The Clayton Vance Podcast

I was a guest on the Heber Valley Life Podcast with Rachel Kaler, and this is Part 2 of our conversation about the hard questions shaping Heber Valley right now—growth, housing, and what it actually takes to build a place with long-term beauty and livability.We dig into the “missing middle,” why zoning often separates communities like “pizza ingredients,” and how historic towns mixed housing types naturally—because the street (not the lot) was the real composition. We talk about why density gets placed on the edges, why form matters as much as use, and why “affordable” doesn’t have to mean “ugly.”

Episode 3 of 3 in our Education Series In this final episode of my three-part conversation with Paul Monson, Director of Architecture at Utah Valley University, we turn to the practical question of how. How does a student become better prepared for the profession, and how can any of us become more attentive and informed observers of the built environment. We begin with Vitruvius and his description of what an architect should know. It is a demanding standard, but Paul uses it to make a grounded point. Architecture requires breadth, humility, and lifelong learning. The goal is not to master everything at once, but to steadily develop judgment, skill, and clarity. From there, we discuss:what is missing in many programs when architecture is taught as theory rather than crafthow to evaluate an architecture school, including the right questions to ask on a visitwhy UVU is built around accessibility, affordability, and real-world preparationwhy hand drawing remains essential and how it supports clear thinking and design freedomhow digital tools can shape outcomes if students become limited by software assumptionshow non-architects can begin training their eye and building design vocabularywhere to start with resources such as the Institute of Classical Architecture and Artand why the built environment is not fate, but choiceWe also talk about curriculum, accreditation, learning through making, community-engaged studios, and the importance of developing both technical competence and a refined sense of proportion and beauty. We close with a larger reminder. Beauty is not a luxury. It is deeply connected to human wellbeing, meaning, and culture. Wherever you are, improvement is possible, and it requires participation from everyone involved in building our world.

Episode 1 of 3 in our Education SeriesIn this first episode of a three-part conversation with Paul Monson, Director of Architecture at Utah Valley University, we start at the foundation: what education is actually meant to do.Paul and I go back nearly twenty years to our time at the University of Notre Dame, and because of that shared background, this conversation is less about credentials and more about transformation. We talk about how architectural education is not just about learning how to design buildings, but about learning how to see the world differently.We begin with Paul’s story, from growing up interested in both art and science, to living in rural Japan, to discovering architecture through craft, construction, and stained glass. Long before he had the language for it, he was absorbing lessons about material, proportion, nature, and beauty.From there, we unpack:What education really means as a process of drawing something outWhy the idea that beauty is purely subjective breaks downHow Notre Dame challenged modern assumptions about novelty and originalityWhy craft, tradition, and standards still matterHow great buildings permanently change perceptionWhy the environments we live in quietly train usHow architectural knowledge is passed down through mentorship and practiceWe also talk about Japan, classical music, Vitruvius, and why learning to design well is inseparable from learning to live well.This episode sets the stage for the rest of the series by asking a simple question: If education shapes how we see, what happens when we stop teaching people how to recognize what is good, true, and beautiful?If you care about architecture, culture, or how the built world shapes us, this is the place to start.

Episode 3 of 3 in our Zoning SeriesIn this final episode of our three-part deep dive with urban strategist Mike Hathorne, we shift from diagnosing the problems with zoning and density… to exploring the solutions. And the biggest solution is one most people misunderstand: mixed use. To explain it, we start with a simple metaphor—pizza. Modern zoning forces us to eat pizza one ingredient at a time: dough here, sauce there, cheese somewhere else. No wonder it tastes terrible. Mixed use is what happens when the ingredients actually come together the way they always have throughout history.Mike and I unpack:What mixed use really means (horizontal vs. vertical, organic vs. regulated)Why every beloved historic town on Earth is mixed use—even if people don’t think of it that wayWhy so much modern “mixed use” feels fake or DisneyfiedThe difference between authentic vs. formulaic developmentWhy master-planned mixed use often failsHow to build neighborhoods that evolve flexibly with the marketWhy walkability and human-scale design naturally produce better placesHow mixed use strengthens community, wellbeing, and human flourishingWhy real estate must become a community-building tool instead of just a financial vehicleWe also talk about authenticity, human-scale design, why new developments feel shallow, how cars changed everything, and why the most successful mixed-use communities grow incrementally, not all at once.This episode closes the loop on zoning, density, mixed use, and the deeper truth beneath them all: our built environment shapes us—and we can choose to shape it back. If you want to feel hopeful about how American neighborhoods can improve, this is the episode.

What if the reason our cities feel chaotic, disconnected, or unsustainable has nothing to do with “bad developers” or “greedy politicians,” and everything to do with a hidden set of rules written over a century ago?In this episode — the first of a three-part series with Mike Hathorne — I sit down with Mike to explore how zoning became the invisible force shaping almost every part of American life.Mike is a demographic and housing-market strategist with decades of experience, and his biggest insight is simple and startling: zoning is the DNA of our built environment.Mike shares the moment that opened his eyes — walking into the Kentlands, one of America’s first New Urbanist communities — and realizing that the places that feel magical, walkable, and deeply human are not accidents. They come from a completely different set of rules.Together, we unpack:Why zoning quietly determines the output of every neighborhoodHow cars, modern technology, and early 1900s policy reshaped America overnightWhy people react emotionally to new development — often before they know whyWhy terms like “illegal development” are usually misunderstoodAnd the moral responsibility we all share — planners, designers, officials, developers, and homeowners — in shaping land, nature, and communityFor me, this conversation isn’t just academic. It’s about helping people become active observers of the world around them — not passive consumers of whatever environment they inherited.If you’ve ever wondered why your town looks the way it does or whether it could be different, this episode will change how you see the built world forever — and set the stage for the next two episodes in this series.Mike's book: https://a.co/d/320T3za

In 1666, London burned for four days. Thirteen thousand homes were lost, St. Paul’s Cathedral collapsed, and 80% of the medieval city was reduced to ashes. Out of this devastation came an extraordinary opportunity: the chance to rebuild a city from the ground up. Yet London was not remade in the image of Rome or Paris—it was rebuilt on the bones of its medieval streets, locked in place by property rights and lot lines.In this episode of The Clayton Vance Podcast, we explore how urban design becomes destiny. From Roman grids to medieval chaos to Enlightenment rationality, the story of London’s fire reveals a truth that still shapes our world: once the framework of a city is set, it scripts the lives of generations to come. What does this mean for us today, as we lay down the bones of our own neighborhoods and cities?

We’ve been chasing “sustainability” for centuries — from banning butchers in 14th-century London to today’s endless regulations and paper straws. But have we been asking the wrong questions all along?In this episode, Clayton Vance argues that true sustainability isn’t just about insulation, carbon footprints, or solar panels. It’s about building places people actually want to keep. From historic homes that endure, to the grand enemy of sustainability — modern zoning — we explore how beauty, proximity, and connectivity may be the most overlooked solutions of all.If your definition of sustainability can’t survive time, it isn’t sustainable.

Roger Jackson has shaped skylines, restored sacred places, and quietly mentored a generation of architects. In this special episode, Clayton sits down with the former president of FFKR Architects—Utah’s largest architectural firm—for a deeply personal and profound conversation about a life in architecture.From childhood memories of blueprint ammonia to the award-winning restoration of the Salt Lake Temple, Roger shares stories from his 40-year career: design philosophy, the evolution of drafting, the soul of classical architecture, and why the real power of architecture lies not in novelty—but in meaning, beauty, and human connection.You’ll hear:How architects rediscovered classical treatises and brought timeless design back to lifeThe spiritual power of good design, and what happens when you get it rightHow Roger helped restore the Salt Lake Temple, the Provo City Center Temple - and design the Philadelphia TempleWhy the buildings that last aren’t always the biggest—but the most lovedWhether you’re an architect, a student, or simply someone who wants to live in a more beautiful world, this episode will change the way you see the built environment around you.