The Reflective Urbanist

Who gets to decide what our cities look like and how they work? Architects, planners, landscape architects, developers, elected officials, or the people who live there? The answer, of course, is complicated. In the first episode of a new series on urban design, Peter explores the competing interests, professional turf wars, and philosophical debates behind the places we build. Because designing a city isn't just about buildings. It's about people, priorities, and figuring out how to put the pieces together.

Episode music: Hot Club by Giulio Fazio

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” “Game over, man!” And the timeless office classic: “I’m gonna need you to come in on Saturday.” What do these movie lines have to do with managing a project? They capture the moment when enthusiasm gives way to disillusionment, panic, and the hunt for someone to blame. This week on The Reflective Urbanist, Peter explores the six phases of a project—and why the people who get the credit aren’t always the ones who did the work.

Episode music: Happy Place by Christian Larssen

A billion-dollar stadium. Twenty-seven committee members. Twelve months to get the design approved. The process for the Minnesota Vikings’ new stadium was designed to ensure public accountability, but the rules meant to keep everyone involved sometimes made collaboration harder. This week, Peter looks back at the tricky balance between transparency, participation, and getting things done—and how a few informal conversations helped bring everyone on board.

Episode music: Asking for a Friend by Jonny Boyle

Peter is getting old.

He knows this because he can remember when Louis Kahn, Edmund Bacon, and Oscar Stonorov were not historical figures—they were people his friends and colleagues actually knew.

Forty years later, Peter reflects on his move to Philadelphia, his first architecture job, the people who shaped the city, and a generation of architects who are slowly disappearing from living memory.

Episode music: Let the Show Begin by RA

What does a broken arm have to do with unions?

For Peter, quite a lot.

This week on The Reflective Urbanist, a personal story about work, bodies, health, and the long road to changing your mind.

Episode music: Mojito Man by Jonny Boyle

This week on The Reflective Urbanist: a story about New York, memory, and the places that become ours.

Episode music: Grasshopper Jump by Airstream

Goes Without Saying by Sky Gienger

Populuxe by Floor Model

Miles Away by Walz

Marshmallow by All Good Folks

What happens when billionaires start building our public spaces?

This week on The Reflective Urbanist, Peter takes a closer look at Little Island in New York City—and the complicated relationship between private wealth, public space, and who gets to shape our cities. It’s a conversation about philanthropy, power, and whether a park can really be “public” when one person pays for it.

Episode music: Pharaoh's Groove by Albert Behar

In this week’s episode of The Reflective Urbanist, Peter uses a scene from Trading Places—and the unforgettable “G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu Grip”—to explore career transitions, lingering identities, and how the experiences we accumulate can become our greatest assets. Plus, a little reflection on what happens when an architect realizes he might not actually be an architect anymore.

Episode music: Wingman by Michael Grubb

The Reflective Urbanist is back for Season 4!

This season, Peter turns his attention to the messy, fascinating world of large public projects: the politics, funding, partnerships, stakeholders, and enormous cast of characters it takes to make them happen. Along the way, expect plenty of Peter’s signature detours into film, literature, personal stories, and his long-held dream of teaching “Management in the Movies.”

What makes for a good career—and an even better life? In this thoughtful season finale, Peter explores the tension between achievement and meaning, offering practical advice and timeless insights on work, family, ambition, and the pursuit of “the good life.”

Dumb luck, smart luck, the two-road chance, and the lucky find: What happens when a $400 million redevelopment plan collides with rising costs, shifting markets, and the explosive demand for data centers? This episode explores why sometimes being better lucky than good is the smartest strategy of all.

Episode music: In Small Steps by Giulio Fazio

A hidden apartment inside a mall becomes the starting point for a deeper look at how we perceive and design space. This episode connects figure-ground theory and poché to reveal why the spaces between things matter just as much as the things themselves.

Episode music: Man of Mystery by Theo Gerard

At 57, Peter, a “problem student” discovers the truth: his brain was never broken—it was wired for something different. From ADHD to autism to dyslexia, we unpack why neurodivergent minds are disproportionately driving innovation and entrepreneurship. The real question: are we overlooking our greatest talent pool?

Episode Music: Human Machinery and Strange Things by Enrique Molano

Are entrepreneurs born or made? Drawing on research in genetics, intelligence, and personality, this episode explores the scientific roots of entrepreneurial behavior—and how those traits show up in real estate developers. If you’ve ever wondered what drives people to see opportunity where others see risk, this conversation connects the dots.

Episode music: Anything is Right by Giulio Fazio

Step off the elevator onto the 7½ floor and into the strange, unsettling world of liminal space—those in-between places that feel both familiar and deeply off. From Being John Malkovich to empty corridors, underground concourses, and eerie urban voids, this episode explores why these unavoidable and necessary spaces captivate and disturb us. And more importantly: what they reveal about how our cities—and our minds—really work.

Episode Music: Ghouls Night Out by Aaron Paul Low

Mailbag Part 2 is here, and Peter is diving into your questions—from surprising choices in building materials to how port authorities really work. We’ll wrap it up with a look at the shaky future of office buildings and what it could mean for cities.

Episode music: Weekend Croquet by Christian Larssen

One year in, The Reflective Urbanist opens the mailbag to unpack its journey so far—top episodes, surprising stats, and the stories that resonated most. It’s a candid look at what city-building conversations are landing, and why they matter beyond one place or profession.

Episode music: Cheeky Little Ones by Giulio Fazio

What can a military coup in Chile teach us about polarization, inequality, and the uneasy feeling that we’re becoming strangers to one another? From a chance encounter on a ferry to the rise of neoliberal economics and widening wealth gaps, this episode asks whether the United States is drifting toward its own “nation of enemies.”

Episode music: The Radetzky March by Johann Strauss, Sr.

and Sleeper Cellby Floor Model

Three real estate booms—the spec office surge of the 80s, the housing bubble of the 2000s, and today’s rental housing boom—shaped Peter’s career in unexpected ways. Each cycle reveals the same hidden force behind the rise and fall of development: waves of excess capital chasing returns.

Episode music: The Domino Effect by Floor Model

and

Cash Flow by Pecan Pie

In a crucial client interview, a single tone-deaf decision—to ignore the women asking the questions—quietly seals the team’s fate. This episode tells the story of an interview disaster fueled by mansplaining, interruption, and a stunning lack of self-awareness—and the redemption that followed.

Episode music: Jazz Rumble by Airstream