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 about a variety of topics regarding the brain, the importance of beauty, the experience of our built environment through our senses and the need for a different kind of design that takes human perception into account.

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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 extensively in nervous system development and regeneration, and is especially interested in examining elements of visual organized complexity, such as those found in nature and pre-modern architecture, and exploring their physiological and neural correlates.

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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.city

Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonjon.jpeg

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JOIN OUR COURSE: https://www.aestheticcity.academy/products/courses/aesthetic-city-academy

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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 she managed and consulted on projects ranging from corporate strategy, human-centered design and impact entrepreneurship.

Earlier in her career, Diana practiced architecture and taught courses in sustainable design and architecture, systems thinking and material culture. Her work has been published in Architectural Record, The Wall Street Journal and Dezeen, among others.

Her signature course, Psychology of Space, is currently open for enrollment until August 1st. In it, you’ll learn how to apply evidence-based design principles to create environments that support well-being, creativity and focus, among many other cognitive benefits.

This course equips you to make more informed design decisions by evaluating cognitive and emotional responses to space, and aligning design strategy with real psychological insight—so you can create spaces that truly support the people who use them.

If you’d like to learn more about it, you can check it out at the-design-professor.lpages.co/the-aesthetic-city

She’s also provided us a special promo code: THEAESTHETICCITY which you can use until enrollment closes on August 1st.

Follow The Design Professor on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.design.professor/

Visit her website: https://thedesignprofessor.com

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For more information on The Aesthetic City, find our website on https://theaestheticcity.com/

We launched our course, join it until August 1: https://aesthetic-city-academy.thinkific.com/products/courses/aesthetic-city-academy

Love what we do? Become a patron! With your help we can grow this platform even further, make more content and hopefully achieve real, lasting impact for more beautiful cities worldwide.

Visit our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/the_aesthetic_city?fan_landing=true

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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 about
• Who'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 design
• The problems with current architectural education
• What we can expect from this course in the future
• and much, much more!

Want access? Use promo code 'podcast10' to get 10% off!

Click the following link for more information:

https://aesthetic-city-academy.thinkific.com/products/courses/aesthetic-city-academy

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For more information on The Aesthetic City, find our website on https://theaestheticcity.com/

Love what we do? Become a patron! With your help we can grow this platform even further, make more content and hopefully achieve real, lasting impact for more beautiful cities worldwide.

Visit our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/the_aesthetic_city?fan_landing=true

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@the_aesthetic_city

Follow us on X: https://x.com/_Aesthetic_City

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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 reform, and the art of incremental development.

A restoration contractor by trade, he’s led groundbreaking projects like Durham’s first net-zero-energy home and pushed for zoning changes to bring back "missing middle" housing. His book Green Restorations reflects his commitment to blending historic preservation with modern sustainability, while his work with Southern Urbanism keeps him at the forefront of a regional renaissance in place-making.

Find more information about Southern Urbanism and OnHousing here:

https://www.southernurbanism.org/

https://www.aaronlubeck.com/

========

For more information on The Aesthetic City, find our website on https://theaestheticcity.com/

We launched our course: https://aesthetic-city-academy.thinkific.com/products/courses/aesthetic-city-academy

Love what we do? Become a patron! With your help we can grow this platform even further, make more content and hopefully achieve real, lasting impact for more beautiful cities worldwide.

Visit our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/the_aesthetic_city?fan_landing=true

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@the_aesthetic_city

Follow us on X: https://x.com/_Aesthetic_City

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Substack: https://theaestheticcity.substack.com/

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 growth and championed a new, bottom-up approach to building places that are financially strong, resilient, and deeply human.

Visit the StrongTowns website here: https://www.strongtowns.org

Follow them on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@strongtowns

Follow StrongTowns on X: https://x.com/StrongTowns

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strong_towns/

========

For more information on The Aesthetic City, find our website on https://theaestheticcity.com/

Love what we do? Become a patron! With your help we can grow this platform even further, make more content and hopefully achieve real, lasting impact for more beautiful cities worldwide.

Visit our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/the_aesthetic_city?fan_landing=true

We are making an online course about urban planning! Join the waitlist here: https://the-aesthetic-city.kit.com/a2d41beb6f

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@the_aesthetic_city

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Kevin Klinkenberg is an urban designer, planner, and architect from Kansas City with over two decades of experience in creating walkable, human-centered communities. He’s the mind behind The Messy City, a blog and podcast where he explores the complexities of urban development, advocating for adaptability, local initiative, and practical solutions over rigid, top-down planning.

He previously served as Executive Director of the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority, where he contributed to a downtown master plan for Savannah, Georgia. A long-time advocate for New Urbanism, and writer of the book ‘Why I Walk’, he has worked across the U.S. blending idealism with pragmatism.

Subscribe to Kevin's substack: https://kevinklinkenberg.substack.com

Follow Kevin on X: https://x.com/kevinklink

========

For more information on The Aesthetic City, find our website on https://theaestheticcity.com/

Love what we do? Become a patron! With your help we can grow this platform even further, make more content and hopefully achieve real, lasting impact for more beautiful cities worldwide.

Visit our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/the_aesthetic_city?fan_landing=true

We are making an online course about urban planning! Join the waitlist here: https://www.aesthetic.city/the-academy

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@the_aesthetic_city

Follow us on X: https://x.com/_Aesthetic_City

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.aesthetic.city/

Substack: https://theaestheticcity.substack.com/