Future of the American City

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An initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Design that presents alternative futures and convenes conversations about how we live, where we live. Supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and generous donors to the American Cities Fund. Future of the American City is curated by the…

Office for Urbanization


    • May 1, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 45m AVG DURATION
    • 66 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Future of the American City

    Jha D. Amazi on Collective Memory

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 41:11


    Jha D. Amazi is a principal at MASS Design Group, a nonprofit organization focusing on social justice and public space. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her work as head of MASS's Public Memory and Memorials Lab.

    Mark Lamster on Architecture and the City

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 54:40


    Mark Lamster is an award-winning architecture critic and author. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss Dallas architecture and his role as architecture critic at the Dallas Morning News, his writing on Philip Johnson, and the state of contemporary architectural criticism.

    Elisa Iturbe on Carbon Form

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 50:58


    Elisa Iturbe is an architectural designer, writer, and educator. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her research on “carbon form,” an urban and architectural paradigm unique to the carbon age.

    Joel Sanders on Inclusive Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025 37:14


    Joel Sanders is an architect and educator and the founder of JSA/MIXdesign. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work in inclusive design.

    inclusive design joel sanders
    Landscapes of Retreat

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2023 41:34


    Rosetta Elkin is a landscape architect and author. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her new book Landscapes of Retreat. Future of the American City is a project of the Office for Urbanization at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It is produced by Charlie Gaillard, Olani Ewunnet, Aziz Barbar, Jeffrey S. Nesbit, and Mercedes … Continued

    The Architecture of Disability

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2023 50:53


    Designer, historian, and theorist David Gissen joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book The Architecture of Disability. Future of the American City is a project of the Office for Urbanization at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. It is produced by Charlie Gaillard, Olani Ewunnet, Aziz Barbar, Jeffrey S. Nesbit, and Mercedes Peralta.

    Manual of Biogenic House Sections

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2023 51:45


    Architects Paul Lewis and Marc Tsurumaki, principals of the New York-based practice LTL Architects, join Charles Waldheim to discuss their recent book Manual of Biogenic House Sections.

    New York Review of Architecture

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2023 44:20


    Author and publisher Nicolas Kemper and architectural historian and critic Phillip Denny join Charles Waldheim to discuss their publication New York Review of Architecture.

    Jeff Hou

    Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2023 46:37


    Jeff Hou is an author, advocate, and educator. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his research on urban resistance and popular protest movements in the public realm.

    Shannon Mattern

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2023 53:41


    Shannon Mattern is a media theorist and design anthropologist. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her new book A City Is Not a Computer: Other Urban Intelligences.

    Ed Wall

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2023 51:50


    Ed Wall is a landscape architect and urbanist. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book Contesting Public Spaces: Social Lives of Urban Redevelopment in London.

    wall urban redevelopment
    Jennifer Bonner and Hanif Kara

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 30, 2023 48:44


    Architect Jennifer Bonner and structural engineer Hanif Kara join Charles Waldheim to discuss their new book Blank: Speculations on CLT.

    Peggy Deamer and Quilian Riano

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 16, 2023 54:38


    Architects Peggy Deamer and Quilian Riano join Charles Waldheim to discuss their advocacy for architecture as a form of labor and their various roles in The Architecture Lobby.

    riano architecture lobby peggy deamer
    Abby Spinak

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2023 49:38


    Abby Spinak is an environmental historian and planning scholar whose work focuses on energy histories and the politics of infrastructure. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her research on rural electric cooperatives in the United States.

    Sam Stein

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 16, 2023 49:47


    Sam Stein is a geographer and housing policy analyst. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book Capital City: Gentrification and the Real Estate State.

    Laurie Olin

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2023 46:14


    Laurie Olin is a landscape architect, author, and founding partner of the landscape architecture and urban design firm OLIN. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book Essays on Landscape.

    Marshall Brown

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2022 47:38


    Marshall Brown is an architect and urbanist and the principal of Marshall Brown Projects. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book Recurrent Visions.

    Signe Nielsen

    Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2022 46:23


    Signe Nielsen is a landscape architect and principal of MNLA. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss Little Island, her role on the New York City Public Design Commission, and her career on the New York waterfront.

    Eric Rodenbeck

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 39:21


    Eric Rodenbeck is the founder and Creative Director of Stamen, a data visualization and cartography studio based in the Bay Area. Eric joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work with the Getty Research Institute and their acquisition of Ed Ruscha's Streets of Los Angeles archive.

    Sara Zewde

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2022 41:21


    Sara Zewde is a landscape architect and founding principal of Studio Zewde, a landscape, urban design, and public art practice based in New York City. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her recent work as well as her research following Frederick Law Olmsted's reporting in the antebellum South.

    Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 24, 2022 42:31


    Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi are principals and founders of Weiss/Manfredi Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism. They join Charles Waldheim to discuss their practice and their work on the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum in Los Angeles.

    David Gissen

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2022 37:54


    David Gissen is a designer, author, and educator. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his interest in architecture and the bodies it imagines.

    Charlotte Malterre-Barthes

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2022 42:41


    Charlotte Malterre-Barthes is an urban designer and educator. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her proposal for a global moratorium on new construction.

    Jorge Otero-Pailos

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 10, 2022 42:30


    Jorge Otero-Pailos is an artist, architect, and educator whose work is concerned with the future meaning of the past. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his recent practice.

    jorge otero pailos
    Grahame Shane

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2021 38:35


    Grahame Shane is an architect, urbanist, and educator. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his career in urban design.

    Lisa Servon

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 16, 2021 45:22


    Lisa Servon is Penn Presidential Professor and Chair of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss the unbanked and underbanked and the financial divide in America's retail banking system.

    Alex Krieger

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2021 44:10


    Alex Krieger is an architect, urbanist, and author. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his new book, City on a Hill: Urban Idealism in America from the Puritans to the Present.

    Amale Andraos

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 18, 2021 37:33


    Amale Andraos is co-founder and principal of the architecture firm WORKac. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her recent work.

    Fritz Steiner

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2021 39:42


    Fritz Steiner is Dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work in ecological planning and his new book, Megaregions and America's Future.

    Vishaan Chakrabarti

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2021 41:45


    Vishaan Chakrabarti is an architect, urbanist, and founder of the Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU). He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his recent work and practice.

    Billy Fleming

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2021 42:14


    Billy Fleming is an urban planner and Director of the McHarg Center at the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work, research, and advocacy around design and the Green New Deal.

    Kate Orff

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 23, 2021 43:59


    Kate Orff is a landscape architect and founding principal of SCAPE. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her recent work on the future of the American City.

    Maurice Cox

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2021 48:16


    Maurice Cox is the Commissioner of Chicago's Department of Planning and Development. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his career in public service and recent work in Chicago.

    Fredy and Mies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2021 49:16


    Danielle Aubert is a graphic designer interested in the history of design and labor. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her work in Detroit, including research on Fredy Perlman and the Detroit Printing Co-Op as well as Mies van der Rohe’s Lafayette Park.

    New Civics

    Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2021 51:00


    Rip Rapson is the President and CEO of the Kresge Foundation. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss the Foundation’s work in Detroit.

    Common Land and Collective Meaning

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 29, 2021 46:46


    Anya Sirota is an architectural designer interested in the intersection of social enterprise and cultural production. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her ongoing work in Detroit.

    Inclusive Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 15, 2021 45:22


    Anika Goss is the Executive Director of Detroit Future City. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss the organization’s role in the recent history of Detroit.

    Architecture Is a Social Act

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2021 44:45


    Lorcan O’Herlihy is an architect whose practice embraces architecture as a catalyst for social change. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work in Detroit and Los Angeles.

    Advocacy and Redevelopment

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 18, 2021 42:08


    Melissa Dittmer is Chief Design Officer at Bedrock Detroit. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss Bedrock’s work developing Detroit’s downtown.

    Reconceiving the Waterfront

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 4, 2021 40:36


    Mark Wallace is President and CEO of the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work overseeing the transformation of Detroit’s riverfront.

    ceo president detroit waterfront mark wallace detroit riverfront conservancy
    Community Engaged Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 18, 2021 45:01


    Ceara O’Leary is an architect and planner who works at the intersection of design and policy. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss her work at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center.

    Inverse Utopia

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 4, 2021 47:57


    Albert Pope is an architect and urbanist whose research deals with the modern postwar city. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss new and alternative approaches to urbanism in Detroit.

    Windows of Opportunity

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2020 48:21


    Dr. Jennifer Wolch is a Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California at Berkeley. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss urban homelessness, food systems, and opportunities for innovation in Los Angeles.

    Integrity and Affordability

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2020 37:19


    Patrick Tighe is an architect interested in technology and building innovation. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work on housing in Los Angeles.

    Responsible Auteurism

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2020 42:32


    Neil Denari is an architect interested in the tension and interplay between innovation, preservation, technology, and tradition. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work in Los Angeles.

    los angeles responsible auteurism neil denari
    Advocacy by Design

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2020 43:52


    Mia Lehrer is a landscape architect interested in urban revitalization and sustainability. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss community advocacy and her work on the LA River and sports stadia.

    Housing as Lifestyle

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2020 70:50


    Frances Anderton is an author and broadcaster who has long focused on covering design and architecture in Los Angeles. She joins Charles Waldheim to discuss what makes ‘home’ in Los Angeles.

    The Hidden Logic of Cities

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2020 70:26


    Roger Sherman is an architect and urbanist interested in the visible and invisible logic of cities. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss new models for housing in Los Angeles and his work as Senior Director of Urban Strategy at Gensler.

    Street Economies

    Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2020 39:43


    Andres Sevtsuk is an architect, urban designer, and educator whose work focuses on urban planning and spatial analysis. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss his work on city networks, transportation technology, and the future streets of Los Angeles. 

    Relaxation of Boundaries

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2020 47:02


    Andrew Zago is an architect and educator whose work focuses on art, architecture, and urbanism. He joins Charles Waldheim to discuss architecture’s role, limitations, and autonomous contributions beyond power and economics.

    City of Many Cultures

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2020 55:51


    Michael Maltzan is an architect and educator whose work focuses on affordable urban housing, infrastructure, and the public realm. His most recent projects in Los Angeles demonstrate the importance of architectural legibility and bridging communities within a city of many cultures. 

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