Samuel Holleran

After 9/11, the Port Authority of N.Y. and N.J. catalogued hundreds of pieces of steel debris. Much of it ended up in small municipal memorials in office parks and parking lots around the country.

From billboards to graffiti to guerrilla marketing, civic and commercial interests have long fought to control the visual environment of the city. Today the contest is more heated than ever.

Cooper Union was long unique among U.S. design schools in offering an education that was not only first-rate but tuition-free. It’s fighting hard to remain true to its egalitarian mission.