Kurt Kohlstedt is a skeptical urbanist and design journalist who writes, edits, and produces stories for 99% Invisible. He is known for his coverage of design and the built environment, including contributions to discourse on adaptive reuse and assistive technology; recently, Kurt even invented a low-cost, one-handed keyboard system for people with physical impairments, which he developed after a debilitating injury rendered his (dominant) right hand unable to type. He has also pioneered approaches to bridging radio, podcast, print, and social media audiences.
As of September 2025, Kurt has worked on 99% Invisible for over a decade, making him the show’s most veteran producer. During his tenure, 99pi has won notable accolades from the Third Coast Audio Festival, Discover Pods Awards, Webby Awards, Signal Awards, and Academy of Podcasters Awards, in categories such as Best Podcast, People’s Choice, Society & Culture, and Arts. The show was also named one of the 50 Best Podcasts by TIME magazine, 20 most influential podcasts of the last 20 years by Apple Podcasts, and has made other top-podcast shortlists on Wired, Vulture, Fast Company, The Atlantic, The Guardian, and other media outlets. 99pi has also been praised by radio greats like Ira Glass of This American Life and Jad Abumrad of RadioLab.
Kurt’s New York Times and National Best Seller, co-authored with show host Roman Mars, is a critically acclaimed book about the built world. Published in 2020, The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design also topped charts in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The English original’s popularity has since led to the publication of translated editions in a various languages, including Spanish, Czech, Thai, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. The volume has also engendered public praise from Michael Bierut, Mary Roach, Seth Godin, and John Green, as well glowing reviews from The New York Times, Kirkus, Booklist, and more.
In 2018, Kurt joined 99pi’s six-city East Coast tour (in Atlanta, Durham, Washington, D.C., Boston, Brooklyn, and Manhattan), presenting to live audiences about how the invention of Kindergarten catalyzed an era of Modern art and design. He has given talks about regional designs at events like Adobe MAX in San Francisco and Nerd Nite in Oakland, and has joined numerous panel discussions, including one on urbanism and media at the AIA New York’s Center for Architecture.
Back in 2007, Kurt founded WebUrbanist, the first in a series of four urban architecture, art and design publications that would go on to reach hundreds of millions of readers around the world.
This web endeavor led to various speaking invitations, including one from the Highlands of Scotland. Kurt traveled there to give a keynote speech on abandoned architecture and adaptive reuse at the annual Highlands and Islands Architecture Association (HIAA) award conference.
Over the years, Kurt and his flagship web publication have been praised by media outlets including (but not limited to) The Guardian, The BBC, CNN, NPR, TIME, ArchDaily, Architizer, Atlas Obscura, BoingBoing, BuzzFeed, Citylab, Curbed, FARK, FOX, Gawker, Gizmodo, Mental Floss, Metafilter, MSNBC, Neatorama, Slashdot, Streetsblog, WebWare and Wired Magazine.
Kurt studied philosophy (BA) at Carleton College and received a graduate degree in architecture (M. Arch) from the University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. He also participted in a specialized architecture program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD).
As a young adult, Kurt worked on residential, industrial, theatrical, furniture, graphic and web design projects. Upon completing his professional degree, he gave himself three months to turn a rent-paying profit on his first design website. He hit that mark and kept on going.
P.S. Feel free to reach out regarding speaking engagements, panels, and other professional (ad)ventures … or simply to go grab a coffee and nerd out together in the Twin Cities!
📧 Kurt àt urbanist dót us
