The Urbanist (Monocle)
Episode: Want to find utopia? Try Columbia, Maryland
Date: September 4, 2025
Host: Andrew Tuck
Main Theme & Purpose
This episode explores urban utopias—cities and projects intentionally designed for better living. The main segments include:
- A deep dive into Columbia, Maryland, a planned utopian city built for inclusivity and social harmony.
- An interview on Julia West House, Oregon’s tallest mass timber affordable housing, and the transformative power of intentional design.
- A conversation about the 2025 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, examining how architectural excellence is recognized worldwide, especially in Muslim societies.
1. Columbia, Maryland: A Utopia Made Real (00:29–09:16)
Report by: Charlotte MacDonald Gibson
Key Points:
- Background:
- Columbia was envisioned in the 1960s by developer James Rouse as an inclusive utopian city—a “garden for the growing of people.”
- Rouse secretly purchased thousands of acres between Washington, DC, and Baltimore to launch the project, codenamed "Shangri La."
- Design & Structure:
- Organized as ten villages around a manmade lake, with all necessities—schools, shops, and worship spaces—within walking distance.
- 114 miles of pedestrian paths and 3,600 acres of green space create a highly walkable, communal environment.
- Housing includes single-family homes and apartment blocks to ensure socioeconomic diversity.
- Social Innovations:
- Columbia was notably integrated, welcoming all racial backgrounds even before the Civil Rights Act.
- Early marketing materials featured racially mixed families (05:01), and Rouse took action against realtor discrimination by sending undercover buyers.
- Religious inclusivity was designed in, with interfaith centers (rather than single-use buildings) serving multiple denominations side-by-side.
Memorable Quotes:
- "He used to call Columbia, Maryland a garden for growing people. He was interested in creating a city that enabled people to become the best versions of themselves."
— Historian David Stebbin (03:11) - "Even though he might not have said that out loud, he was doing it through his actions."
— Erin Berry, on Rouse’s inclusion efforts (05:15) - "No one is allowed a private mailbox in Columbia. Each street has a communal one, forcing everyone out of their homes and into the social orbit of their neighbours."
— Charlotte MacDonald Gibson (07:05) - "Something as simple as the mailbox being in a place where everybody has to come to that mailbox, that is just the simplest thing. And yet you get to know your neighbors that way."
— Shirley Harden, resident (07:33)
Challenges & Lessons:
- Current Issues: Columbia faces challenges of success—transport infrastructure is strained, and rising real estate prices threaten affordability.
- Key Lesson:
- The essential features of a livable city are not high-tech, but simple: green space, mixed-use development, walkability, affordable housing, and a clear sense of shared purpose (07:50).
2. Oregon’s Tallest Mass Timber Affordable Housing: Julia West House (09:16–18:39)
Interviewee: Eric Payne, CEO of Community Development Partners (CDP)
Key Points:
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CDP’s Mission:
- Founded in 2011, the organization is dedicated to developing affordable housing that goes beyond basic shelter, aiming for transformative impacts and long-term community engagement.
- CDP integrates art, ecology, and intentional, context-sensitive design into all projects.
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Julia West House Project:
- A 12-story, 90-unit permanent supportive housing building designed for people exiting homelessness, focused on seniors and marginalized groups.
- Will be Oregon’s tallest mass timber building, using sustainable cross-laminated timber (CLT).
- CDP plans to maintain ownership for at least 15 years, underlining their commitment to stewardship.
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Collaborative Model:
- Partners include Northwest Pilot Project (case management for low-income seniors), Native American Rehabilitation Association (culturally specific services), and Community for Positive Aging (wellness programs, technology support).
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Trauma-informed Design:
- The building prioritizes biophilic and trauma-sensitive design, with natural materials and exposed mass timber to foster a sense of safety, beauty, and healing.
- Recognizes the challenge for people transitioning from trauma or homelessness to feel secure—design is seen as a key support.
Memorable Quotes:
- "Affordable housing should transcend the fundamental goal of providing simply like low cost shelter. It should be transformative for residents and for the communities where we're building."
— Eric Payne (10:04) - "Having a space that's beautiful and feels inspiring and welcoming—...it has this trauma informed sensitivity to people who do have a background that in many cases includes trauma… just adds an element of softness to their environment they’ll be calling home."
— Eric Payne (16:09)
3. The Aga Khan Award for Architecture: Recognizing Contextual Excellence (18:39–30:43)
Guest: Farrokh Darakshani, Director of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture
Key Points:
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Award Overview:
- Established in 1977 by His Highness the Aga Khan, the triennial award recognizes projects that serve Muslim communities, but is not limited by faith or geography.
- Expands the definition of “architecture” to include slum upgrading, engineering, restoration, and other interventions influencing society.
- The award focuses on projects completed within the past 1–6 years that have a measurable impact and can be contextualized within their societies.
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Selection Process:
- Projects are nominated anonymously worldwide (300–500 per cycle).
- A master jury independently shortlists and ultimately selects the winners; the Aga Khan himself does not choose the projects.
- Projects are judged across typologies and regions, focusing on quality of life improvements.
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Regional Impact:
- Many winners are from Muslim-majority regions (Middle East, Asia, North Africa), but inclusivity and cultural service are central.
- Architecture can challenge and broaden perceptions of countries often misrepresented in the media.
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2025 Award Highlights:
- Seven winners, including the Jahad Metro Plaza in Tehran (an arched brick metro station), flexible rural prototypes in Bangladesh, heritage tourism interventions in Egypt and on Hormuz Island, social-cultural spaces in Palestine, and a multi-faith center for the Hui in China.
Memorable Quotes:
- "Architecture is really something which really touches all levels of societies…When you do a bad building, or any building, it stays there for hundreds of years. You cannot just erase it."
— Farrokh Darakshani (22:06) - "Sense of belonging is very important. When you create an architectural project, you feel you belong to it…you have to live in architecture. So films are a very, very good way of expressing [this]."
— Farrokh Darakshani (26:15) - "You create a system and the system multiplies and that can help so many people. And that's the impact..."
— Farrokh Darakshani, on the Bangladesh project (28:42)
Timestamps for Key Segments
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Columbia, Maryland: The Utopian Suburb
[00:29] Introduction to utopian communities
[03:11] James Rouse’s “garden for growing people”
[04:40] Social and racial integration in a mid-1960s context
[05:15] Marketing and actual practice of inclusion
[07:05] Community-building mailbox design
[07:50] Columbia as a model for “letting people in” vs. exclusion -
Julia West House and Mass Timber Affordability
[09:16] Transition to Julia West House project
[10:04] CDP’s mission—transformative, not just affordable housing
[12:20] Specifics of building design and partnership models
[16:09] Biophilic, trauma-sensitive design philosophy -
Aga Khan Award for Architecture
[18:39] Background and legacy of the award
[20:39] Selection methodology and evolving focus
[22:06] Lasting societal impact through buildings
[23:59] Criteria for recognition; context of Muslim societies
[26:15] Architecture as lived experience and media perception
[28:42] Highlighting Bangladesh and other notable winners
Tone & Insights
- Inclusive, forward-thinking, quietly optimistic: The episode emphasizes simple innovations and empathetic planning as real keys to utopian living.
- Critical, but hopeful: Both the praise and critiques (e.g., Columbia’s growing pains) are balanced, and the show promotes attainable, community-oriented models.
- Global perspective: Touches on American suburbs, sustainable housing in Portland, and architectural excellence in the Muslim world—underscoring universality in thoughtful design.
Notable Moments
- The unique holiday interfaith events in Columbia; residents naturally knowing community members across different faiths (06:39).
- The “communal mailbox”—an understated but powerful tool for fostering neighborhood connection and inclusion (07:33).
- Cross-disciplinary partnerships in affordable housing, integrating trauma-sensitive design and culturally tailored services for seniors and marginalized groups (13:36).
- The Aga Khan Award’s deliberate focus on contextual, locally resonant designs, challenging architectural stereotypes (26:15, 28:42).
For further information on the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and its 2025 winners, visit akdn.org.