25 Magazines Paying for Writing on Architecture and Urban Design

Writers! Today for you, I have a list of 25 publications that pay for writing on architecture, real estate, and urban planning & design.

We’ve researched payment rates and contact information for these publishers, so you can easily contact the right editor.

If you’re new to pitching, I encourage you to spend time carefully studying the publications you would like to write for. Learn their style, how they’re organized, the types of writing they publish, and even the general lengths of the articles they publish. Also, pay special attention to the way they write article titles, as this is often vital to the pitch writing process.

Once you’re familiar with the publication, you can brainstorm ideas, and then carefully craft a short pitch to the appropriate editor at the publication. For paid subscribers, feel free to send me a draft pitch, and I’ll give you my feedback.

If you’re looking for even more opportunities to get published,you should also check out this list of 200 Publications that Pay Writers. You can also browse the many lists we’ve published so far on this site.

1. Planning covers news and analyses of events in planning (including suburban, rural, and small town planning, environmental planning, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, social planning, and urban design). Word range for feature articles are 2,500 words, book reviews 500 to 700 words and news stories 500 words. Writers can expect to be paid between $100 and $1,000 per article. Check out the contributor guidelines to learn more.

2. Dwell focuses on modern architecture and design. They publish “home tours, interviews, and essays illuminating the power of smart design.” For web pieces, they pay 50 cents for web, and $1 for print. According to their executive editor, they pay $200-$400+ per piece. To learn more, visit this page.

3. Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) is a print and digital magazine of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). They publish on a monthly basis. They are always seeking “good stories and great journalists to write about them.” According to their editor, they pay $1 per word for most of their stories. To learn more, read their contribution guidelines.

4. Fine Homebuilding is a bimonthly magazine for “builders, architects, contractors, owner/builders, and others who are involved in building new houses or reviving old ones.” What makes their magazine unique is that a majority of their articles are “written by people who actually do the work they write about.” They pay their writers a starting rate of $150 for each published magazine page. Sometimes they pay a bonus for an unusually good manuscript. To find out more, read their author guidelines.

5. The Avery Review is a digital journal that is “dedicated to thinking about books, buildings, and other architectural media.” It is a project of the Office of Publications at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. They are looking for reviews and critical essays about books, buildings, and other architectural media. Their essays are usually 3,000 to 4,500 words long. They pay $400 for essays. To learn more, refer to this page.

6. Places Journal is a resource for “contemporary architecture, landscape, and urbanism.” They are looking for lively and original writing. They publish interdisciplinary scholarship, essays, narrative journalism, criticism, multimedia work, and photography. Most of their articles are 1,000 to 6,000 words long. According to one payment report, they paid $0.30 per word for a 4,000-word feature. For details, read their submission guidelines.

7. Archinect is a website for “progressive-design oriented students, architects, educators, and fans.” They are a source for news, event listings, discussions, and job opportunities. According to one payment report, they paid $0.15 per word. To contact them, refer to this page.