How UT San Antonio’s School of Architecture Is Reshaping Downtown San Antonio

Video Overview & Insights

This week on bigcitysmalltown, Bob Rivard sits down with Dr. Michelangelo Sabatino, director of UT San Antonio’s School of Architecture and Planning and the Roland K. Blumberg Endowed Professor in Architecture.

The conversation explores what it means for architecture students, planners, faculty, and future city-builders to be located in the heart of downtown San Antonio. From the school’s move into One River Walk Place to the growing number of UT San Antonio students expected downtown, Bob and Michelangelo discuss how the city itself can become a living classroom.

📚 CHAPTERS

00:00 Meet Dr Sabatino

01:17 Why San Antonio

03:58 Downtown Campus Vision

05:16 City As Classroom

08:33 Safer Streets Design

11:57 Student Housing Questions

14:45 Rethinking Office Towers

18:41 Austin San Antonio Megaregion

26:03 Designing Beautiful Public Space

28:31 Roots Italy And Mentors

36:41 O'Neil Ford And UT San Antonio's Legacy

39:01 Students Future And Closing

41:16 Outro And Sponsors

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📍 ABOUT THE SHOW

bigcitysmalltown is a show about the people who make San Antonio go and grow—exploring the forces shaping the city’s future through thoughtful conversations, reporting, and place-based storytelling.

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