While the trend for a century or more has been to make urban environments frictionless, a recent counter-trend has tried to slow things down, reintroducing pedestrianised areas, or making children’s play areas slightly less safe so as to help them learn about risk. Going further, we could imagine environments that prompt wisdom, not just by providi

He’s an architect’s architect; he told me he’s interested in how buildings can help do the metaphysical work of what the philosopher Martin Heidegger called true dwelling—a social triad made of people, one to another and in their environments.