What began as a conversation about the city of Atlanta quickly evolved into a discussion on American urbanism and city planning. In this episode of ​our mini-series ​Cities We Live In​, our guest is Paul Knight, an urban and architectural designer at Historical Concepts and the Executive Director at the nonprofit Douglas C. Allen Institute for the Study of Cities. Paul kicks off the discussion by posing the question first asked by professor Doug Allen to his seminar students at Georgia Tech: "How did we arrive here, at the corner of 5th Street and West Peachtree in Atlanta?" The answer, as our discussion makes clear, covers vast lineages of design in the western hemisphere: from the concept of the polis​ in ancient Greece, the urban environments built by the Roman Empire, and all the way to the American cities that sought to capture those same ideals. Human civilization has grappled with the challenges of designing better cities, ​and ultimately it comes down to how those city plans are laid out in the first place.

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.​

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of young architecture and design professionals met on Zoom to discuss the future of their profession. The conversation began with some prescient observations about how public health considerations might impact the way buildings are designed, but it quickly expanded to a broader discussion about the fields of architecture and design in general. Will human behavior actually change as a result of a public health crisis, if history is any guide​? Is there a distinction anymore between the classical and the modern? Should an architect be expected to articulate their reasoning behind every aspect of their design? Even with the benefit of hindsight in looking back at the uncertain early days of the pandemic, listening to their conversation now still raises questions that resonate with centuries of debate about the fate of the profession.

Hosted by Mike Geller of G.P. Schafer Architect, the discussion featured the following speakers (in order of appearance):​ Kellen Krause of Historical Concepts; Dave Chessrown of N Architects; Kristina Mosco of Ferguson & Shamamian; Karl Landsteiner of Bade Stageberg Cox​; Robert Khederian, real estate agent at Compass; Mike O'Neill of Beyer Blinder Belle; ​Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro of Estudio Urbano; Brent Buck of Brent Buck Architects; and Whitley Esteban of Roman and Williams.

Classicism in Conversation returns for a new season with another installment of our popular mini-series Cities We Live In. Show host Kellen Krause and architects Anthony Catania and Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro visit Philip Bess, Professor of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame, at his home in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago. Professor Bess shares how his interests brought him to Chicago, and discusses the history that created the modern urban landscape we see today. 

Though he initially moved to the city to find a job as an architect, his experiences in the city brought him to the study of urbanism and its impact on the way people live in their environment. He later led Notre Dame's graduate urban design studio on the multi-year project After Burnham: The Notre Dame Plan of Chicago 2109, which he discusses in this episode. As Professor Bess puts it, urbanism is not just about walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods - rather, it encompasses the study of the entire region, including the relationship between the agricultural lands and what Aristotle called the polis. 

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

Architect Jacques Levet leads listeners through the history and architecture of New Orleans in this installment of our popular mini-series Cities We Live In. Jacques shares which landmarks of his home city are most inspiring to him as a designer, and discusses how the city's evolution has been affected by the periods of French, Spanish and American control. 

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved. Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.

Join the ICAA for the latest installment of Classicism in Conversation, featuring Kevin Clark, principal at Historical Concepts. Kevin describes his fascination with traditional, walkable cities, and explains why he relied on classical design when building a home office for his wife, Lynn.

Our mini-series "At Home" is a vicarious look at today's creatives. These are their stories of what it's like to live as a designer. You can follow the "At Home" mini-series with a special photo log on classicist.org.

For this special episode, we are proud to feature a roundtable discussion with recent graduates of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture. "Lessons from Architecture School" is not a textbook primer about design, but rather a lively conversation about the purpose of architects, the need for classical elements in contemporary designs, and what architects can do to improve the future of their discipline.​

The six classmates ​share laughs about the misconceptions they brought into their first year in the program, commiserate about sleepless nights in the studio, and discuss the essential lessons they absorbed as architecture students. 

​Moderator Caroline Colella is joined by Victoria Cardozo, Patrick Dunleavy, Matthew Loumeau, Austin Proehl, and Alessandra Turi; all of whom are graduates of the Class of 2020.

Join the ICAA for the latest installment of Classicism in Conversation, featuring James Kaston, who works in the antiques business in New York City. James reminisces on how he ended up in his apartment in Stuyvesant Town, how he has experimented with its layout and decor over the years, and what it means to have "personal taste."

Our mini-series "At Home" is a vicarious look at today's creatives. These are their stories of what it's like to live as a designer. You can follow the "At Home" mini-series with a special photo log at classicist.org.

In the second entry of our mini-series 20 Questions, listen in on a frank and entertaining conversation between three architects and two "laypeople," as each group asks what they have always wanted to know about the professions of their counterparts. Architects and show hosts Kellen Krause, Anthony Catania, and Rodrigo Bollat Montenegro are joined by Jeanz Holt, an attorney, and Rich McGovern, who works in digital media in New York City. Although all five of our contributors are enthusiastic about architecture - Jeanz and Rich even worked previously for the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art - find out what the enthusiasts have always wanted to know about the professionals, and how the architects think of the "laypeople" who live and work in the buildings they design.

Cities We Live In is a study of what makes our favorite cities stand out, and in doing so conveying a need for a return to traditional design principles which make them so beloved.  Join Sebastian von Marschall, a resident of Charleston, and three architects and urban designers, who discuss the history and beauty of this American city.  Not simply a history of urban form, Cities We Live In teaches us why good places matter.