#49 Alicia Pederson: How We Designed Families Out of the City

Alicia Pederson spent her twenties living in a 16th-century palazzo in Florence, and it changed everything about how she sees cities, density, and what American urbanism has quietly abandoned. She's the founder of Courtyard Urbanist and holds a PhD in English from Northwestern with a specialty in Renaissance pastoral literature, which turns out to be less of a detour and more of a throughline to everything she now advocates for.In this conversation we cover the history of the courtyard block, why American apartments have failed families for decades, the relationship between lot geometry and livability, why wood-frame construction is a systemic problem, and what it would actually take to build the kind of urban housing that allows families to put down real roots. We also talk about what's happening in my own neighborhood at Wheeler — and why watching my sister, my parents, and my business partners all move within two blocks of each other has made the mission feel more personal than ever.Alicia is working with architects and developers right now to bring this typology back to American cities. We are excited to see the movement on these projects.I think you're going to love this one.0:00 Introduction1:06 Pastoral Literature and the City — from Shakespeare to Santo Spirito6:35 Two Years in a Florentine Palazzo — the experience that changed everything10:41 Wheeler District — what it actually feels like to live near family13:35 What the Courtyard Block Is and Why It Works16:44 How American Cities Became Hostile to Families20:34 The Outdoor Space Problem — what parents of young kids actually need22:56 Why Missing Middle Housing Hasn't Taken Off31:36 Lot Geometry — why European apartments are better to live in38:05 Interblock Urbanism — how Building Culture is solving the same problem39:42 The Case for Masonry — stone, brick, and why it matters47:30 Complex and Vulnerable vs. Dumb and Durable50:15 Energy Efficiency as Greenwashing53:06 Where the Work Is Now — investors, architects, real projects57:03 How to Follow Alicia's WorkLINKS & RESOURCESCourtyard Urbanist Substack: courtyardurbanist.comAlicia on X/Twitter: @UrbanCourtyardCONNECT WITH AUSTIN TUNNELLNewsletter: https://playbook.buildingculture.com/ / austintunnell / austin-tunnell-2a41894a / austintunnell CONNECT WITH BUILDING CULTUREhttps://www.buildingculture.com/ / buildingculture / build_culture / buildculture