The Aesthetic City

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

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

 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

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

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

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

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/

Sabin Howard is a renowned sculptor and author, born in New York, who has emerged as a leading voice in modern classical sculpture. Trained in traditional techniques, he mastered the human form with the precision of the old masters, dedicating his career to large-scale public art. A co-author of The Art of Life, Howard now shares his expertise and critiques of contemporary art through various platforms. His most notable work, A Soldier’s Journey—a 60-foot-long, 25-ton bronze relief—anchors the National World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C., honoring soldiers’ experiences while championing timeless artistry and forgotten history.

Visit his website: https://sabinhoward.com 

Follow Sabin on X: https://x.com/SabinHoward 

======== 

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://theaestheticcity.com/aesthetic-city-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/

 Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec

Guy Courtois is a strategist-turned-visionary who is leading a true urban renaissance in France and worldwide, promoting more beautiful, livable cities. He worked with fashion consortium LVMH and later founded his own consultancy firm. Based in Meudon, France, he’s also a passionate art collector, tied to the impressive Collection Courtois. Today, he’s channeling his energy into making our cities more beautiful and livable. Recently he organized a successful congress in Le Plessis-Robinson, bringing together a large number of mayors, developers, and architects to guide France into a new urban renaissance.

Find more info about his art collection here: https://www.collectioncourtois.com

======== 

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://theaestheticcity.com/aesthetic-city-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/

Coby Lefkowitz returns for his third appearance on The Aesthetic City Podcast. An urbanist, real estate developer, and writer based in New York, Coby is dedicated to crafting beautiful, walkable urban spaces. With his new book, Building Optimism: Why Our World Looks the Way it Does, and How to Make it Better, he explores the history of urban development and offers solutions for more humane cities. Coby continues to inspire with his vision for vibrant, timeless communities.

Buy his book: 

Amazon (Physical and Kindle Editions): Amazon

Barnes & Noble (Paperback): . Barnes & Noble 

Follow Coby on X: https://x.com/Cobylefko 

Read his articles on Medium: https://cobylefko.medium.com 

======== 

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://theaestheticcity.com/aesthetic-city-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/

 Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec

Eldin Smajlović is an artist and author born in Pristina to parents from Srebrenica. He grew up in Sarajevo during Yugoslavia’s collapse where he witnessed the horrors of war. Later, he mastered geometry at art school and painting in the style of old masters. After he was expelled from the Academy of Sarajevo because of his outspoken views, including his defense of homosexuals, he moved to Sweden, learned the language, and studied at the Valand Academy.

Now, through his YouTube channel The Immortal Art, he explores ancient art, history, and critiques postmodernism, advocating for timeless artistry. A published author, Eldin continues to celebrate traditional forms in a modern context.

Find his channel on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheImmortalArt

Listen to his podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QcBGAyT39RuUrV1GAP3HF?si=bccb7014cee84ba8

Follow him on X: https://x.com/theimmortalart

Join his Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheImmortalArtPodcast/about

======== 

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://theaestheticcity.com/aesthetic-city-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/

 Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec

Alicia Pederson, Ph.D., known as the Courtyard Urbanist is a passionate advocate for family-friendly cities. With a focus on traditional courtyard urbanism, she champions European-style courtyard blocks to keep young families thriving in urban centers like her home in Chicago’s Lincoln Square, where she lives with her husband and three children. Her insights have appeared in the Chicago Tribune and on YouTube, sparking conversations about sustainable, walkable communities.

Follow Alicia on X: https://x.com/UrbanCourtyard

======== 

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://theaestheticcity.com/aesthetic-city-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/

 Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec

Léon Krier is a renowned Luxembourgian architect and urban planner, often hailed as the godfather of the New Urbanism and Traditional Urbanism movement. He has been a vocal critic of modernist architecture, advocating instead for a return to traditional, human-scale urban design. Krier's philosophy emphasizes walkable neighborhoods, a mix of housing types, and a harmonious blend of architectural styles that prioritize human interaction over vehicular dominance.

One of Krier's most famous projects is Poundbury in England, a model town championed by King Charles, which embodies many of his urban principles. Additionally, Krier's influence can be seen in the design of Ciudad Cayalá in Guatemala, another testament to his vision of creating sustainable and livable urban spaces. His work, writings, and lectures have inspired a generation of architects and urban planners to rethink the way cities are designed and built.

Do you want to know more about Léon Krier and his vision?

Find his book 'The Architecture of Community' here: https://www.amazon.com/Architecture-Community-Leon-Krier/dp/1597265799

Online lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg6L0uMGIs4

Online lecture 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF7PkzgkaLE&t=122s

========

JOIN THE WAITLIST FOR OUR COURSE: https://the-aesthetic-city.ck.page/a2d41beb6f

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

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

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

Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec

Steve Mouzon is an architect, urbanist and author known for his work in the New Urbanism movement.

With several influential books and articles on the subject of sustainable and traditional architecture, including "The Original Green: Unlocking the Mystery of True Sustainability," today’s guest goes beyond the regular, technological solutions to fix our cities, and instead focuses on timeless, naturally sustainable ways of building and living.

In addition to his writing, Mouzon is a co-founder of the New Urban Guild, which is a group of architects, designers, and other professionals dedicated to the development of sustainable architectural practices and community designs. His work often emphasizes the importance of building practices that can endure and remain relevant over time, contributing to the creation of living traditions in architecture and urban design.

Mouzon's approach to architecture and urban planning is deeply rooted in the idea that buildings and communities should be designed with an eye toward their long-term impact on the environment and society. He advocates for a return to traditional architectural principles, which he believes offer time-tested solutions to contemporary challenges in building and urban design.

Find more information on the website of Urban Guild:

https://www.urbanguild.org/steve-mouzon

Visit the website of his design firm:

https://mouzon.com/about/

Read more about the Original Green:

https://originalgreen.org/

Follow Steve on X:

https://twitter.com/stevemouzon

=======

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 

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

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

 Get access to the Aesthetic City Knowledge Base: https://theaestheticcity.lemonsqueezy.com/checkout/buy/18809486-2532-4d91-90fd-f5c62775adec