How can architects remain relevant in a world where cities are as digital as they are physical?

In this episode of Practice Disrupted, Evelyn Lee sits down with Bryan Boyer, Co-Founder of Dash Marshall and Faculty Director of the Urban Technology Program at the University of Michigan. Bryan’s career bridges technology, design, and urbanism - and through his leadership, he is training the next generation of designers to think differently about how we build, govern, and inhabit our cities.

Bryan shares the origins of the Urban Technology program, why he believes the built environment has lagged behind other industries in digitization, and how the program prepares students to be equally fluent in architecture, planning, and technology. He highlights how fragmentation in the AEC industry creates a “chain drain” of intelligence and argues that architects need to reclaim agency by embracing new tools, methods, and mindsets.

The conversation delves into the unique curriculum of Urban Tech, which integrates cities, technology, and design. Students learn to view cities as complex systems, develop technical fluency in coding and data science, and practice forms of service and strategic design that extend beyond traditional building. Bryan also reflects on how AI, automation, and interaction design are reshaping the skills architects need, and what this means for education, practice, and the profession as a whole.

“Our cities today are fully physical and fully digital. The challenge isn’t just to bridge the gap between urbanist and technologist - it’s to prepare a new generation who doesn’t believe that gap exists at all.” – Bryan Boyer

This episode concludes with Bryan’s vision for the future: a profession that works with urgency, embraces user research, and balances long-term aspirations with near-term agency. He challenges architects to move beyond utopian visions and engage directly with the realities of policy, economy, and technology in order to create cities of shared prosperity, sustainability, and joy.

Guest:

Bryan Boyer is the Co-Founder of Dash Marshall, a design practice that works across architecture, interiors, and strategy. He is also the Faculty Director of the Urban Technology Program at the University of Michigan, where he leads an innovative undergraduate degree exploring the intersection of cities, technology, and design. His career spans architecture, technology, and public sector work, including roles at Sidewalk Labs, the Helsinki Design Lab, and the Office of New Urban Mechanics.

Is This Episode for You?

This episode is for you if:

✅ You want to understand how technology and architecture intersect in urban contexts

✅ You’re curious about new forms of design education and career paths

✅ You’re grappling with the challenges of fragmentation in the AEC industry

✅ You believe architects should embrace coding, user research, and new design methods

✅ You’re interested in what the future of urban practice looks like in a digital era

📍 Show Links:

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