What is The Future for Cities?
Alle afleveringen
765 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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438I_Joris de Leeuw, Regenerative Designer & System Innovator at Protopia Studio
18 juni 2026 · 37 min
"We are just the process of the universe becoming more complex." Lees meer
Are you interested in urban regeneration? What do you think about the challenge of separateness? How can we leverage our transformational times for the best?
Interview with Joris de Leeuw, Regenerative Designer & System Innovator at Protopia Studio. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban regeneration, the complexity of the universe, giving a voice to nature, and many more.
Joris de Leeuw is a regenerative designer, facilitator, and system innovator dedicated to helping public organisations build sustainable and thriving futures. Passionate about creating regenerative societies, he designs cities and landscapes that harmonise with nature while enhancing human wellbeing. With expertise in regenerative architecture, design thinking, business strategy, product development, and personal leadership, Joris integrates creative skills to develop impactful spaces and systems that serve both people and the planet.
Find out more about Joris through these links:
Joris de Leeuw on LinkedIn
Protopia Studio website
Protopia Studio on LinkedIn
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.111 - Interview with Dave Hakkens about rethinking the urban fabric
No.328 - Interview with Howard Bloom about human evolution
No.426 - Interview with AJ Perkins about giving nature a place at the meeting table
No.437R - Biodiver_Cities: An exploration of how architecture and urban design can regenerate ecosystem services
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.
Episode generated with …
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From sustainability to regeneration with foresight - Joris de Leeuw (438I trailer 3)
17 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in urban regeneration? What do you think about the challenge of separateness? How can we leverage our transformational times for the best? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 438 - interview with Joris de Leeuw, Regenerative Designer & System Innovator at Protopia Studio. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban regeneration, the complexity of the universe, giving a voice to nature, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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437R_Biodiver_Cities: An exploration of how architecture and urban design can regenerate ecosystem services (research debate)
16 juni 2026 · 12 min
Are you interested in how to regenerate urban ecosystem services? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the article titled Biodiver_Cities: An exploration of how architecture and urban design can regenerate ecosystem services from 2019, by Jennifer Koat and Maibritt Pedersen Zari, presented at the 53rd International Conference of the Architectural Science Association 2019.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Joris de Leeuw in episode 438 talking about the opportunities within regeneration.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how regenerative architecture and urban design can actively restore ecosystem services. This article proposes the integration of biophilic design principles and ecosystem biomimicry to improve socio-ecological health.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: Architecture can play a crucial role in supporting ecosystems and reducing biodiversity loss in urban environments. With predicted urban population increase and a subsequent need for more housing, how buildings and infrastructure is designed will have a direct impact on surrounding ecosystems and biodiversity. Therefore, the built environment design should include careful consideration of how to actively integrate with and regenerate ecosystem services and biodiversity. Through emulating ecosystems and their functions using an ecosystem services framework, and through incorporating biophilic design principles, a regenerative design practice may emerge that positively impacts socio-ecological systems from a health and wellbeing perspective. This research explores this proposition through a design-led research methodology, combining ecological and environmental psychology knowledge into architectural design practice. The outcomes range from neighbourhood scales through to architectural, and focus on retrofit and new build design. Wellington, New Zealand is the site of the design research. New Zealand’s biodiversity is un…
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From separateness to interdependency - Joris de Leeuw (438I trailer 2)
15 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in urban regeneration? What do you think about the challenge of separateness? How can we leverage our transformational times for the best? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 438 - interview with Joris de Leeuw, Regenerative Designer & System Innovator at Protopia Studio. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban regeneration, the complexity of the universe, giving a voice to nature, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Humans and consciousness evolving - Joris de Leeuw (438I trailer 1)
14 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in urban regeneration? What do you think about the challenge of separateness? How can we leverage our transformational times for the best? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 438 - interview with Joris de Leeuw, Regenerative Designer & System Innovator at Protopia Studio. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban regeneration, the complexity of the universe, giving a voice to nature, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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436I_Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, a spatial practitioner
11 juni 2026 · 50 min
"The future is very much embedded and designed in local realities." Lees meer
Are you interested in the involvement of informal settlements in the future of cities? What do you think about the importance of creative industries for urban futures? How can we create more ownership within our spaces?
Interview with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, a spatial practitioner. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the role of the individuals and governance, informal settlements, creative industries, storytelling, and many more.
Carina Tenewaa Kanbi is a spatial practitioner, ARUA Fellow and PhD researcher at the African Centre for Migration & Society, University of the Witwatersrand. Her doctoral work explores young West African creatives in Accra and Lagos. With master’s degrees from Central Saint Martins (MA Cities) and the University of Amsterdam (MSc Migration & Ethnicity), she bridges urbanism, migration, and the arts to foster inclusive, just cities. Co-founder of Aya Editions and Edan, she champions regenerative design, cultural preservation, and creative cosmopolitanism across West Africa.
Find out more about Carina through these links:
Carina Tenewaa Kanbi at Cities Work
Carina Tenewaa Kanbi at the mobility Governance Lab
Aya Editions website
Aya Academi website
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.027 - Interview with Richard Manasseh about city sound scapes
No.415R - Rethinking the contribution of creative economies in Africa
No.416 - Interview with Raoul Rugamba about Kigali and Africa's creative industries
No.435R - Governance of urban informal settlements in Africa: A scoping review
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also availa…
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What role do green and public spaces play in cities? Carina Tenewaa Kanbi (436I trailer 3)
10 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in the involvement of informal settlements in the future of cities? What do you think about the importance of creative industries for urban futures? How can we create more ownership within our spaces? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 436 - interview with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, a spatial practitioner. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the role of the individuals and governance, informal settlements, creative industries, storytelling, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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435R_Governance of urban informal settlements in Africa: A scoping review
9 juni 2026 · 13 min
Are you interested in the governance of urban informal settlements? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the article titled Governance of urban informal settlements in Africa: A scoping review from 2025, by Behailu Mulate Ewnetu and Bo Kyong Seo, published in the Heliyon journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi in episode 436 talking about the need to involve the informal settlements more into the urban futures.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what has been done to involve informal settlements into the urban fabric. This article investigates current governance practices regarding informal settlements and advocates for collaborative governance models while identifying key knowledge gaps for future research.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: This scoping review examines the challenges in the governance of informal settlements in Africa and the existing interactions among different stakeholders. The objective is to identify emerging topics in the management of informal settlements and research gaps that will inform future research. Based on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, we reviewed 30 peer-reviewed articles, papers, and UN-Habitat documents that collectively address urban governance and informal settlements across various African regions and countries. The descriptive and thematic analyses reveal that over the past 22 years, 20 out of 54 African countries have produced knowledge on informal settlement governance. Our review highlights the national and local government's inability to coordinate the problems in the informal settlements and the existence of varying interests of different stakeholders that readily provoke disputes. It urges stakeholders to make more accountable commitments and coordination in managing the upgrading of the informal settlements and suggests a few research gaps to be filled. This review sheds light on the literature …
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How to bring governments along the improvements? Carina Tenewaa Kanbi (436I trailer 2)
8 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in the involvement of informal settlements in the future of cities? What do you think about the importance of creative industries for urban futures? How can we create more ownership within our spaces? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 436 - interview with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, a spatial practitioner. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the role of the individuals and governance, informal settlements, creative industries, storytelling, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Connection between mayors and the creative industries - Carina Tenewaa Kanbi (436I trailer 1)
7 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in the involvement of informal settlements in the future of cities? What do you think about the importance of creative industries for urban futures? How can we create more ownership within our spaces? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 436 - interview with Carina Tenewaa Kanbi, a spatial practitioner. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the role of the individuals and governance, informal settlements, creative industries, storytelling, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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434I_Keith Cooke, Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri
4 juni 2026 · 56 min
"One of the encouraging things for me that I'm seeing is that the role of planners and what they're doing in the strategic decisions they're making is now greatly overlapped with economic developers." Lees meer
Are you interested economic mobility and zoning reform? What do you think about the connection between housing capacity and housing affordability? How can we leverage housing for better urban economic outcomes?
Interview with Keith Cooke, Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, economic mobility, the connection between housing capacity and affordability, urban geography, and many more.
Keith Cooke is the Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri. A graduate of Auburn University, he has been a GIS professional since 1994 and has worked for planning and community development agencies at the regional and municipal level. Prior to this role, he was an account executive at Esri for 15 years working with over 100 local governments. Keith regularly collaborates with industry leaders, planners, economic developers, and technology experts to drive innovation in community development practices using GIS, and is an active member in the American Planning Association.
Find out more about Keith through these links:
Keith Cooke on LinkedIn
@RKeithCooke as Keith Cooke on X
Keith Cooke at Esri
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.108 - Interview with Dr Anthony Kent about economic geography
No.429R - Cities as labour markets
No.430I - Interview with Alan Bertaud about market-driven development
No.433R - The effect of housing supply regulation on housing affordability: A review
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the …
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Affordability and capacity of housing - Keith Cooke (434I trailer 3)
3 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested economic mobility and zoning reform? What do you think about the connection between housing capacity and housing affordability? How can we leverage housing for better urban economic outcomes? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 434 - interview with Keith Cooke, Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, economic mobility, the connection between housing capacity and affordability, urban geography, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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433R_The effect of housing supply regulation on housing affordability: A review (research summary)
2 juni 2026 · 14 min
Are you interested in how regulations influence housing affordability? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the article titled The effect of housing supply regulation on housing affordability: A review from 2020, by Raven Molloy, published in Regional Science and Urban Economics journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Keith Cooke in episode 434 talking about how housing capacity influences housing affordability.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how urban regulations and restrictions on housing capacity affects affordability. This article investigates how government land-use regulations contribute to the declining affordability of housing in the United States.
Find the article through this link.
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.108 - Interview with Dr Anthony Kent about economic geography
No.429R - Cities as labour markets
No.430I - Interview with Alan Bertaud about market-driven development
You can find the transcript through this link
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link)
Music by …
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Economic mobility as an opportunity for the future of cities - Keith Cooke (434I trailer 2)
1 juni 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested economic mobility and zoning reform? What do you think about the connection between housing capacity and housing affordability? How can we leverage housing for better urban economic outcomes? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 434 - interview with Keith Cooke, Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, economic mobility, the connection between housing capacity and affordability, urban geography, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Land use vs zoning on different timeframes - Keith Cooke (434I trailer 1)
31 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested economic mobility and zoning reform? What do you think about the connection between housing capacity and housing affordability? How can we leverage housing for better urban economic outcomes? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 434 - interview with Keith Cooke, Director of Planning & Community Development Markets at Esri. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, economic mobility, the connection between housing capacity and affordability, urban geography, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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432I_Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, digital and water-based jurisdiction architect
28 mei 2026 · 43 min
"We don't have to have binary answers ... and that is something that characterises the future of cities. We will have what I like to call a heterarchy of things." Lees meer
Are you interested in floating cities? What do you think about startup societies as an innovative form of governance? How can we create heterarchy for better urban futures?
Interview with Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, digital and water-based jurisdiction architect. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, floating cities, legal and environmental aspects, startup societies, digital sovereignty, and many more.
Nathalie Mezza-Garcia specializes in the development and management of startup societies and floating development projects. She holds a PhD on the intersection of Special Economic Zones, sustainable aquatecture, and blockchain in indigenous communities. With over eight years of experience, she has worked in academic research, consultancy, and business development. She served as COO of Catawba Digital Economic Zone in the USA and founded Seaphia, a consultancy focused on zones and water-based projects. Her work has appeared in Forbes, CNBC, and ABC.
Find out more about Nathalie through these links:
Nathalie Mezza-Garcia on LinkedIn
@floating_sez as Nathalie Mezza-Garcia on X
Seaphia website
Seaphia on LinkedIn
@SeaphiaGroup as Seaphia on X
@seaphiagroup as Seaphia on Instagram
Startup Societies Foundation website
Startup Societies Foundation on LinkedIn
Startup Societies Foundation on Youtube
@StartSocieties as Startup Societies Foundation on X
@startupsocieties as Startup Societies Foundation on Instagram
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.294 - Interview with Erick A. Brimen about Prospera Honduras
No.384 - Interview with Rutger de Graaf about floating cities
No.386 - Interview with Niklas Anzinger about Prospera Honduras Free Economic Zone
No.431R - Self-organized collective action in the floating island project
What was the most interesting part for yo…
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Why heterarchy is crucial for the future of cities? Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia (432I trailer 3)
27 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in floating cities? What do you think about startup societies as an innovative form of governance? How can we create heterarchy for better urban futures? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 432 - interview with Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, digital and water-based jurisdiction architect. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, floating cities, legal and environmental aspects, startup societies, digital sovereignty, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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431_Self-organized collective action in the floating island project (research summary)
26 mei 2026 · 12 min
Are you interested in the opportunities with floating cities? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the book chapter titled Self-organized collective action in the floating island project from 2019, by Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, part of the book titled Nonviolent Political Economy.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Nathalie Mezza-Garcia in episode 432 talking about the opportunities within floating cities and new governance models.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how autonomous communities on water can bypass traditional state control. This chapter introduces the example of the Special Economic Zone in French Polynesia with decentralised legal frameworks and green technologies allowing people to vote with their feet.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: This chapter introduces the Floating Island Project and the libertarian political economy behind its creation. I define this as a self-organized form of governance. Furthermore, I claim, the self-organized form of governance proposed to build the Floating Island is presented as a form of collective action intended to solve problems of the commons. Usually problems of the commons are seen in opposition to libertarian ideologies. The Floating Island Project reconciles both theories. The chapter contributes to the interdisciplinary area of research that within the discipline of political science deals with complex systems. More specifically, the chapter speaks to the field of complex governance, contributing to and extending the scholarship on the governance of complex socio-political systems in general and the Floating Island Project in particular.
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.383R - Potential floating urban development for coastal cities
No.384 - Interview with Rutger de Graaf about floating cities
You can find the transcript through this link…
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Start up societies as new types of governance - Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia (432I trailer 2)
25 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in floating cities? What do you think about startup societies as an innovative form of governance? How can we create heterarchy for better urban futures? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 432 - interview with Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, digital and water-based jurisdiction architect. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, floating cities, legal and environmental aspects, startup societies, digital sovereignty, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Why floating cities are not green field developments? Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia (432I trailer 1)
24 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in floating cities? What do you think about startup societies as an innovative form of governance? How can we create heterarchy for better urban futures? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 432 - interview with Dr Nathalie Mezza-Garcia, digital and water-based jurisdiction architect. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, floating cities, legal and environmental aspects, startup societies, digital sovereignty, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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430I_Alain Bertaud, urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
21 mei 2026 · 56 min
"Nothing really succeeds as planned, but it succeeds on the side of the plan." Lees meer
Are you interested in market-oriented urban development? What do you think about cities as friends? How can we create projections without making them regulations?
Interview with Alain Bertaud, urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban economics and labour markets, planned cities, changing demographics, urban attraction, and many more.
Alain Bertaud is a renowned urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, as well as a senior research scholar at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management. Author of the influential book Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities (2018), he previously served as principal urban planner at the World Bank. His research, often with his wife Marie-Agnès, explores the interplay between urban forms, real estate markets, and regulations. In 2024, he received an honorary doctorate from CEPT University in India.
Find out more about Alain through these links:
Alain Bertaud on LinkedIn
Alain Bertaud website
Alain Bertaud at the Mercator Center
Alain Bertaud at the the Marron Institute of Urban Management
Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities - book by Alain Bertaud
Is Thomas Piketty Misreading Balzac? - article by Alain Bertaud
Why ‘Casablanca’ Is the Quintessential City Movie - article by Alain Bertaud
Connected episode you might be interested in:
No.409R - The case for economic growth as the path to better human wellbeing
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for urban economic growth
No.420 - Interview with Josh Dorfman about urban economics
No.429R - Cities as labor markets – The efficiency of large labor markets is the main cause of ever-growing cities
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter …
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Labour market as the ability to change jobs - Alain Bertaud (430I trailer 3)
20 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in market-oriented urban development? What do you think about cities as friends? How can we create projections without making them regulations? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 430 - interview with Alain Bertaud, urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban economics and labour markets, planned cities, changing demographics, urban attraction, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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429R_Cities as labor markets – The efficiency of large labor markets is the main cause of ever-growing cities (book chapter summary)
19 mei 2026 · 14 min
Are you interested in the dynamics of urban productivity? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the book chapter titled Cities as labor markets – The efficiency of large labor markets is the main cause of ever-growing cities from 2018, by Alain Bertaud, part of the book titled Order Without Design: How Markets Shape Cities.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Alain Bertaud in episode 430 talking about the need to allow markets to drive urban development.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see why cities function primarily as integrated labour markets. This chapter suggests that the while urban areas offer cultural and social amenities, these features are only made possible by a well-functioning workforce with diverse job opportunities.
Find the book through this link.
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.409R - The case for economic growth as the path to better human wellbeing
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for urban economic growth
No.420 - Interview with Josh Dorfman about urban economics
You can find the transcript through this link
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affil…
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We shouldn't transform projections into regulations - Alain Bertaud (430I trailer 2)
18 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in market-oriented urban development? What do you think about cities as friends? How can we create projections without making them regulations? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 430 - interview with Alain Bertaud, urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban economics and labour markets, planned cities, changing demographics, urban attraction, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Why surveying what public and private is crucial for cities? Alain Bertaud (430I trailer 1)
17 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in market-oriented urban development? What do you think about cities as friends? How can we create projections without making them regulations? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 430 - interview with Alain Bertaud, urbanist and Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban economics and labour markets, planned cities, changing demographics, urban attraction, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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428I_Elizabeth English, founder and director of the Buoyant Foundation Project and Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture
14 mei 2026 · 47 min
"We can find ways to live with water instead of against it." Lees meer
Are you interested in amphibious architecture? What do you think about the aboriginal understanding of water? How can we live with water instead fighting it?
Interview with Elizabeth English, founder and director of the Buoyant Foundation Project and Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, culture and values, amphibious architecture, indigenous water understanding, and many more.
Elizabeth C. English, Ph.D., is Founder and Director of the Buoyant Foundation Project, a not-for-profit leader in amphibious technologies for affordable flood-resilient housing. A Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, her research focuses on amphibious foundations as a climate adaptation strategy that preserves traditional homes and cultural practices. She works with Indigenous and low-income communities in Louisiana, Canada’s north, Jamaica, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Her background includes extensive research in wind engineering and hurricane mitigation. She holds degrees from Princeton, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania.
Find out more about Elizabeth through these links:
Elizabeth English on LinkedIn
Buoyant Foundation website
@BuoyantFndProj as Bouyant Foundation on X
Elizabeth English at the University of Waterloo
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.282 - Interview with Keygan Huckleberry about disaster resilience
No.292 - Interview with Anthony Acciavatti about the importance of water
No.412 - Interview with Louis de Jaeger about the need for nature
No.416 - Interview with Raoul Rugamba about culture in Africa
No.427R - Thriving with water: Developments in amphibious architecture in North America
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the …
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Disasters are the results of natural hazards and decisions - Elizabeth English (428I trailer 3)
13 mei 2026 · 3 min
re you interested in amphibious architecture? What do you think about the aboriginal understanding of water? How can we live with water instead fighting it? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 428 - interview with Elizabeth English, founder and director of the Buoyant Foundation Project and Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, culture and values, amphibious architecture, indigenous water understanding, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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427R_Thriving with water: Developments in amphibious architecture in North America (research debate)
12 mei 2026 · 13 min
Are you interested in amphibious architecture as a potential solutions for floods? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the article titled Thriving with water: Developments in amphibious architecture in North America from 2016, by Elizabeth English, Natasha Klink, and Scott Turner, presented at FLOODrisk 2016 – 3rd European Conference on Flood Risk Management.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Elizabeth English in episode 428 talking about amphibious architecture solutions from all over the world.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see a resilient alternative to traditional flood defences in amphibious construction. This article introduces amphibious architecture, structures that float on the surface of rising waters, which provides greater adaptability and maintains neighbourhood character.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: There is increasing awareness worldwide that traditional flood-mitigation strategies that attempt to control the flow of water only increase the likelihood of catastrophic consequences in the long run, when failure inevitably occurs after years of complacency and development behind flood barriers. Amphibious architecture is a non-defensive flood mitigation and climate change adaptation strategy that works in synchrony with a floodprone region’s natural cycles of flooding, allowing water to flow rather than creating an obstruction. Since the height to which an amphibious building rises is not necessarily fixed but adapts to the variable depth of flood water, amphibiation can accommodate rising sea levels and land subsidence as well. Amphibious retrofitting can provide measurable cost savings compared to other flood mitigation strategies, performing well in loss avoidance studies for both flood and wind damage. An amphibious approach to planning and construction recognizes the beneficial aspects of seasonal and occasional flooding, allowing us not merely to live with …
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What is amphibious architecture and construction? Elizabeth English (428I trailer 2)
11 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in amphibious architecture? What do you think about the aboriginal understanding of water? How can we live with water instead fighting it? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 428 - interview with Elizabeth English, founder and director of the Buoyant Foundation Project and Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, culture and values, amphibious architecture, indigenous water understanding, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Living and working with water, instead of against it - Elizabeth English (428I trailer 1)
10 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in amphibious architecture? What do you think about the aboriginal understanding of water? How can we live with water instead fighting it? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 428 - interview with Elizabeth English, founder and director of the Buoyant Foundation Project and Professor at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, culture and values, amphibious architecture, indigenous water understanding, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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426I_AJ Perkins, founder, clean energy strategist and award winning author
7 mei 2026 · 50 min
"Energy is not one of those silos. Energy is the foundation. You cannot fix any of those challenges at scale if you haven't fixed the energy beneath them." Lees meer
Are you interested in why energy is the foundation of our challenges and opportunities? What do you think about thinking in 7 generations? How can we honour the past and innovate for the future?
Interview with AJ Perkins, founder, clean energy strategist and award winning author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, islands as signals of the future, sustainability – resilience – antifragility connections, the empty chairs, and many more.
AJ Perkins is a clean energy strategist, moderator, and award-winning author who helps communities and institutions move from clean energy discussions to real, defensible decisions. With over 20 years of experience across Hawai‘i, the Pacific, and the U.S. mainland, he specializes in energy, resilience, microgrids, and hydrogen projects that prioritize affordability, safety, and community trust. AJ is the author of CLEAR Decisions for Clean Power and founder of H2 Matchmaker.
Find out more about AJ through these links:
AJ Perkins on LinkedIn
H2 Matchmaker website
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.349R - Superabundant Energy What will we do with it?
No.350 - Panel conversation about the urban energy matrix
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for abundant energy
No.425R - The Energy Foundation
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (…
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Distributed energy systems and Hawaii as a living lab - AJ Perkins (426I trailer 3)
6 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in why energy is the foundation of our challenges and opportunities? What do you think about thinking in 7 generations? How can we honour the past and innovate for the future? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 426 - interview with AJ Perkins, founder, clean energy strategist and award winning author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, islands as signals of the future, sustainability – resilience – antifragility connections, the empty chairs, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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425R_The Energy Foundation – Why Affordable, Reliable Energy Is the Key to Jobs, Cost of Living, and Resilience (book summary)
5 mei 2026 · 16 min
Are you interested in why energy is the foundation of all opportunities and challenges? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the book titled The Energy Foundation – Why Affordable, Reliable Energy Is the Key to Jobs, Cost of Living, and Resilience from 2026, by AJ Perkins with yours truly, Fanni Melles.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with AJ Perkins in episode 426 talking about why energy is the foundation of every challenge and opportunity. The book is currently still in development so the published version will be available later in the year.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see why high utility costs act as a compounding tax that inflates the price of all goods and services. This book presents the SOUND energy foundation that creates true resilience for communities and businesses with margins to absorb shocks and disasters.
Find the book through this link (updated when the book is published).
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.349R - Superabundant Energy What will we do with it?
No.350 - Panel conversation about the urban energy matrix
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for abundant energy
You can find the transcript through this link
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in
Episode generated with …
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How to move discussions into decisions? The CLEAR method - AJ Perkins (426I trailer 2)
4 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in why energy is the foundation of our challenges and opportunities? What do you think about thinking in 7 generations? How can we honour the past and innovate for the future? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 426 - interview with AJ Perkins, founder, clean energy strategist and award winning author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, islands as signals of the future, sustainability – resilience – antifragility connections, the empty chairs, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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7 generations and the empty chair for decision-making - AJ Perkins (426I trailer 1)
3 mei 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in why energy is the foundation of our challenges and opportunities? What do you think about thinking in 7 generations? How can we honour the past and innovate for the future? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 426 - interview with AJ Perkins, founder, clean energy strategist and award winning author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, islands as signals of the future, sustainability – resilience – antifragility connections, the empty chairs, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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424I_Ben Wolf, producer and director of Changing Lanes
30 april 2026 · 44 min
"[Urban transportation] is not just a quality of life issue - it's a life and death issue." Lees meer
Are you interested micromobility? What do you think about induced demand? How can we effectively reduce traffic and reclaim streets for public use?
Interview with Ben Wolf, producer and director of Changing Lanes. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people-centred cities, reclaiming public space for the public, micromobility, electric bikes, and many more.
Ben Wolf is a producer, director, and cinematographer known for his work on acclaimed documentaries including Note by Note, Obit, and contributions to Gary Hustwit’s Helvetica, Objectified, Urbanized, and Rams. Splitting time between Brooklyn and Sicily, he is an avid cyclist. Changing Lanes, his feature directorial debut, follows a grassroots fight in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, to transform a dangerous boulevard into a safer street with protected bike lanes. Featuring David Byrne and Janette Sadik-Khan, the film explores community power, urban democracy, and the battle for people-centered cities.
Find out more about Ben through these links:
Ben Wolf on IMDb
Changing Lanes website
Changing Lanes screening times
@changinglanes_doc as Changing Lanes on Instagram
Changing Lanes trailer
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.216 - Interview with Sara Stace about the needed urban paradigm shift in transport planning
No.395R - Car free cities
No.396 - Interview with Lior Steinberg about car free cities
No.423R - Scaling the superblock model to city level in Barcelona?
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.
Epis…
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Let's think about streets as public spaces! Ben Wolf (424I trailer 3)
29 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested micromobility? What do you think about induced demand? How can we effectively reduce traffic and reclaim streets for public use? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 424 - interview with Ben Wolf, producer and director of Changing Lanes. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people-centred cities, reclaiming public space for the public, micromobility, electric bikes, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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423R_Scaling the superblock model to city level in Barcelona? Learning from recent policy impact evaluations
28 april 2026 · 16 min
Are you interested in how removing traffic affects urban areas? Lees meer
Our debate today works with the article titled Scaling the superblock model to city level in Barcelona? Learning from recent policy impact evaluations from 2022, by Jaime Benavides, Sabah Usmani, and Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, published in the Contesti journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Ben Wolf in episode 424 talking about one street in New York that reduced its car traffic and its effects on its environment.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see an urban model that curtails vehicle traffic and reclaims public space for pedestrians and greenery. This article investigates Barcelona’s Superblock model with its complex outcomes, suggesting that neighbourhood level policies must be paired with a holistic metropolitan mobility plan for traffic to be effectively reduced city-wide.
Find the article through this link.
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.216 - Interview with Sara Stace about the needed urban paradigm shift in transport planning
No.395R - Car free cities
No.396 - Interview with Lior Steinberg about car free cities
You can find the transcript through this link
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in
Episode generated with …
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Why do big change require leadership? Ben Wolf (424I trailer 2)
27 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested micromobility? What do you think about induced demand? How can we effectively reduce traffic and reclaim streets for public use? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 424 - interview with Ben Wolf, producer and director of Changing Lanes. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people-centred cities, reclaiming public space for the public, micromobility, electric bikes, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Why public spaces are crucial for cities? Ben Wolf (424I trailer 1)
26 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested micromobility? What do you think about induced demand? How can we effectively reduce traffic and reclaim streets for public use? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 424 - interview with Ben Wolf, producer and director of Changing Lanes. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people-centred cities, reclaiming public space for the public, micromobility, electric bikes, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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422I_Greg Lindsay, urbanist, futurist and author
23 april 2026 · 40 min
"We need to do a better job at building places we love, otherwise we will just discard them." Lees meer
Are you interested adaptation and reuse? What do you think about the cities as the safest zones for climate? How can we maximise serendipity in cities?
Interview with Greg Lindsay, urbanist, futurist and author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people leaving cities, maintenance, urban programming, spatial mismatch, and many more.
Greg Lindsay is a globally renowned urbanist, futurist, and author of the acclaimed bestseller Aerotropolis. With a career spanning media, technology, and design, he explores the critical intersections of cities, mobility, and innovation. Greg serves as a senior fellow at MIT, ASU, and the Atlantic Council. His research on "The Augmented City," AI, and climate migration has been showcased at MoMA and the Venice Architecture Biennale. A prolific journalist and sought-after keynote speaker, he advises G20 governments and Fortune 500 companies on our hyper-connected urban future.
Find out more about Greg through these links:
Greg Lindsay on LinkedIn
Greg Lindsay website
as Greg Lindsay on X
as Greg Lindsay on Instagram
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.018 - Interview with Maria Jose Yanez about the Nightingale model in Melbourne
No.409R - The case for economic growth as the path to better human wellbeing
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for economic growth
No.421R - The origins of scaling in cities
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.
I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.
Episode generated with Descript…
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The latent potential of cities as networks - Greg Lindsay (422I trailer 3)
22 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested adaptation and reuse? What do you think about the cities as the safest zones for climate? How can we maximise serendipity in cities? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 422 - interview with Greg Lindsay, urbanist, futurist and author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people leaving cities, maintenance, urban programming, spatial mismatch, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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421R_The origins of scaling in cities
21 april 2026 · 13 min
Are you interested in the connection between urban evolution and their population size? Lees meer
Debate of the article titled The origins of scaling in cities from 2023, by Louis M. A. Bettencourt, published in the Science journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Greg Lindsay in episode 422 talking about the city as an engine for creative collisions.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see the scaling relations of urban areas. This article suggests that urban efficiency can be measured by balancing the benefits of social interactions against the energy costs of moving people and information.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: Despite the increasing importance of cities in human societies, our ability to understand them scientifically and manage them in practice has remained limited. The greatest difficulties to any scientific approach to cities have resulted from their many interdependent facets, as social, economic, infrastructural, and spatial complex systems that exist in similar but changing forms over a huge range of scales. Here, I show how all cities may evolve according to a small set of basic principles that operate locally. A theoretical framework was developed to predict the average social, spatial, and infrastructural properties of cities as a set of scaling relations that apply to all urban systems. Confirmation of these predictions was observed for thousands of cities worldwide, from many urban systems at different levels of development. Measures of urban efficiency, capturing the balance between socioeconomic outputs and infrastructural costs, were shown to be independent of city size and might be a useful means to evaluate urban planning strategies.
Connecting episodes you might be interested in:
No.409R - The case for economic growth as the path to better human wellbeing
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for economic growth
No.419R - Green growth …
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What would effective adaptive reuse be in the built environment? Greg Lindsay (422I trailer 2)
20 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested adaptation and reuse? What do you think about the cities as the safest zones for climate? How can we maximise serendipity in cities? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 422 - interview with Greg Lindsay, urbanist, futurist and author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people leaving cities, maintenance, urban programming, spatial mismatch, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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Human capital as the key for cities - Greg Lindsay (422I trailer 1)
19 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested adaptation and reuse? What do you think about the cities as the safest zones for climate? How can we maximise serendipity in cities? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 422 - interview with Greg Lindsay, urbanist, futurist and author. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, people leaving cities, maintenance, urban programming, spatial mismatch, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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420I_Josh Dorfman, co-founder of Plantd and CEO and host of Supercool podcast
16 april 2026 · 49 min
"Just consider the possibility that we don't have to suffer to solve climate change." Lees meer
Are you interested in green growth to battle climate change instead of degrowth? What do you think about mayors making the best for their cities, thus, solving climate change? How can we create even more pockets of delight?
Interview with Josh Dorfman, co-founder of Plantd and CEO and host of Supercool podcast. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, industry innovation, people’s responsibility, the need for a vision, and many more.
Josh Dorfman is a climate entrepreneur, author, and media personality with two decades turning low-carbon innovations into products people actually want. As CEO and host of Supercool, he spotlights companies scaling climate solutions that cut emissions, boost profits, and improve daily life through a weekly podcast and platform. He co-founded Plantd in 2021, raised $19.5 million as CEO, partnered with D.R. Horton, and earned Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies nod for carbon-negative building materials. He now serves as fractional CMO. Previously, he led Vine.com at Amazon and built The Lazy Environmentalist into TV, radio, and books.
Learn more about Josh through these links:
Josh Dorfman on LinkedIn
@Josh_Dorfman as Josh Dorfman on X
as Josh Dorfman on Instagram
Supercool website
Supercool on LinkedIn
Supercool on Youtube
as Supercool on X
@getsupercool as Supercool on Instagram
Plantd website
Plantd on LinkedIn
@PlantdMaterials as Plantd on X
@plantdmaterials as Plantd on Instagram
Connected episodes you might be interested in:
No.274 - Interview with Richard Gill about the upcoming transformations
No.410 - Interview with Casey Handmer about the need for economic growth
No.418 - Interview with Zoe Wang about making regenerative solutions easy to adopt
No.419R - Green growth or degrowth? Possible outcomes for climate and society
What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise…
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Individuals' role as clearing the runway - Josh Dorfman (420I trailer 3)
15 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in green growth to battle climate change instead of degrowth? What do you think about mayors making the best for their cities, thus, solving climate change? How can we create even more pockets of delight? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 420 - interview with Josh Dorfman, co-founder of Plantd and CEO and host of Supercool podcast. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, industry innovation, people’s responsibility, the need for a vision, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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419R_Green growth or degrowth? Possible outcomes for climate and society
14 april 2026 · 15 min
Are you interested in the possibility of green growth instead of degrowth for better urban futures? Lees meer
Debate of the article titled Green growth or degrowth? Possible outcomes for climate and society from 2025, by Phoenix Eskridge-Aldama, Aden Stern, Anna Vaughn, and Diana Stuart, published in the Highlights of Sustainability journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Josh Dorfman in episode 420 talking about the need for people’s need to be open to the idea of green growth.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see whether we can talk about growth with green solutions for the better future instead of the degrowth idea. This article investigates the ongoing debate between green growth and degrowth as competing strategies for addressing the climate crisis and enhance wellbeing.
Find the article through this link.
Abstract: As global temperatures continue to rise, those in favor of rapid climate mitigation face critical questions regarding maintaining current levels of economic growth. On a global scale, there remains a clear positive correlation between economic growth and carbon emissions, leading many climate scientists to call for a move away from a growth-focused economy. In this article, we draw from recent research to compare possible outcomes in terms of social well-being and climate mitigation for green growth and degrowth pathways. Green growth aims to maintain economic growth while reducing carbon emissions. Degrowth calls for a purposeful contraction of economic growth in wealthy countries. Drawing from recent studies, we compile evidence to compare these pathways and assess how each of these key strategies is evaluated and framed in the literature. We find that research indicates clear differences between these pathways in terms of mitigation potential and risks to human welfare, and we call for future research on specific topics related to a degrowth transition. Additionally, we iden…
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How to find solutions, thus hope for better futures? Josh Dorfman (420I trailer 2)
13 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in green growth to battle climate change instead of degrowth? What do you think about mayors making the best for their cities, thus, solving climate change? How can we create even more pockets of delight? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 420 - interview with Josh Dorfman, co-founder of Plantd and CEO and host of Supercool podcast. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, industry innovation, people’s responsibility, the need for a vision, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
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What mayors can do for cities and thus climate change? Josh Dorfman (420I trailer 1)
12 april 2026 · 2 min
Are you interested in green growth to battle climate change instead of degrowth? What do you think about mayors making the best for their cities, thus, solving climate change? How can we create even more pockets of delight? Lees meer
Trailer for episode 420 - interview with Josh Dorfman, co-founder of Plantd and CEO and host of Supercool podcast. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, industry innovation, people’s responsibility, the need for a vision, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay