Kurt Kohlstedt
@kurtkohlstedt.bsky.social
Skeptical urbanist & design journalist @ 99% Invisible || NYT Best Seller: http://99pi.org/book || M. Arch || Visual musings @ http://instagram.com/kurtkohlstedt 🦝 More @ kurtkohlstedt.com
Looking for an architectural illustrator (paid work) -- someone with a basic ability to sketch out low-detail building types, simple sections, site plans, diagrams, and so on. Drop a link to your website/portfolio if interested. Including some general vibe examples.
January 29, 2026 at 4:42 AM
Looking for an architectural illustrator (paid work) -- someone with a basic ability to sketch out low-detail building types, simple sections, site plans, diagrams, and so on. Drop a link to your website/portfolio if interested. Including some general vibe examples.
This is The 99% Invisible City. I'm Курт Кольстедт. (CC @romanmars.bsky.social AKA Роман Марс)
January 19, 2026 at 3:31 AM
This is The 99% Invisible City. I'm Курт Кольстедт. (CC @romanmars.bsky.social AKA Роман Марс)
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
We've decided to share a set of four of our favorite stories from the half decade– each of which corresponds to one of the four main chapters of The 99% Invisible City.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
December 31, 2025 at 12:00 AM
We've decided to share a set of four of our favorite stories from the half decade– each of which corresponds to one of the four main chapters of The 99% Invisible City.
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
Listen now wherever you get your podcasts 🎧
Spot the rabbit?! Ninja bunny makes for an apt 'easter egg' on this Mpls manhole cover, surrounded by ladyslippers. 🐇🥚
December 16, 2025 at 6:41 AM
Spot the rabbit?! Ninja bunny makes for an apt 'easter egg' on this Mpls manhole cover, surrounded by ladyslippers. 🐇🥚
Where it all started: in 2007, I launched WebUrbanist, promising myself that I would make rent within 3 months or find a 'real job.'
Then I traded my 'freedom' for the best job ever @99pi.org, and went on to write a Bestseller with @romanmars.bsky.social
Best decisions of my professional life! 🤓
Then I traded my 'freedom' for the best job ever @99pi.org, and went on to write a Bestseller with @romanmars.bsky.social
Best decisions of my professional life! 🤓
WebUrbanist
Urban Art, Architecture, Design & Built Environments
weburbanist.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Where it all started: in 2007, I launched WebUrbanist, promising myself that I would make rent within 3 months or find a 'real job.'
Then I traded my 'freedom' for the best job ever @99pi.org, and went on to write a Bestseller with @romanmars.bsky.social
Best decisions of my professional life! 🤓
Then I traded my 'freedom' for the best job ever @99pi.org, and went on to write a Bestseller with @romanmars.bsky.social
Best decisions of my professional life! 🤓
I finally went full nerd with some new black-and-white MN state plates.
(So feel free to shout 'nerd!' if you see me driving out and about in beautiful Midtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.) #99pi
(So feel free to shout 'nerd!' if you see me driving out and about in beautiful Midtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.) #99pi
September 19, 2025 at 8:03 PM
I finally went full nerd with some new black-and-white MN state plates.
(So feel free to shout 'nerd!' if you see me driving out and about in beautiful Midtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.) #99pi
(So feel free to shout 'nerd!' if you see me driving out and about in beautiful Midtown, Minneapolis, Minnesota.) #99pi
Just purchased a 'missing middle' New Urbanist townhouse in Riverside, which was built as part of a block-sized, mixed-density development. Will soon be selling my adaptive reuse condo in the mixed-use Midtown Exchange Building.
Sometimes I feel like a parody of my (den)city-loving self 😜
Sometimes I feel like a parody of my (den)city-loving self 😜
September 14, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Just purchased a 'missing middle' New Urbanist townhouse in Riverside, which was built as part of a block-sized, mixed-density development. Will soon be selling my adaptive reuse condo in the mixed-use Midtown Exchange Building.
Sometimes I feel like a parody of my (den)city-loving self 😜
Sometimes I feel like a parody of my (den)city-loving self 😜
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
We defined the medium! Also excited to see my current and former Radiotopia chums in this list.
To celebrate 20 years of podcasting(!), Apple has picked 99% Invisible as one of 20 shows that helped define the medium.
It's an honor. We're in some great company on this list.
apple.co/20podcasts
It's an honor. We're in some great company on this list.
apple.co/20podcasts
June 26, 2025 at 6:29 PM
We defined the medium! Also excited to see my current and former Radiotopia chums in this list.
Baskets on e-bikes probably sounded like a good idea during a lazy boardroom chat.
But anyone with an ounce of common sense could have foreseen that they would become (decfacto) public trash bins (without anyone to empty them, no less). Next iteration: a built-in bungee cord ststem perhaps...
But anyone with an ounce of common sense could have foreseen that they would become (decfacto) public trash bins (without anyone to empty them, no less). Next iteration: a built-in bungee cord ststem perhaps...
June 30, 2025 at 7:27 AM
Baskets on e-bikes probably sounded like a good idea during a lazy boardroom chat.
But anyone with an ounce of common sense could have foreseen that they would become (decfacto) public trash bins (without anyone to empty them, no less). Next iteration: a built-in bungee cord ststem perhaps...
But anyone with an ounce of common sense could have foreseen that they would become (decfacto) public trash bins (without anyone to empty them, no less). Next iteration: a built-in bungee cord ststem perhaps...
Obligatory pics of the city's famous Dish Rack Bldg. (Srsly tho it's amazing in person). Pirate ship for scale ⚓☠️
June 30, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Obligatory pics of the city's famous Dish Rack Bldg. (Srsly tho it's amazing in person). Pirate ship for scale ⚓☠️
Vertical additions to vintage architecture in Sydney, AU
June 30, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Vertical additions to vintage architecture in Sydney, AU
Months in the making, my 12-part project on accessible design: 99pi.org/adapt (companion episode w/Roman Mars @ 99pi.org/episode/630-... )
Adapt or Design - 99% Invisible
Last year, 99pi’s Kurt Kohlstedt suffered a severe injury that incapacitated his right arm and dominant hand. In the aftermath, new everyday challenges led him to research, test, and evolve accessible...
99pi.org
June 4, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Months in the making, my 12-part project on accessible design: 99pi.org/adapt (companion episode w/Roman Mars @ 99pi.org/episode/630-... )
Of all the parts of these multiple series I'm working on about adaptive one-handed technology and design for long-haul injuries ... this is the only one that was better served without images of me or designs. Better to just let Ohren bask in the limelight and show off some of his seasonal apparel 🤩
May 4, 2025 at 4:50 AM
Of all the parts of these multiple series I'm working on about adaptive one-handed technology and design for long-haul injuries ... this is the only one that was better served without images of me or designs. Better to just let Ohren bask in the limelight and show off some of his seasonal apparel 🤩
Wrapping up Single Handed, a six-part mini-series on adaptive designs for (fellow) functionally one-handed users. But there's more to come ... starting tomorrow with another arc of stories set at the intersection of design and long-haul physical rehabilitation. 99pi.org/article/one-...
Single Handed (6 of 6): Hand Lenders Point Out Adaptive Designs & Helpful Ideas - 99% Invisible
Each of the five pieces in this miniseries, leading up to this one, has considered a different subset of adaptive design problems for people dealing with one working hand, like I was in the wake of a ...
99percentinvisible.org
April 21, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Wrapping up Single Handed, a six-part mini-series on adaptive designs for (fellow) functionally one-handed users. But there's more to come ... starting tomorrow with another arc of stories set at the intersection of design and long-haul physical rehabilitation. 99pi.org/article/one-...
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
Went fully invisible (or 99% Invisible) in my 200-level urban geography course this semester. Used @romanmars.bsky.social & @kurtkohlstedt.bsky.social's @99pi.org book, The 99% Invisible City, as the textbook, & academic geographers' writings. Getting students to critically notice the city. #geosky
April 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Went fully invisible (or 99% Invisible) in my 200-level urban geography course this semester. Used @romanmars.bsky.social & @kurtkohlstedt.bsky.social's @99pi.org book, The 99% Invisible City, as the textbook, & academic geographers' writings. Getting students to critically notice the city. #geosky
"I’m not in the (cargo) pocket of Big Prana" may be the best line I ever write ✨
Single Handed (3 of 6): Inclusive Left-Sided Apparel Embodies "Found Fashion" Ethos - 99% Invisible
Last year, I found myself working my way through my wardrobe, considering what I could and couldn’t wear comfortably with a newly disabled right arm. Among other concerns, I knew a lot of my clothes w...
99percentinvisible.org
April 8, 2025 at 2:44 AM
"I’m not in the (cargo) pocket of Big Prana" may be the best line I ever write ✨
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
Last year, 99pi's @KurtKohlstedt suffered a severe injury initially rendering his right arm and hand both completely numb and paralyzed .... This is the first article in a six-part mini-series that covers a range of adaptive designs for people with one working hand. 99pi.org/article/adap...
Single Handed (1 of 6): Design Adaptations for Living with One (Functional) Hand - 99% Invisible
Last year, I suffered a severe injury initially rendering my right arm and hand both completely numb and paralyzed. Tests revealed severe damage to a network of nerves called the brachial plexus.…
99percentinvisible.org
April 1, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Last year, 99pi's @KurtKohlstedt suffered a severe injury initially rendering his right arm and hand both completely numb and paralyzed .... This is the first article in a six-part mini-series that covers a range of adaptive designs for people with one working hand. 99pi.org/article/adap...
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
Twin Cities 99% Invisible fans: I'm organizing a 99pi meetup in the Mpls/St. Paul area. Possibly: coffee or lunch at the Midtown Market (details TBD).
Interested? Send your name & email address to kurt {at} 99pi {dot} org with "MSPI" in the subject line! #99pi #MSPI
-= @KurtKohlstedt
Interested? Send your name & email address to kurt {at} 99pi {dot} org with "MSPI" in the subject line! #99pi #MSPI
-= @KurtKohlstedt
March 16, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Urban reuse is as old as cities. Wherever there has been long-term human habitation, there has been spolia, Latin for “spoils,” as in “the spoils of war” -- pieces of old architecture creatively incorporated into brand new buildings. #99pi #99piCity #Book 99percentinvisible.org/article/spol...
March 7, 2025 at 6:12 AM
Urban reuse is as old as cities. Wherever there has been long-term human habitation, there has been spolia, Latin for “spoils,” as in “the spoils of war” -- pieces of old architecture creatively incorporated into brand new buildings. #99pi #99piCity #Book 99percentinvisible.org/article/spol...
My favorite spot in Seattle, my old stomping grounds, is a green space bridging a massive motorway -- skip the Space Needle and check out Freeway Park #99pi
March 7, 2025 at 5:46 AM
My favorite spot in Seattle, my old stomping grounds, is a green space bridging a massive motorway -- skip the Space Needle and check out Freeway Park #99pi
Reposted by Kurt Kohlstedt
Final @99pi.org mini stories of this cycle - featuring the great @kellyprime.bsky.social, a fun one from @kurtkohlstedt.bsky.social and the triumphant return of Gillian Jacobs! This is a really fun set.
99percentinvisible.org/episode/610-...
99percentinvisible.org/episode/610-...
Mini-Stories: Volume 20 - 99% Invisible
Happy New Year! We’re starting 2025 with four more mini stories! This week we have a sleepy button, electric signs, a very important sticker, and video you can smell. Let’s get into it! Snooze Buttons...
99percentinvisible.org
January 7, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Final @99pi.org mini stories of this cycle - featuring the great @kellyprime.bsky.social, a fun one from @kurtkohlstedt.bsky.social and the triumphant return of Gillian Jacobs! This is a really fun set.
99percentinvisible.org/episode/610-...
99percentinvisible.org/episode/610-...
Hello, World! This is my BFF Ohren. You're welcome!!!
November 28, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Hello, World! This is my BFF Ohren. You're welcome!!!
