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The Aesthetic City

The Aesthetic City

Ruben Hanssen 60 Episodes Jun 13, 2026

The Aesthetic City podcast explores why modern cities have become hostile, ugly, car-oriented, and grey, and seeks solutions for creating more human, beautiful, and livable urban environments. Host Ruben Hanssen interviews experts in architecture, urban planning, and design to discuss how to improve cities, architecture, and streets. The podcast emphasizes the urgency of reclaiming valuable land from dreary developments and protecting picturesque urban areas from incongruous buildings.

Episodes

#61 - Alexander Rotmensz: Seeking Truth & Beauty in Architecture & Urban Design Jun 13, 2026 01:03:28 Alexander Rotmensz is an urbanist YouTuber with over 40,000 subscribers and millions of views, known for advocating classical architecture and traditional urban design while documenting the devastating legacy of mid-20th century urban renewal on American cities. He launched his channel about three years ago while studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and holds a bachelor's degr
#60 - Branko Mitrovic: The Classical Architecture Education Renaissance in Trondheim May 29, 2026 00:53:39 In today's episode, professor Branko Mitrovic tells us about the battle to teach classical architecture at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. Here, one student prompted Branko to start teaching Classical architecture, which started a movement in the university, a study association. Might this be the beginning of a return of the Classical curriculum at architecture schools? Branko Mitrović is a profes
#59 - Michael Diamant, part III: Why Tradition Is Progressive Feb 18, 2026 01:10:06 Michael Diamant is the founder and a leading voice of the global "New Traditional Architecture" movement. His background is in urban sociology, but he sparked the "Architecture Uprising": an  international campaign to replace monotonous modernist buildings with beautiful, human-centered, and sustainable design. He has successfully shifted architectural discourse in his native S
#58 - Timothy Smith, Smith & Taylor Architects - The Revival of Classical Architecture Education in Britain Feb 6, 2026 00:35:20 Timothy Smith is an accomplished architect, a partner at Smith and Taylor Architects, and a leading voice in contemporary classical design based in London.He's a tutor at one of Europe's only classical master's programs at Kingston School of Art and a visiting scholar at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He holds degrees from Edinburgh College of Arts and London Met
#57 - Will McCollum, Citymakers Collective: Creating Urbanism Education Alternatives in the USA Jan 30, 2026 01:12:39 Will McCollum is a designer who worked alongside celebrated urbanist Lew Oliver for 10 years to create meaningful and beautiful communities across the United States. He currently resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he has opened his own firm. He also serves as the president of Citymakers Collective and as a board member of the Congress for the New Urbanism in New England. I've had the pl
#56 - Ann Sussman: Why It's Time for Human-Centric & 'Biological' Architecture & Urban Design Dec 30, 2025 01:01:29 Ann Sussman is an architect, author and researcher interested in how buildings influence our behavior. She's president of the Human Architecture and Planning Institute, and also known from the books Cognitive Architecture and Urban Experience + Design. She recently co-authored the Handbook of Neuroscience and the Built Environment, which recently launched.In this interview, Ruben and Ann talk
#55 - Alexandros Lavdas: Why Our Brains (& Bodies) Need Beautiful Cities Dec 4, 2025 00:49:39 Alexandros Lavdas is a is neuroscientist, a tenured Senior Researcher at Eurac Research, Bolzano, Italy and head of Psychology at Webster University, Athens Campus, Greece. He is also member of the board of directors of the Human Architecture and Planning Institute. He holds a PhD from University College London (UCL) and has worked at UCL and the Hellenic Pasteur Institute in Athens. He has worked
#54 - Jon Jon Wesolowski, The Happy Urbanist: Making Happy Cities Nov 2, 2025 01:11:27 Jon Jon is an avid urbanist, national speaker, and content creator passionate about decoding what makes spaces great. His TikTok channels have amassed over 8.6 million likes and 406k followers. His website: https://www.thehappyurbanist.cityFollow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonjon.jpeg ======== JOIN OUR COURSE: https://www.aestheticcity.academy/products/courses/aesthetic-city-acade
#53 - Diana Trushell: The Design Professor Jul 21, 2025 01:13:24 Diana Trushell is the founder of The Design Professor, an online education platform for creative professionals who are interested in examine design through the lens of psychology, nature and history. Diana is currently a lecturer at both Columbia University and Parsons School of Design where she teaches Circular Economy and Sustainable Systems. Previously, she worked as a Design Strategist wherein
#52 SPECIAL - Ruben Hanssen: Why We Started An Academy Jun 24, 2025 01:05:44 In this special episode, Bart Urban interviews Ruben about the launch of their new course: The Aesthetic City Academy!They discuss: What the course is all aboutWho's it for (and who it isn't for)How it should help fill a gap in education, by teaching a about the timeless principles of good urban designThe problems with current architectural education What we can expect from this course in
#51 - Aaron Lubeck Jun 20, 2025 01:05:52 Aaron Lubeck is a designer, builder, and urbanist who’s spent over two decades shaping sustainable, walkable, and affordable communities, with a deep-rooted passion for the US South. He’s the founder of Southern Urbanism, a platform dedicated to reimagining city-building below the Mason-Dixon line, and the voice behind onHousing, a podcast and Substack where he tackles housing policy, zoning refor
#50 - Chuck Marohn, StrongTowns May 30, 2025 01:06:36 Chuck Marohn is a civil engineer, urban planner, and the founder of StrongTowns: an organization that has been shaking up the world of planning, development, and local governance with one powerful idea: that many of our cities, especially in North America, are financially insolvent by design.Through his books, lectures, and relentless advocacy, he’s exposed the hidden fragility of car-centric grow

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