The Reflective Urbanist

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

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 an

#P056: You may want to talk to your mother

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 r

#P055: Welcome to d.b.a.

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

#P054: The Little Island - From predators to icons and their civic monuments

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 th

#P053: GI Joe with the Kung Fu grip

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 transit

Season 4 Teaser

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, pa

#P052: Pretty good career advice

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 adv

#P051: Better lucky than good!

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

#P050: Secret Mall Apartment

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

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

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 neu

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

Are entrepreneurs born or made? Drawing on research in genetics, intelligence, and personality, this episode explores the scientific roots of entrepreneurial behavior—and

#P047: Welcome to the 7 1/2 floor

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

#P046: Mailbag pt. 2

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

#P045: The Mailbag Episode pt. 1

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 loo

#P044: A Nation of Enemies, and why I can't stop thinking about Chile

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

#P043: Boom and Bust

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

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

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 inte

#P041: Surveillance pt. 2 - Liquid Modernity

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, prote

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

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 tra

#P039: When do developers earn their profit?

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