The Reflective Urbanist

Forget the textbooks and the management-speak. If you really want to understand project management, try watching a few movies. From a malfunctioning giant octopus to a very busy Mr. Wolfe, Peter finds some surprisingly useful lessons in the characters who improvise, solve problems, and keep the whole production from falling apart. It's not always pretty, but somebody has to finish the job.Episode music: Lots. Contact Peter if you want the playlist.

Every city wants to be somebody. A world-class destination. A sports town. An arts and culture hub. A place where everyone wants to live, work, and invest. But who decides what that identity looks like, and who benefits from the projects designed to create it? Peter explores the idea of the Urban Propaganda Project, examining how civic pride and community identity can become powerful tools for promoting economic development—and quieting opposition along the way.You down with UPP?Episode music: A Hint of Mischief by Giulio FazioTopsy Turvy by All Good Folks

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 AirstreamGoes Without Saying by Sky GiengerPopuluxe by Floor ModelMiles Away by WalzMarshmallow 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