What is The Future for Cities?
WTF for Cities? is a platform to introduce and connect people who are actively and consciously working on the future of cities and to introduce research about the future of cities.
356I_Trailer_Allan Savory, President at Savory Institute
Are you interested in the future of agriculture? What do you think about holistic contexts for better urban futures? How can we manage our resources better?
Trailer for episode 356 - interview with Allan Savory, President at Savory Institute. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, agriculture, holistic contexts, regeneration vs sustainability, resource management as the main cause for our challenges, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
353R_Urban mobility scenarios until the 2030s (research summary)
Are you interested in the future of urban mobility?
Summary of the article titled Urban mobility scenarios until the 2030s from 2021, by Márk Miskolczi, Dávid Földes, András Munkácsy, and Melinda Jászberényi, published in the Sustainability Cities and Society journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Andrew J. Cary in episode 354 talking about urban transportation and its effects on the urban environment.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what urban mobility scenarios can be proj...
354I_Andrew J. Cary, CEO and Co-Founder of SNAAP Transportation
"As they say: if we are able to look back 200 years, we should be able to look forward 200 years."
Are you interested in new ways to the future of urban mobility? What do you think about the scalability of education? How can we #rise&execute for the better future?
Interview with Andrew J. Cary, CEO and Co-Founder of SNAAP Transportation. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, scalability of solutions and education, urban mobility, and many more.
Andrew Cary, with nearly 40 years of experience across pu...
354I_Trailer_Andrew J. Cary, CEO and Co-Founder of SNAAP Transportation
Are you interested in new ways to the future of urban mobility? What do you think about the scalability of education? How can we #rise&execute for the better future? Interview with Andrew J. Cary, CEO and Co-Founder of SNAAP Transportation. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, the government’s role, scalability of solutions and education, urban mobility, and many more. Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
352I_Petra Hurtado, Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association
"If we talk about the future, we need to have the future [a.k.a. the next generation] at the table."
Are you interested in upcoming urban trends? What do you think about the need for investigating multiple futures in foresight? How can we utilise different timeframes to prepare for the future?
Interview with Petra Hurtado, Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, urban trends on different time scales, the future of workplace, technology, and many more.
Petra Hurtado...
351R_2025 Trend reports for planners (research summary)
Are you interested in the urban trends on 3 different time scales?
Summary of the report titled 2025 Trend reports for planners from 2025, by Petra Hurtado PhD, Ievgeniia Dulko, Senna Catenacci, Joseph DeAngelis, Sagar Shah PhD, and Jason Jordan, published by the American Planning Association in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Petra Hurtado in episode 352 talking about urban trends and their management.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how urban planners and...
352I_Trailer_Petra Hurtado, Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association
Are you interested in upcoming urban trends? What do you think about the need for investigating multiple futures in foresight? How can we utilise different timeframes to prepare for the future? Trailer for episode 352 - interview with Petra Hurtado, Chief Foresight and Knowledge Officer at the American Planning Association. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, urban trends on different time scales, the future of workplace, technology, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
350P_Abundant energy, the future of jobs, regulation and demand - Panel on the urban energy matrix with Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam ,
Are you interested in the urban energy matrix? What do you think is how our cities can change with abundant energy? How can we generate the right energy from the right sources for our urban communities?
This episode is a panel discussion where the panellists discuss the different aspects of the urban energy matrix. Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson talk about their vision for the future of cities, different energy services and sources, learning from the past, transformative present, unprecedented future prospects, energy democracy, and many more.
Connecting episodes you might...
Learning from the past for a better future - Mark Nelson (350P trailer 4)
Are you interested in the urban energy matrix? What do you think is how our cities can change with abundant energy? How can we generate the right energy from the right sources for our urban communities?
Trailer for episode 350 - a panel discussion where the panellists discuss the different aspects of the urban energy matrix. Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson talk about their vision for the future of cities, different energy services and sources, learning from the past, transformative present, unprecedented future prospects, energy democracy, and many more.
Find out more...
Intelligence as a service in a physical word - Ramez Naam (350P trailer 3)
Are you interested in the urban energy matrix? What do you think is how our cities can change with abundant energy? How can we generate the right energy from the right sources for our urban communities?
Trailer for episode 350 - a panel discussion where the panellists discuss the different aspects of the urban energy matrix. Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson talk about their vision for the future of cities, different energy services and sources, learning from the past, transformative present, unprecedented future prospects, energy democracy, and many more.
Find out more...
349R_Superabundant energy – What will we do with it? (research summary)
Are you interested in the effects of superabundant energy?
Summary of the article titled Superabundant energy – What will we do with it? from 2022, by Austin Vernon and Eli Dourado.
This is a great preparation to episode 350 with Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson about the urban energy matrix.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see the potential effects of superabundant energy on cities. This article challenges the current focus on energy efficiency, advocating for a shift towards energy abundance to drive economic growth...
Planning for the future without shackling ourselves to the past - Adam Dorr (350P trailer 2)
Are you interested in the urban energy matrix? What do you think is how our cities can change with abundant energy? How can we generate the right energy from the right sources for our urban communities?
Trailer for episode 350 - a panel discussion where the panellists discuss the different aspects of the urban energy matrix. Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson talk about their vision for the future of cities, different energy services and sources, learning from the past, transformative present, unprecedented future prospects, energy democracy, and many more.
Find out more...
Cost vs value for long-term investments - Alan Pears (350P trailer 1)
Are you interested in the urban energy matrix? What do you think is how our cities can change with abundant energy? How can we generate the right energy from the right sources for our urban communities?
Trailer for episode 350 - a panel discussion where the panellists discuss the different aspects of the urban energy matrix. Alan Pears, Adam Dorr, Ramez Naam and Mark Nelson talk about their vision for the future of cities, different energy services and sources, learning from the past, transformative present, unprecedented future prospects, energy democracy, and many more.
Find out more...
348I_Nicholas Lalla, urbanist and author of the book Reinventing The Heart Land
"Are you engaging the community to build solutions to their problems to build the culture of accountability?"
Are you interested in the economic powers of mid-sized cities? What do you think about cities as urban laboratories? How can we build a culture of accountability?
Interview with Nicholas Lalla, urbanist and author of the book Reinventing The Heart Land. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, economical power, culture of accountability, and many more.
Nicholas Lalla is an urbanist and social entrepreneur, working at the intersection of economic development...
347R_The economy forward framework: How midsized cities can achieve inclusive growth in the knowledge economy (research summary)
Are you interested in mid-sized cities and their economic contributions?
Summary of the article titled The economy forward framework: How midsized cities can achieve inclusive growth in the knowledge economy from 2021, by Richard Florida PhD, Ross DeVol, Cordell Carter, Jennifer Hankins, and Nicholas Lalla, published by the Aspen Institute.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Nick Lalla in episode 348 talking about the economic side of urban sustainability.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how mid-sized cities can be involved...
348I_Trailer_Nicholas Lalla, urbanist and author of the book Reinventing The Heart Land
Are you interested in the economic powers of mid-sized cities? What do you think about cities as urban laboratories? How can we build a culture of accountability? Trailer for episode 348 - interview with Nicholas Lalla, urbanist and author of the book Reinventing The Heart Land. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, technology, economical power, culture of accountability, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
346I_Dr Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC)
"Smart City should be proactive. That before anything [bad] happens would identify areas that need more attention."
Are you interested in the proactive nature of smart cities? What do you think about the need for infrastructure to create adaptability? How can we utilise public-private-academic partnerships for better urban futures?
Interview with Dr Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC). We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, technology, electric and autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and many...
345R_What do people want in a smart city? Exploring the stakeholders’ opinions, priorities, and perceived barriers in a medium-sized city in the United States (research summary)
Are you interested in stakeholder opinions for smart cities?
Summary of the article titled What do people want in a smart city? Exploring the stakeholders’ opinions, priorities, and perceived barriers in a medium-sized city in the United States from 2021, by Cristina Del-Real, Chandra Ward, and Mina Sartipi, published in the International Journal of Urban Sciences.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Mina Sartipi in episode 346 talking about smart cities as urban evolution and proactive urban management.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be in...
346I_Trailer_Dr Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC)
Are you interested in the proactive nature of smart cities? What do you think about the need for infrastructure to create adaptability? How can we utilise public-private-academic partnerships for better urban futures? Trailer for episode 346 - interview with Dr Mina Sartipi, founding director of the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) and Guerry Professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga (UTC). We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, technology, electric and autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by ...
344I_Mark Coates, Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancement at Bentley Systems
"We've got to start making projects shovel-worthy, not shovel-ready."
Are you interested in digital transformation? What do you think about the phrase: “we’ve got to start making projects shovel-worthy instead of shovel-ready”? How can we find and create the magic we’re looking for in the work we’re avoiding?
Interview with Mark Coates, Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancement at Bentley Systems. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, digital transformation, the next generation, crisis management, and many more.
Mark Coates is Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancemen...
343R_Creating sponge cities to tackle surface water flooding (research summary)
Are you interested in the concept of sponge cities?
Summary of the white paper titled Creating sponge cities to tackle surface water flooding from 2025, by Mark Coates and Neal Edmondson, published on the Infrastructure Policy Advancement website.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Mark Coates in episode 344 talking about infrastructure and sponge cities, among others.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how the infrastructure can alleviate some of the challenges during flooding in urban areas. This white paper advocates...
344I_Trailer_Mark Coates, Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancement at Bentley Systems
Are you interested in digital transformation? What do you think about the phrase: “we’ve got to start making projects shovel-worthy instead of shovel-ready”? How can we find and create the magic we’re looking for in the work we’re avoiding? Trailer for episode 344 - interview with Mark Coates, Vice President of Infrastructure Policy Advancement at Bentley Systems. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, digital transformation, the next generation, crisis management, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
342_Keller Easterling, an architect, writer, and the Enid Storm Dwyer Professor of Architecture at Yale University
"In some ways, maybe what we're all doing now is separations with a spatial apparatus."
Are you interested in spatial language? What do you think about the ever present urbanism concept? How can we leverage space as an opportunity?
Interview with Keller Easterling, an architect, writer, and the Enid Storm Dwyer Professor of Architecture at Yale University. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, solidarity and collaboration, spatial language, democracy, and many more.
Keller Easterling is an architect, writer, and the Enid Storm Dwyer Professor of Architecture at Yale...
341R_Global urban structure growth shows a profound shift from spreading out to building up (research summary)
Are you interested in urban expansion shifts across 3 decades?
Summary of the article titled Global urban structure growth shows a profound shift from spreading out to building up from 2024, by Steve Frolking, Richa Mahtta, Tom Milliman, Thomas Esch, and Karen C. Seto, published in the Nature Cities journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Keller Easterling in episode 342 talking about spatial politics and urban infrastructure.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see global urban structural growth across time and its...
342_Trailer_Keller Easterling, an architect, writer, and the Enid Storm Dwyer Professor of Architecture at Yale University
Are you interested in spatial language? What do you think about the ever present urbanism concept? How can we leverage space as an opportunity?
Interview with Keller Easterling, an architect, writer, and the Enid Storm Dwyer Professor of Architecture at Yale University. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, solidarity and collaboration, spatial language, democracy, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
340I_Aaron Stupple, physician and author of The Sovereign Child, and Logan Chipkin, president of Conjecture Institute and junior author of The Sovereign Child
Are you interested in how empowered children can change the future of cities? What do you think about the Taking Children Seriously approach? How can we bring up the next generation in the learning machine, also known as the city?
Interview with Aaron Stupple, physician and author of The Sovereign Child, and Logan Chipkin, president of Conjecture Institute and junior author of The Sovereign Child. We talk about their vision for the future of cities, city as a learning machine, children’s opportunities to network, protests, and many more.
Aaron Stupple is a practicing physician an...
339R_The Sovereign Child: A Radically Noncoercive Approach to Parenting (research summary)
Are you interested in bringing up the next generation as sovereign individuals for better urban futures?
Summary of the book titled The Sovereign Child: A Radically Noncoercive Approach to Parenting from 2025, by Aaron Stupple.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Aaron Stupple and Logan Chipkin in episode 340 talking about the challenges and opportunities for the next generation in creating the future of cities.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how we can nurture the next generation of thinkers and...
340I_Trailer_Aaron Stupple, physician and author of The Sovereign Child, and Logan Chipkin, president of Conjecture Institute and junior author of The Sovereign Child
Are you interested in how empowered children can change the future of cities? What do you think about the Taking Children Seriously approach? How can we bring up the next generation in the learning machine, also known as the city? Trailer for episode 340 - interview with Aaron Stupple, physician and author of The Sovereign Child, and Logan Chipkin, president of Conjecture Institute and junior author of The Sovereign Child. We talk about their vision for the future of cities, city as a learning machine, children’s opportunities to network, protests, and many more. Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assi...
338I_Alison Watson, Founder and Chief Executive of Class Of Your Own
"The future of cities will be delivered by that 8-year old. Because that 8-year old is soon 18 and then 28."
Are you interested in involving the next generation into the building industry? What do you think about the knowledge and behaviour shortage? How can we encourage real partnerships between schools and the industry?
Interview with Alison Watson, Founder and Chief Executive of Class Of Your Own. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the next generation, education as increasing confidence and resilience, and many more.
Alison Watson MBE is the...
337R_Child-friendly cities and communities: opportunities and challenges (research summary)
Are you interested in the concept of child-friendly cities?
Our summary today works with the article titled Child-friendly cities and communities: opportunities and challenges from 2024, by Rhian Powell, published in the Children’s Geographies journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Alison Watson in episode 338 talking about the need to include the next generation when we talk about the built environment.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what child-friendly cities and communities can mean. This article explores the challenges an...
338I_Trailer_Alison Watson, Founder and Chief Executive of Class Of Your Own
Are you interested in involving the next generation into the building industry? What do you think about the knowledge and behaviour shortage? How can we encourage real partnerships between schools and the industry?
Trailer for episode 338 - interview with Alison Watson, Founder and Chief Executive of Class Of Your Own. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, the next generation, education as increasing confidence and resilience, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
336I_Jon Mills, Director at Urbis
"We don't have to go back to business-as-usual [approaches] just because that's how we did it 20 years ago. That's not what we have to do now."
Are you interested in urban evolution? What do you think about the city as a producer instead of consumer? How can we investigate unintended consequences of urban transformations?
Interview with Jon Mills, Director at Urbis. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban evolution, transformative forces, unintended consequences, and many more.
Jon Mills is an environmental planner and project manager with more than 20...
335R_A framework for exploring futures of complex urban energy systems (research summary)
Are you interested in the energy transformation and its effects on cities?
Summary of the article titled A framework for exploring futures of complex urban energy systems from 2023, by Sumedha Basu and Catherine S. E. Bale, published in the Frontiers in Climate journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Jon Mills in episode 336 talking about energy transitions as one of the driving forces behind urban change.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how we could rethink our energy systems...
336I_Trailer_Jon Mills, Director at Urbis
Are you interested in urban evolution? What do you think about the city as a producer instead of consumer? How can we investigate unintended consequences of urban transformations? Interview with Jon Mills, Director at Urbis. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban evolution, transformative forces, unintended consequences, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
334I_James Mant, CEO of Spero AI
"[Cities] are part of the solution. They shouldn't be part of the problem."
Are you interested in design and placemaking as creating the city? What do you think about changing our behaviour for better urban futures? How can we learn from the past but not being shackled by it?
Interview with James Mant, CEO of Spero AI. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, AI for planners, placemaking, data in planning, and many more.
James Mant supports practitioners in designing walkable, well-planned spaces that align with government objectives, streamline...
333R_Place and Place-making in cities: A global perspective (research summary)
Are you interested in place and place-making?
Summary of the article titled Place and Place-making in cities: A global perspective from 2010, by John Friedmann, published in the Planning Theory and Practice journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with James Mant in episode 334 talking about placemaking as creating the streetscape from the building to the middle of the road.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see the place and placemaking through interactions and citizen attachment. This article advocates for a collaborative...
334I_Trailer_James Mant, CEO of Spero AI
Are you interested in design and placemaking as creating the city? What do you think about changing our behaviour for better urban futures? How can we learn from the past but not being shackled by it? Trailer for episode 334 - interview with James Mant, CEO of Spero AI. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, AI for planners, placemaking, data in planning, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
332I_Kirsty Braybon, principal of Braybon Advisory and Nuclear Law Lecturer at the University of Adelaide
"[Resilience, sustainability and sovereignty] is building economies in cities and communities that have longevity."
Are you interested in nuclear power and its effects on the economy? What do you think about economic longevity as resilience? How can we balance regulation and innovation?
Interview with Kirsty Braybon, principal of Braybon Advisory. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, nuclear power and its legal background, regulatory theory, long-term economic incentives, and many more.
Kirsty Braybon, Principal of Braybon Advisory, is a seasoned expert in nuclear, energy, resources, and government sectors. Formerly...
331R_Investigating the potential of nuclear energy in achieving a carbon-free energy future
Are you interested in nuclear energy’s role in a carbon-free future?
Our summary today works with the article titled Investigating the potential of nuclear energy in achieving a carbon-free energy future from 2023, by Janis Krümins and Maris Klavins, published in the MDPI Energies journal.
This is a great preparation to our next interview with Kirsty Braybon in episode 332 talking about nuclear energy and its regulatory framework.
Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see another option, nuclear energy, in the energy mix for a c...
332I_Trailer_Kirsty Braybon, Principal of Braybon Advisory and Nuclear Law Lecturer at the University of Adelaide
Are you interested in nuclear power and its effects on the economy? What do you think about economic longevity as resilience? How can we balance regulation and innovation?
Trailer for episode 332 - interview with Kirsty Braybon, principal of Braybon Advisory. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, nuclear power and its legal background, regulatory theory, long-term economic incentives, and many more.
Find out more in the episode.
Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).
Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
