Best SmartCitiesWorld Podcasts (2026)

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How cities can own their data and their future with sovereign AI 33:12

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6h ago33:12

33:12

In this episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcast, SmartCitiesWorld's Luke Antoniou is joined once again by Youssef Nadiri from PNY Technologies to explore what sovereign AI really means for cities – and why it’s becoming such a critical topic for urban leaders. Building on their earlier conversation about edge AI, this episode looks at sovereign AI …

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 32 – Flood and energy resilience in Quezon City 42:17

20d ago42:17

42:17

In this episode of The Urban Exchange, hosts Paul Wilson and Katrin Bruebach speak with Bianca Perez, Head of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for Quezon City in the Philippines – a city that, in August 2025, experienced an extreme flooding event where the equivalent of five days of rain fell in just one hour. Bianca explains how Q…

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Using mobility data to shape the future of cities 30:45

2M ago30:45

30:45

Join SmartCitiesWorld's Luke Antoniou as he welcomes Ralf-Peter Schäfer, VP of Product Management, Traffic and Travel Information at TomTom, to share insights from his two decades at in mobility. Listeners will hear about TomTom’s strategic pivots – from consumer electronics to B2B services, industry partnerships, and the bold step into open mappin…

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Building resilient cities: trustworthy AI, digital twins, and urban innovation at YII 2025 20:13

2M ago20:13

20:13

Join senior editor Luke Antoniou for a special SmartCitiesWorld podcast episode, recorded live at the Bentley Systems' Year in Infrastructure (YII) Conference 2025 in Amsterdam. In this thought-provoking instalment, we welcome two expert guests from Bentley: Zubran Solaimon, Director for Industry Strategy, and Dorothea Manou, Solution Manager for C…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 31 – Resilient Sydney: 33 local governments, one resilience strategy 35:30

4M ago35:30

35:30

Dive into the latest episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, where hosts Paul Wilson and Lina Liakou are joined by Yvette Andrews, strategy and engagement manager for Resilient Sydney, and a key architect of the newly released Resilient Sydney Strategy 2025-2030. Together, they explore what it takes to build a truly resilient city in the face of cli…

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Edge AI: powering next-generation smart cities 23:59

4M ago23:59

23:59

In this special episode of the Smart Cities World Podcast, host Luke Antoniou welcomes Youssef Nadiri, Product and BDM Smart Cities & Spaces for PNY Technologies, to explore one of the most exciting frontiers in urban innovation: edge AI. As cities around the globe race to become smarter, safer, and more responsive, understanding the role of edge A…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 30 – Norfolk: building coastal resilience before the storm 40:03

5M ago40:03

40:03

Dive into the heart of coastal resilience with this episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, supported by Sand Technologies, where hosts Paul Wilson and Nate Echeverria are joined by two leading voices from the City of Norfolk, – Kyle Spencer, Chief Resilience Officer, and Dr. Paul Robinson, Executive Director of RISE Resilience Innovations. Together…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 29 - Financing city resilience 47:00

6M ago47:00

47:00

Dive into the heart of urban resilience and climate finance in this thought-provoking episode of the Urban Exchange podcast, where hosts Paul Wilson, Chair of the Advisory Board at Smart Cities World. and Nate Echeverria, North America Engagement Lead, Resilient Cities Network, are joined by Roland White, Global Lead for City Finance and Management…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 28 - Data-driven urban resilience in Montevideo 36:24

8M ago36:24

36:24

In this compelling episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, host Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson dive deep into the transformative world of digital innovation and urban resilience, featuring an extraordinary case study from Montevideo, Uruguay. Join us as we journey to Montevideo, where city representatives Andrea de Nigris and Ximena Cidras share the …

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 27 - Life-saving action on extreme heat 44:20

9M ago44:20

44:20

In this episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson explore extreme heat in cities worldwide. Joined by Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, former Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, and Nick Jones, Program Lead, Extreme Heat Resilience, at GDFRR and World Bank's City Resilience Program, they unpack a story of urban…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 26 - Championing urban heat resilience: Global Chief Heat Officer Eleni Myrivili 43:38

10M ago43:38

43:38

In this episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson dive deep into the critical issue of extreme heat with Lenio Myrivili, Global Chief Heat Officer for UN-Habitat and the Atlantic Council. The conversation explores how rising temperatures are transforming urban experiences across the globe, from Athens to London, and…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 25 - Understanding AI-powered water resilience 42:46

11M ago42:46

42:46

In this insightful episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Sand Technologies, host Lauren Sorkin delves into the critical challenge of clean water and resilience, with a focus on how artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool to address these pressing issues. Joined by Byron Roelofsz, the AI Solutions Director at Sand Techno…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 24 - The City Resilience Framework & the next decade of resilience 36:46

12M ago36:46

36:46

This episode of the Urban Exchange podcast focuses on the evolution of urban resilience and the critical role of the City Resilience Framework. Hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson welcome Jo Da Silva, the Global Director of Sustainable Development at Arup, who shares insights from her decade-long journey in developing this influential framework. Th…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 23 - Identifying urban solutions at the intersection of climate, health, and equity 42:08

1+ y ago42:08

42:08

This episode of the Urban Exchange podcast focuses on identifying urban solutions at the intersection of climate, health, and equity. Resilient Cities Network's Lauren Sorkin hosts, joined by Patricia Himschoot and Catalina Thela from the Buenos Aires City Government, and Jeannette Ickovics from Yale University to discuss the key findings from the …

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 22 - Digital solutions shaping the urban landscape 31:11

1+ y ago31:11

31:11

This episode of the Urban Exchange podcast explores the role of digital financial innovation in building urban resilience, featuring experts Daniel Sullivan, Director of Resilience for the City of Cape Town, and Tanya Filer, Founder and CEO of StateUp. Together, we look at the findings of StateUp's latest research, conducted in partnership with the…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 21 - 10 years of urban resilience in Rotterdam 24:58

1+ y ago24:58

24:58

This episode of the Urban Exchange podcast takes a look back at Rotterdam's resilience journey over the past decade. Host Paul Wilson speaks with Arnoud Molenaar, Rotterdam's Chief Resilience Officer, who was one of the first city CROs to be appointed in 2014. Molenaar discusses how Rotterdam first addressed resilience through climate adaptation ef…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 20 - Tackling plastic waste in our water 37:33

1+ y ago37:33

37:33

This episode of the Urban Exchange podcast explores solutions to the global challenge of plastic pollution, with a focus on cities' role in addressing this issue. R-Cities' Lauren Sorkin is joined by Dr. Parama Roy of Okapi Research and Advisory in Chennai, and Taylor Maddalene of the University of Georgia, to discuss the scope of plastic waste pro…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 19 - The intersection between risk, resilience and insurance 38:31

2y ago38:31

38:31

This episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast explores how risk, resilience and insurance measures come together to support the future of cities. The episode delves into innovative partnerships to strengthen climate resilience in Miami Dade County, with Galen Treuer from Miami Dade explaining how rising insurance costs due to hurricanes and flooding h…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 18 - Dr. Tavida Kamolvej, City of Bangkok - Holistic disaster resilience 40:38

2y ago40:38

40:38

Bangkok, a city of rapid growth, faces the challenges of a complex urban landscape. In this episode, we delve into Bangkok's resilience journey with Dr. Tavida Kamolvej, Deputy Governor in Bangkok, and a specialist in disaster resilience. Join Lauren Sorkin, executive director of the Resilient Cities Network, in conversation with the Deputy Governo…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 17 - Digitalising government disbursements to enhance urban resilience 30:55

2y ago30:55

30:55

The latest episode of the Urban Exchange delve into the transformative impact of technology on government disbursements to enhance urban resilience. Joining host Paul Wilson are Agustin Botteron, author of a new Visa report on government disbursements and former Chief Resilience Officer of Santa Fe, and Robert L. Matthews, Director of the Washingto…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 16 – Genesis Gavino, City of Dallas 32:12

2y ago32:12

32:12

Mike Lake, CEO of Leading Cities and a member of the Smart Cities World Advisory Board, hosts a special episode recorded live from the 2023 Smart City Expo in Barcelona, where he is joined by Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff Resilience Officer for the City of Dalla. Genesis provides a behind-the-scenes look at her role as Chief of Staff, detailing th…

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Urban Exchange Episode 15 - Greater Manchester and Arup - Cities building digital resilience 27:11

2y ago27:11

27:11

In this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director of Resilient Cities Network and Co-chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Kathy Oldham, Chief Resilience Officer, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Will Cavendish, Global Digital Services Leader, Arup. The latest episode is set in the co…

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Exploring Sunderland’s smart city connectivity credentials 29:32

2y ago29:32

29:32

In this episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcast, we’re dive into the smart city work of Sunderland. Our guests, Liz St. Louis, Director of Smart Cities at Sunderland City Council, and David Conway, Director of Technical Services at Sunderland University, give us an exclusive look at Sunderland's journey to create ubiquitous connectivity across the …

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 14 – Kate MacKenzie, New York City – Plant-powered city action 34:32

2y ago34:32

34:32

Urban food systems are coming under increasing strain due to urbanisation and climate-related issues. In the latest episode of the Urban Exchange, Kate MacKenzie, Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, joins the Resilient Cities Network’s Lauren Sorkin to discuss how food systems and plant powered food transitions ar…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 13 – Robert van Asten, The Hague – Creating a water vision 22:22

2+ y ago22:22

22:22

In this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Paul Wilson, Chief Business Officer for Connected Places Catapult and Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Robert van Asten, Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Urban Development, Strategy and Europe for The Hague. On the agenda this month is The Hague's work on water resilience, its inter…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 12 – Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara and Visa – Innovation in the urban mobility sector 32:19

2+ y ago32:19

32:19

In the latest episode of the Urban Exchange, Paul Wilson, chair of the Advisory Board for Smart Cities World and Chief Business Officer at the Connected Places Catapult, is joined for a talk on all things urban mobility by Diego Marquez, the Planning Mobility Manager for the Metropolitan Institute of Planning and Development for the Metropolitan ar…

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How to transform digital public service infrastructure 28:28

2+ y ago28:28

28:28

In our latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast, senior editor Luke Antoniou speaks with Hong-Eng Koh, Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist for Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group. With more than 30 years of knowledge and experience in public sector operations and ICT applications, Mr Koh is particularly well placed to explain how d…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 11 – Gareth Morgan, Cape Town – Mainstreaming and institutionalising urban resilience 30:33

2+ y ago30:33

30:33

In this episode of the Urban Exchange, Lauren Sorkin, executive director of Resilient Cities Network, hosts Gareth Morgan, executive director of future planning and resilience for the City of Cape Town. In an exclusive interview, Gareth reflects on the exciting frontier work he is undertaking to institutionalise and mainstream resilience across the…

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Re-evaluating smart cities for a joined-up future 47:36

2+ y ago47:36

47:36

What is a smart city? It’s a question that has been asked time and time again, and with a definition that has shifted significantly in recent years, it’s one that doesn’t always have a firm answer. In this episode of the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast, we’re joined by Chris Dymond, Founder and Director of digital capacity-building agency Unfolding, and A…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 10 – Safer Schools: Building resilience in education infrastructure 35:39

2+ y ago35:39

35:39

As the risks from climate change increase, public school infrastructure in our cities and communities is under threat from natural hazards. It may not be a subject we often think about in connection to education in our cities, but it is regardless a critical issues – one that impacts our children’s present as well as their future. On this episode o…

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In conversation with Marc Hannis, Ofwat 33:25

3y ago33:25

33:25

Marc talks about why Ofwat introduced the Innovation Fund and its aims to accelerate innovation in the water sector, which has historically been more risk-averse and slower to innovate than others. He explains how a central pillar of its efforts to drive innovation are Ofwat’s competitions and challenges, which have seen the regulator invest £60m i…

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How cities can tackle their biggest challenges through partnership 28:11

3y ago28:11

28:11

The latest podcast from SmartCitiesWorld sees editor Luke Antoniou welcome Venturous Group’s Benson Tam and Arup’s Michael Kwok to talk all things collaborative in city technology. Together, there’s discussion of the role that Venturous Group and Arup are playing – both together and individually – in driving forward a partnership model to help deve…

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In conversation with Emily Yates, CIO, SEPTA 30:05

3y ago30:05

30:05

The latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcasts sees host Luke Antoniou joined by Emily Yates, chief innovation officer at SEPTA - the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. We take a route back through Emily's career to this stage, including her time as Smart City Director for the City of Philadelphia, and discuss how the wealth o…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 9 - Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Leader - Progress at COP27 and climate finance 35:26

3y ago35:26

35:26

The Urban Exchange welcomes back Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to talk Cop27 and climate finance. The latest episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast sees Resilient Cities Network’s Lauren Sorkin in conversation with Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to uncover some of the key takeaways from Cop27, how the conference compared to …

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 8 - Making cities green, resilient and inclusive in a changing climate 27:48

3y ago27:48

27:48

The latest episode of the Urban Exchange brings together the principal authors of the World Bank’s latest extensive report on urban climate to discuss the 10 key findings. Hosted by World Bank’s Francis Ghesquiere, Head of the Secretariat for the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR), the Urban Exchange welcomes World Bank econo…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 7 - Part 2: Monica Barone, CEO, City of Sydney 25:57

3y ago25:57

25:57

Preview: In part two of our conversation with Monica Barone, CEO of the City of Sydney, we discover the changing nature of city relationships with citizens, how that can shape resilience and climate action, and lead to more equitable and inclusive communities.By urbanexchange

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 7 - Part 1: Monica Barone, CEO, City of Sydney 20:24

3+ y ago20:24

20:24

The part one of the latest episode of the Urban Exchange sees Monica Barone, CEO of the City of Sydney, in conversation with Jeff Risom to understand how the nature of resilience is changing, and how Monica and the city are adapting. The new Urban Exchange Episode takes an in-depth look at the ways the City of Sydney is approaching urban resilience…

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Urban Exchange Podcast Episode 6: Daniel Quintero, Mayor of Medellin 29:41

3+ y ago29:41

29:41

Preview: The latest episode of the Urban Exchange brings together Mayor of Medellín Daniel Quintero with Leading Cities’ Mike Lake to discuss the advance of urban resilience in Colombia’s second-largest city. The new Urban Exchange takes an in-depth look at how Medellín has been led through times of strain in the pandemic by Mayor Quintero, and how…

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Urban climate action for today and tomorrow 33:04

3+ y ago33:04

33:04

Clare Wildfire and Madeleine Rawlins at Mott MacDonald join the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast for a conversation on all things urban climate action. If you’re a member of SmartCitiesWorld, you’ll know that one of the topics we cover probably most regularly is climate change, and more specifically climate action – what does action look like for cities, w…

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Podcast: In conversation with Xavier Brice, CEO, Sustrans 38:10

3+ y ago38:10

38:10

The latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast sees editor Luke Antoniou joined by Sustrans CEO Xavier Bryce for a conversation on all things sustainable urban mobility. Improving the sustainability of our urban transport networks is a key objective for cities, and while progress has been made in the last five years or so, clear paths forward –…

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Urban Exchange Episode 5: Andy Foster, Mayor of Wellington 32:40

3+ y ago32:40

32:40

Lauren Sorkin, executive director at Resilient Cities Network, will be joined by Mayor of Wellington, Andy Foster, to focus on the overarching frame of Mayor Andy Foster’s leadership on digital resilience with highlights on Wellington’s award-winning Digital Twin initiative and working with start-ups and digital businesses.…

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Mobility-as-a-Service: the sustainable future of mobility? 34:05

4y ago34:05

34:05

In the latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld Podcast, senior editor Luke Antoniou catches up with the Urban Mobility Partnership’s Chris Pritchett to talk MaaS implementation, transport integration and a shift to more sustainable travel. To begin with, there’s discussion of exactly what MaaS means to Chris and UMP at a time when definitions of the…

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Podcast: The key to enabling city collaboration 31:29

4y ago31:29

31:29

The latest SmartCitiesWorld podcast sees senior editor Luke Antoniou joined by Kalyn Sims, CTO of Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure, to discuss the ley to cross-departmental and inter-agency collaboration in today’s smart cities. In this latest episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcast, sponsored by Hexagon, Kalyn Sims, CTO of Hexagon Safety & Infrastr…

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Podcast: In conversation with Monica Barone, CEO, City of Sydney 41:56

4y ago41:56

41:56

The first episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcast for 2022 take a deep dive into Sydney’s world-leading environmental strategy with city CEO, Monica Barone. In this episode of the SmartCitiesWorld podcast, senior editor Luke Antoniou hears from Monica Barone, CEO for the City of Sydney to discover what keeps the city’s environmental strategy so for…

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Urban Exchange Episode 4: Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami 31:33

4y ago31:33

31:33

Episode four of the Urban Exchange podcast comes direct from Cop26 in Glasgow, as Resilient Cities Network executive director, Lauren Sorkin, hosts Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, to reflect on Cop26, climate adaptation and mitigation, and the Mayor’s role in futureproofing Miami through digital technology. To begin with, Mayor Suarez gives his tak…

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Maximising the use of fibre in the ground 13:27

4y ago13:27

13:27

In the latest SmartCitiesWorld podcast, news editor Sue Weekes talks to Maria Shiao of Fotech about the opportunities distributed acoustic sensing technology can bring to cities to expand their use of fibre.By SmartCitiesWorld

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Podcast: Enhancing city operations through 5G, AI and data management 23:27

4y ago23:27

23:27

In the latest SmartCitiesWorld podcast, sponsored by Cloudera and IBM Storage, senior editor Luke Antoniou hosts Anthony Behan, managing director for communications, media and entertainment at Cloudera, to talk 5G, data, connectivity, and what innovation in this space means for telcos and their customers in cities.…

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Urban Exchange Episode 3: Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council 34:44

4y ago34:44

34:44

On the third episode of the Urban Exchange podcast, Jeff Risom, chief innovation officer at Gehl Architects and member of the SmartCitiesWorld advisory board, speaks with Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to discuss urban design for a sustainable future and why Glasgow is the perfect host for COP26. During the conversation, Jeff discovers …

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Urban Exchange Episode 2: Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, City of Rotterdam 24:05

4y ago24:05

24:05

Episode 2 of the Urban Exchange podcast welcomes the City of Rotterdam’s Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb as its special guest, as he discusses how to advance urban resilience for climate adaptation with the Resilient Cities Network’s (R-Cities) executive director, Lauren Sorkin. During the discussion, Mayor Aboutaleb speaks about the challenges facing his ci…

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Urban Exchange Episode 1: Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of Houston 23:55

4+ y ago23:55

23:55

Cities on the Frontlines: Resilient Infrastructure Preview: The first episode of the Urban Exchange podcast sees Mayor Turner of Houston, the Chair of the Resilient Cities Network Board of Directors, in conversation with Paul Wilson, Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board. Together, they discuss Houston’s definition of resilience, Houston’s p…