Loading...

PODCAST

The Reflective Urbanist

Peter Hendee Brown

The Reflective Urbanist is for all city-builders, from design professionals, developers, and civil servants to elected officials, interest groups, and community members. Each episode combines a story, a theory, and a lesson, bridging between ideas and practice to illuminate how things get done in the city.

science social sciences

All Episodes

00:14:10

#P057: Back when Lou and I were designing the Salk...

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/10/07

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

en

00:13:03

#P056: You may want to talk to your mother

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/09/30

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

en

00:12:43

#P055: Welcome to d.b.a.

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/09/23

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

en

00:12:12

#P054: The Little Island - From predators to icons...

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/09/16

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

en

00:11:38

#P053: GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/09/09

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.

en

00:06:13

Season 4 Teaser

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/09/02

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.”

en

00:18:34

#P052: Pretty good career advice

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/05/20

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.”

en

00:14:47

#P051: Better lucky than good!

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/05/13

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

en

00:16:28

#P050: Secret Mall Apartment

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/05/06

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

en

00:15:00

#P049: A Ferrari engine ... with bicycle brakes

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/04/29

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

en

00:14:24

#P048: So you're telling me there's a chance?

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/04/22

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

en

00:13:31

#P047: Welcome to the 7 1/2 floor

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/04/15

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

en

00:17:14

#P046: Mailbag pt. 2

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/04/08

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

en

00:14:11

#P045: The Mailbag Episode pt. 1

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/04/01

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

en

00:16:26

#P043: A Nation of Enemies, and why I can't stop...

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/03/18

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 Cell by Floor Model

en

00:21:43

#P043: Boom and Bust

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/03/11

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 Modeland Cash Flow by Pecan Pie

en

00:11:23

#P042: Mansplaining - why men should listen more and...

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/03/04

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

en

00:12:42

#P041: Surveillance pt. 2 - Liquid Modernity

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/02/25

A routine data breach notice becomes a window into a much larger transformation in how power operates. In Part Two of this surveillance series, personal experience, protests in Minneapolis, and the theory of liquid modernity converge to reveal how privacy erodes — and why that erosion should concern us all.Episode music: Sneaky Inspector by Airstream

en

00:13:06

#P040 - Surveillance pt. 1: Back in the U.S.S.R.

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/02/18

What does a Cold War summer in Leningrad reveal about the hidden psychology of being watched? Drawing on Jeremy Bentham, Michel Foucault, and David Lyon, this episode traces how physical spaces—from hotel corridors to prison designs—quietly train us to police ourselves.Episode music: Celtic Jam by Airstream and Tactical Approach by Soundroll

en

00:13:24

#P039 - When do developers earn their profit?

The Reflective Urbanist ·

2026/02/11

Developers aren’t paid when the headlines fade — they’re paid when the last unit sells. In this episode, we explore the risk, timing, and and hidden realities behind real estate returns, revealing why profit usually shows up much later than people think.Episode music from #Uppbeat: Catch the Rabbit by Soundroll

en

63 results

Similar Podcasts

Rabbit Hole of Research

Jotham Austin, II PhD, Nick Elizalde,...

Show Me the Science with Luke O"Neill

Newstalk

Planetterrian Daily

Patrick · Nerra Network

Sleep Science

Sleep Science

BioSpace

BioSpace