In this episode of The Commons, host Thomas Osha talks with Nate Hommel, Director of Planning and Design at University City District (UCD) in Philadelphia — a place where experimentation, partnership, and humility redefine what public space can do.Unlike most business improvement districts, UCD operates as a voluntary collaboration among universities, hospitals, developers, and neighbors within just two and a half square miles of West Philadelphia. It’s a compact but complex ecosystem — home to research towers and historic rowhomes, students and long-time residents, innovation and inequity — and it’s exactly that mix that fuels Nate’s approach to design.Nate and his team see the city as a prototype, not a finished product. Through projects like The Porch at 30th Street Station and The Lawn at UCity Square, they test ideas with temporary materials — moveable furniture, container bleachers, and pop-up decks — to learn what truly works for the community before making anything permanent.Thomas and Nate explore how iteration, listening, and trust can transform a construction site into a commons, a district into a community, and a set of buildings into a place of belonging. It’s a conversation about designing with, not for, and how the most vibrant cities grow not from grand plans, but from the everyday act of trying, learning, and doing better together.

Ver todos los episodios