<p><strong>Samuel Hughes, editor at </strong><em><strong>Works in Progress</strong></em><strong>, joins me to talk architecture, planning, and how we think about beauty in our cities.</strong></p><p><em>“Most buildings in Tokyo are ugly, but the streets are beautiful—urban form matters more than facades.”</em></p><p>In this episode we explore:</p><ul><li><p>Can we still mass-produce beautiful buildings?</p></li><li><p>Japanese urban design and zoning lessons</p></li><li><p>How long buildings should last: UK vs Japan</p></li><li><p>Rent control and housing history in Berlin</p></li><li><p>Rethinking the greenbelt in Britain</p></li><li><p>Dresden’s reconstruction and underrated cities</p></li><li><p>Future solutions for housing supply</p></li></ul><p>–––</p><p><strong>Full Contents</strong><br>01:02 Mass Producing Beautiful Buildings<br>01:43 The Decline of Ornament in Architecture<br>04:37 Tokyo’s Urban Design and Zoning<br>10:05 How Long Should Buildings Last? UK vs Japan<br>16:13 Philosophy, Beauty, and Emotions<br>25:53 Public Policy Trade-offs in Practice<br>31:41 Berlin: Rent Control and Urban Planning<br>36:32 Housing in Europe: A Historical Context<br>38:02 Modern Housing Markets and Trends<br>41:50 Rethinking the Greenbelt<br>44:40 Planning Authorities and Their Role<br>50:40 Overrated and Underrated Urban Ideas<br>1:02:03 Dresden: Lessons in Urban Reconstruction<br>1:05:03 The Future of Britain’s Housing Supply<br>1:08:40 Career Advice on Policy and Design</p><p><br></p><p>Full transcript, video and links here: <a href="https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2025/8/20/samuel-hughes-architecture-beauty-and-the-future-of-cities-podcast" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">https://www.thendobetter.com/arts/2025/8/20/samuel-hughes-architecture-beauty-and-the-future-of-cities-podcast</a></p><p><br></p>