What if Saigon could grow without erasing the landscape it is growing into? Waterlines explores an alternative model of urban expansion shaped by water, ecology and the existing territory.

I recently joined Ideal Spaces for a conversation around The Compound City and the growing fragmentation of contemporary urban life. During the discussion, we explored the rise of gated urbanism, the erosion of shared public space, and the role of neighborhood design as an alternative to increasingly enclosed models of development. Many of these reflections were later expanded in my essay The Compound City, published in the Urban Essays section of this website. The conversati

I recently had the chance to sit down with Hugh Kruzel , host of the QOL Podcast in Canada. We talked about cities. But not in the usual way. Not about masterplans, not about slogans, not about “green” as decoration. We talked about what actually makes cities work — or fail. From heat, asphalt and car-dominated streets to one simple idea I often repeat: a tree is not a pin. Urban nature is not something you add at the end. It’s something that should structure the city from th