Dean Saitta is Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Urban Studies program at the University of Denver. He teaches courses in urban anthropology, archaeology, and evolutionary anthropology. He writes about issues facing the contemporary city from an archaeological, historical, and cross-cultural perspective. He is a co-author of "Denver: An Archaeological History", and author of "Intercultural Urbanism: City Planning from the Ancient World to the Modern Day."
Deep History, Ancient Wisdom, and Modern Planning
David Graeber and David Wengrow’s new book, "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity," offers an important counter-narrative to the usual history of cities that’s rich with implications for urban scholars, policy-makers, and planners.
Decolonizing the Settler City
What can America's first great immigrant city tell us about placemaking in support of social and spatial belonging?
Anti-Racist Planning: A View from Elsewhere
Developing anti-racist approaches to urban planning requires looking elsewhere—to other geographies and histories—for alternative urban imaginaries and practices.
Planning, Placemaking, and the Public Good
What responsibilities does an urban university engaged in the act of master planning have to the city of which it is a part, and to the greater public good?
The Ancient Roots of New Urbanism
The planning values and principles of New Urbanism are deeply rooted in human history. What does this look like, and what can we learn from it? The archaeology of an ancient Mayan city sheds some light.