advocating for children and families. Seeing that the Pulitzer(s) gets why this is important and it’s important for architecture is really nice.”
Lange has been freelancing for CityLab since at least 2018, and in 2020 she started contributing more regularly to the publication. Her editor, Kriston Capps, had long appreciated her work as a fellow expert in the architecture space — he both writes about and edits work on architecture, and he has a newsletter named Design Edition that explores the built environment.
“So what happened last year is that (Lange and Capps) were having a conversation about some big ideas, and he felt the book she had written in 2018, ‘Design and Childhood,’ was really ahead of its time, and that there was really an opportunity to revisit a lot of those themes with some pieces that would really resonate,” said Flatow.
Capps presented an opportunity to explore the topic deeper and with a critical eye, and Lange was excited to undertake the project.
CityLab, which was initially named The Atlantic Cities and focused on urban development and planning, was started in 2011 by The Atlantic. As it grew, it rebranded and relaunched in 2014 as CityLab with a goal to tell stories that articulated how cities are hubs for discourse and understanding about the way people live their lives and build societies. In 2019, The Atlantic announced that Bloomberg would acquire the vertical. The mission, Flatow said, remains much the same, though it has expanded to include more global coverage and appeal.
“It’s the idea that cities are the laboratories of democracy. And that means that there are places where often new ideas and policies get tried out first. They’re also the places where tangible policies happen in our backyards,” she said.
Cities are also creative spaces where culture is built and where shared goals manifest beyond the realm of politics, she continued. And so, CityLab’s goal under the Bloomberg masthead is to provide reporting that illuminates the myriad trials and solutions embodied in metropolitan areas across the globe. The Pulitzer, Flatow said, is a boon for the vertical and its small team of six.
“I think all of us past and present feel some ownership and pride over this win. Our little team has never won a Pulitzer before, so it’s been really wonderful to see our work recognized in this way.”
As for Lange, she said the win wouldn’t have been possible without Capps’ trust and his willingness to give her the creative space to shape the series and flesh out her ideas across multiple articles.
“For critics, I think it’s especially important to have that time and space when you don’t have to be so news-driven and you can be driven a little bit more by your interest and passion, knowing that they actually intersect with things that a lot more people are interested in.”
