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?

Clayton grew up in split-levels—the emblem of postwar American housing—and traces how that “efficient” template reshaped our built world. In 1940 the U.S. had ~40 million housing units; by 2020, ~140 million. Most of that growth followed a new ethic: economy, mass production, engineered materials, and “form follows function.” Before 1940, homes were guided by craft, proportion, natural materials, and an embedded language of beauty. This episode explores what was lost in the shift, why so much recent housing feels a-stylistic, and how learning the classical language of architecture can restore character without abandoning function. If architecture is the record of our civilization, what story are today’s neighborhoods telling—convenience or beauty?

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.

In this episode of The Clayton Vance Podcast, we trace the automobile’s transformation of architecture and urban life. From tree-lined streets where porches and people took center stage to the rise of front-loaded garages dominating suburban facades, the car forever altered the way we build and live. Clayton explores how carriage houses were tucked away in alleys, why Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House marked a turning point, and how zoning, highways, and the pursuit of convenience rewrote our towns. The conversation asks a vital question: what did we gain, what did we lose, and how can we reclaim beauty, proportion, and human connection in the places we design today?

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 life
• The spiritual power of good design, and what happens when you get it right
• How Roger helped restore the Salt Lake Temple, the Provo City Center Temple - and design the Philadelphia Temple
• Why the buildings that last aren’t always the biggest—but the most loved

Whether 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.

Questions shape everything—cities, policies, lives. But what happens when we’re chasing the wrong question, even if we’ve found the right answer?

In this premiere episode, architect Clayton Vance dives into a powerful metaphor: the Kudzu effect—how a well-intentioned answer to a crisis in the American South spiraled into ecological disaster. From there, he traces how that same principle explains much of our modern world: soulless suburbs, lifeless freeways, and neighborhoods that feel like nowhere.

Through personal stories—from lonely hotel stays in Syracuse to pedestrian joy in Palm Springs, car chaos in L.A., and a quiet corner of Chicago—Clayton begins a journey toward discovering the right questions that lead to better places, real community, and timeless design.

This is more than architecture. It’s about rediscovering what makes places human—and why it matters more than ever.