Chicago Review of Architecture (ChiRA) is a special project from New York Review of Architecture (NYRA) that seeks to generate erudite, humorous, and hyperlocal writing on the built (and unbuilt) environment. Working with editorial advisors Zach Mortice, Anjulie Rao, and Kate Wagner, the team at New York Review of Architecture draws on their existing stable of Chicago critics and also engage writers from across the country. Select critics will come to Chicago to participate in a series of programs with the Chicago Architecture Biennial.

Zach Mortice is a Chicago-based design journalist and critic who focuses on how architecture and landscape architecture intersect with public policy. He is a contributing writer at Bloomberg CityLab and a contributing editor at Landscape Architecture Magazine as well as a frequent contributor to New York Review of Architecture.

Anjulie Rao is a journalist and critic covering the built environment. She is a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her bylines can be found in Dwell, Belt Magazine, The Architectural Review, New York Review of Architecture, and Landscape Architecture Magazine, among others.

Kate Wagner is the architecture critic at The Nation. She is the creator of the blog McMansion Hell and the criticism newsletter The Late Review and is a regular contributor to New York Review of Architecture.

Samuel Medina is a writer and editor living in New York. He is the editor of New York Review of Architecture, having been previously the executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper. His writing has appeared in numerous publications, including Artforum, The Art Newspaper, and Harvard Design Magazine. In 2019, he edited manuscripts for Terreform’s Urban Research series, the nonprofit and imprint led by the late Michael Sorkin. In 2021, he helped to found the New Voices in Architectural Journalism fellowship.

Chloe Wyma is a writer and editor living in New York. She is the deputy editor of New York Review of Architecture. Wyma is the recipient of an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant in Short-Form Writing and has contributed and edited texts accompanying exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, Whitechapel Gallery, and other institutions. Her criticism has appeared in publications including Architectural Review, Bookforum, The Brooklyn Rail, The New York Times Book Review, and Artforum, where she  was previously a senior editor.

Nicholas Raap is a writer and occasional designer. He studied architecture and criticism at the Architectural Association in London and Iowa State University between Ames, Iowa, and Rome. He was previously editor-in-chief of DATUM Journal of Architecture. His work and collaborations have appeared in SENT, Journal of Architecture Education, ArchDaily, and Archinect, and been exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the 2016 Venice Biennale. He is the associate publisher for New York Review of Architecture.

Laura Coombs is a graphic designer in New York, creating visual identities and editorial projects with artists, architects, and museums including The Museum of Modern Art, the New Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, MIT Press, Park Books, and Columbia Books on Architecture and the City. Coombs holds a degree in architecture from Cornell University and an MFA from Yale University. She has lectured at the Walker Art Center, Harvard Graduate School of Design, Strelka Institute, and Pioneer Works. She teaches graphic design at the Rhode Island School Design, The Cooper Union, and Princeton University. She is the art director of New York Review of Architecture.

Nicolas Kemper is trained as an architect and journalist. He is the publisher of New York Review of Architecture. He has worked for architecture and engineering firms and written for Curbed, AA Files, Urban Omnibus, and Scope of Work. He has served on the faculty of the School of Visual Arts and the Kean School of Public Architecture, and volunteers as a tour guide at St. John the Divine.

New York Review of Architecture (NYRA) advances critical conversations on the built environment. We publish significant and timely writing on architecture outside of academic or trade contexts while maintaining the highest standards of editorial integrity and professionalism. Founded in 2019, NYRA is an independent publication based in New York City that publishes in print six times a year, alongside biweekly content newsletters and SKYLINE write-ups. NYRA’s contributors report from the city’s architectural institutions and communities, connecting local conversations to global audiences. NYRA features an array of formats including essays, interviews, longform reviews, capsule critiques, and even cartoons.