The #CitiesFirst Podcast

Scott Shepard
The #CitiesFirst Podcast

New Podcast Series hosted by Scott Shepard, and focused on the intersection of AI, Urbanism, Mobility & Decarbonization. An award-winning urban planner, entrepreneur, author, educator, speaker & thought leader, Scott Shepard has his finger on the pulse of everything related to #CitiesFirst, an interdisciplinary term he coined.

  1. Episode 25: Jamey Tesler

    16 JAN

    Episode 25: Jamey Tesler

    Jamey Tesler is currently the executive director of the just launched Mass Mobility Hub, a public benefit corporation with a mission to support the mobility sector and is looking to build community, support companies in their growth and accelerate change in this sector. Jamey is also a Visiting Fellow at the Taubman Center for State & Local Government at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. Previously, Jamey served as Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of MassDOT, where he was responsible for a fully multimodal state transportation department, oversaw the leadership of the MBTA and served on the board of the Massachusetts Port Authority. Jamey had previously served as Registrar of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) in June of 2020, after serving in the role on an interim basis since June of 2019. Jamey has previously worked for more than 20 years in senior management roles in the public sector with experience in infrastructure, transit, sustainability, mobility, public finance, and public policy. Jamey has also served as General Counsel to the Office of the Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver General, Deputy Legal Counsel in the Office of the Governor, Deputy General Counsel for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Acting Chief of Staff for the Secretary of Transportation, and as Chief Operating Officer at MassDOT. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about mobility in Boston: 👇👇👇 ✅What are the latest mobility innovations to emerge in Boston? ✅How can cities pilot new mobility tech, at scale? ✅Tell us about Mass Mobility Hub and the emerging ecosystem ✅How can startups sell to the public sector, and what are some best practices? ✅Tell us about your professional journey from attorney to mobility expert

    35 min
  2. Episode 24: Ross Douglas

    21/11/2024

    Episode 24: Ross Douglas

    Ross Douglas is a South African entrepreneur who started his career as a nature documentarian and filmmaker. He collaborated with William Kentridge to produce 9 Films for Projection, which was performed in New York’s Central Park, London’s Barbican Centre and Berlin’s Guggenheim New York. After starting an art event company he created the FNB Joburg Art Fair (2008), the world’s first African contemporary art fair and a key gathering for the African art community.Concerned about global warming, Ross turned his attentions to sustainability. As road transport is one of the largest carbon emissions contributors, he decided to create an event to gather emerging new mobility solutions dedicated to lowering emissions and congestion. Autonomy, launched in Paris in 2015, was the result. Ross chose Paris for its central location, strong transport sector and anti-emissions policies. Autonomy, now the largest urban mobility event in the world, hosts 200 exhibitors, 10,000 visitors and 100 cities – all dedicated to change the way we move in cities. Ross also advises major companies such as Nike, AXA and Toyota Motor Corporation on mobility disruption. Here's a sneak peek into the upcoming episode, which will is all about transport decarbonization and sustainable mode shift: 👇👇👇 ✅What are the latest trends in decarbonization of the transport sector ✅How has Paris emerged as a leader in shared and active mobility ✅Tell us about the 2025 Global Decarbonization Expo and program ✅How can cities across the globe implement the 15 Minute City at scale ✅Tell us about your professional journey from filmmaker to decarbonization influencer

    34 min
  3. Episode 23: Nico Larco

    23/10/2024

    Episode 23: Nico Larco

    Nico Larco is a Professor of Architecture at the University of Oregon, Director of the Urbanism Next Center at the University of Oregon and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Sustainable Cities Initiative, a nationally and internationally awarded, multidisciplinary organization that focuses on sustainability issues as they relate to the built environment. Professor Larco’s research focus includes sustainable urban design and the impacts of emerging technology on cities. The Urbanism Next Center, which he leads, is focused on how technological advances such as autonomous vehicles, new mobility, e-commerce and the sharing economy are changing city form and development. Professor Larco has received numerous national and international awards for his work, has been a Distinguished Fulbright Association Scholar in Chile and in Spain, and was a visiting researcher at Delft University of Technology and TNO in the Netherlands. He is a licensed architect and has worked professionally in the fields of Architecture, Urban Design, Planning, and Development. Larco is the principal of Larco/Knudson, an urban design consulting practice in Portland which focuses on sustainable urban design and assisting with the resilience of projects in the face of rapidly changing technology. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about urban mobility innovation: 👇👇👇 ✅How has the urban mobility landscape evolved over the past five years ✅What are the latest mobility innovations transforming our built environments ✅How will autonomous vehicles be deployed at scale, and under which use cases ✅What are the key future-proofing techniques cities can leverage for new mobility ✅Tell us about your latest book, "Sustainable Urban Design Handbook"

    38 min
  4. Episode 21: Laura Narvaez Zertuche, PhD

    29/08/2024

    Episode 21: Laura Narvaez Zertuche, PhD

    Dr. Laura Narvaez Zertuche is an architect, urban designer, and a spatial scientist. She is a Partner in the Urban Design Group at Foster + Partners, where she leads people movement and data analytics within the firm since 2015. Her work incorporates evidence-based and research-led design that combines informed decision-making with simulation-powered design tools and strategic development of methodologies with their application to architecture and urban design. She has +17 years of experience working in urban design and master planning internationally, primarily in Mexico, UK, the Middle East and Asia. She is a specialist in assessing how issues such as pedestrian footfall, economic activity and social interactions will impact the viability, growth, and long-term evolution of projects, ranging from new cities to complex buildings. Laura works pro-bono as a contributor and advisor, and as a member of the Board of Directors of Urban AI -an international multi-disciplinary think-tank that investigates the ethical modes of governance and sustainable uses of artificial intelligence in cities. Laura is also a Lecturer at the Chair of Cognitive Sciences in ETH Zurich. She gained a MSc and PhD in Architecture and the Built Environment from the Space Syntax Laboratory at The Bartlett, UCL. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about urbanism and AI: 👇👇👇 ✅Tell us about your journey from academia to practice ✅What can AI tell us about the built environment and urban design ✅How do you approach technology when applied to the urban scale ✅What are some of the best examples of AI & machine learning in design ✅Tell us about Urban AI and latest contributions to the think tank

    37 min
  5. Episode 19: Enrique Peñalosa

    19/06/2024

    Episode 19: Enrique Peñalosa

    Accomplished public official, economist, and administrator, Enrique Peñalosa completed his second term as Mayor of Bogota, Colombia in December 2019. While mayor, Peñalosa was responsible for numerous and radical improvements to the city and its citizens. He promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks. After organizing a Car-Free Day in 2000, he was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award and rewarded by a referendum vote endorsing an annual car-free day and the elimination of all cars from streets during rush hours from 2015 onwards, Peñalosa also led efforts to improve Bogotá's marginal neighborhoods through citizen participation which involved planting more than 100,000 trees, creating a new and highly successful bus-based transit system, and turning a deteriorated downtown avenue into a dynamic pedestrian public space. He helped transform the city's attitude from one of hopelessness to one of pride, developing a model for urban improvement based on the equal access of all people to transportation, education, and public spaces. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which will is about Bogota and Enrique's new book, "Equality and the City: Urban Innovations for All Citizens": 👇👇👇 ✅Tell us about how Bogota built environment has evolved during your two separate terms as mayor ✅How has Bogota's bike lane network become a global model for active transportation ✅What can North American and Europe learn from Latin American urbanism ✅How is the Transmilenio BRT network integrated with shared and active modes ✅Tell us about your new book "Equality and the City: Urban Innovations for All Citizens" An advanced city is not one where the poor own a car, but one where the rich use public transport.” - Enrique Penalosa

    37 min
  6. Episode 18: Veronica Vanterpool

    24/04/2024

    Episode 18: Veronica Vanterpool

    Veronica Vanterpool is the Federal Transit Administration’s Acting Administrator, assuming that role on February 24, 2024. Before that, she had served as Deputy Administrator since May 2022. She first joined FTA as Senior Advisor in August 2021. As Acting Administrator, Ms. Vanterpool helps advance the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration related to equity, climate, innovation, safety and workforce development. She oversees policy priorities and objectives along with day-to-day operations of the 700-person agency. She created FTA’s first Data Office, a new business line in the agency dedicated to data analysis, governance and communication. She also represents FTA on the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation and serves as a member of The White House Inter Policy Council on Puerto Rico. Ms. Vanterpool came to FTA from Delaware Transit Corporation, where she served as the agency’s first Chief Innovation Officer. Her previous roles include being the Deputy Director of the national Vision Zero Network, executive director of the New York City based Tri-State Transportation Campaign and board member of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority Having served on a number of boards, commissions, task forces and working groups, Ms. Vanterpool has 17 years of experience in advocacy, policy, media communications, public outreach, coalition building and issue campaigns. She is co-founder and former president of WTS Delaware; a member of Latinos In Transit, and a 2023 Awardee of COMTO Headquarters’ Women Who Moves the Nation. She was also selected to join the first cohort of the Biden Administration’s Presidential Leadership Workshop. She is a native New Yorker born and raised in The Bronx. Here's a sneak peek into the episode, which is all about federal public transit leadership: 👇👇👇 ✅Tell us about how FTA delivers equity in public transit ✅How can we make public transit more accessible to all users ✅What are the latest innovations that can bring riders back to public transit ✅How has FTA leveraged the Infrastructure Bill to build back better

    35 min

About

New Podcast Series hosted by Scott Shepard, and focused on the intersection of AI, Urbanism, Mobility & Decarbonization. An award-winning urban planner, entrepreneur, author, educator, speaker & thought leader, Scott Shepard has his finger on the pulse of everything related to #CitiesFirst, an interdisciplinary term he coined.

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