Growing Cities

Viviana M. Addo

Growing Cities is a global podcast exploring how capital, policy, design, and innovation shape the future of cities. Hosted from New York by Viviana Addo, the show brings together real estate investors, developers, architects, urban policymakers, and operators who are actively influencing how cities grow, adapt, and endure. Conversations move beyond theory to examine the real decisions behind development, infrastructure, affordability, sustainability, and long-term urban value. Each episode offers practical insight from leaders working across markets and disciplines, making Growing Cities a platform for thoughtful dialogue at the intersection of real estate, cities, and capital. Viviana is available for speaking engagements, collaborations, and select partnerships aligned with the mission of advancing informed, responsible urban growth. Join the conversation and explore what it truly takes to grow a city. Host and Executive Producer's Bio Viviana Addo is a global real estate capital strategist and Managing Principal at VMCASA, where she advises owners and investors on portfolio and capital decisions before execution begins. With more than two decades based in New York and experience across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Viviana brings a long-cycle, cross-border perspective shaped by both institutional training and generational exposure to real estate ownership and development. She is the host of Growing Cities, a podcast exploring how capital, infrastructure, policy, and innovation shape the future of cities. Through conversations with investors, developers, operators, and policymakers, the podcast bridges global insight with practical decision-making in the built environment. Viviana also teaches international real estate and development, bringing real-world capital and portfolio strategy into the classroom. Contact Viviana for more info or to join the conversation.

Episodes

  1. Green Building, investment and Government Incentives

    03/26/2021

    Green Building, investment and Government Incentives

    Viviana is pleased to speak with James Robert Sellinger about Green building, real estate investment, and the government incentives currently available in New York City.   Green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day. Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.  Throughout her career in real estate and her years at NYU Schack graduate school it became crystal clear that a more holistic manner of understanding the built environment is paramount. That everyone can contribute to making the built environment healthier and more sustainable, especially government officials and institutions. Change is unavoidable and cannot wait any longer. The private sector has started investing in green building and sustainability because there is a universe of profitable opportunities in this arena. For the most part the cost differential is low, just around 5% for multifamily properties, and the market seems to be ready to cover that cost in order to build a healthier built environment for the community that inhabits it in the long term.  During Viviana's time at Cushman & Wakefield managing the NY Presbyterian portfolio, she experienced first hand the commitment of some in the private sector to be a part of this movement of forward thinkers who envision a greater future for New York City, and growing cities across the globe. Viviana invites her audience to also be a part of this movement, and hopes enough people and organizations join forces to make the world a better place.

    32 min
  2. Mobility & Urban Development: The Infrastructure Challenge Facing Bogotá | Growing Cities

    02/16/2021

    Mobility & Urban Development: The Infrastructure Challenge Facing Bogotá | Growing Cities

    English:  Cities grow through movement. When mobility systems fail, economic activity slows, development patterns shift, and the quality of urban life deteriorates. In this episode of Growing Cities, Viviana Addo speaks with Julián about the challenges of mobility in Bogotá, one of Latin America's fastest-growing metropolitan regions. Bogotá illustrates a reality facing many global cities: rapid population growth is placing enormous pressure on transportation infrastructure. Decisions about mobility are no longer simply about moving people — they shape land values, development patterns, economic productivity, and the long-term sustainability of the urban environment. As Head of the Urban Development Commission, Julián works with a team of planners and developers focused on improving how the city moves. The conversation explores how sustainable transportation systems, strategic planning, and long-term infrastructure thinking can help untangle the complexity of mobility in a dense and growing city. This episode looks at mobility not just as transportation, but as a central driver of how cities function, evolve, and remain livable over time. Español:  Las ciudades crecen a través del movimiento. Cuando los sistemas de movilidad fallan, la actividad económica se ralentiza, los patrones de desarrollo cambian y la calidad de vida urbana se deteriora. En este episodio de Growing Cities, Viviana Addo conversa con Julián sobre los desafíos de movilidad en Bogotá, una de las áreas metropolitanas de mayor crecimiento en América Latina. Bogotá refleja una realidad que enfrentan muchas ciudades del mundo: el rápido crecimiento poblacional está generando una enorme presión sobre la infraestructura de transporte. Las decisiones sobre movilidad ya no se limitan a mover personas; también influyen en el valor del suelo, los patrones de desarrollo urbano, la productividad económica y la sostenibilidad de las ciudades. Como jefe de la Comisión de Desarrollo Urbano, Julián trabaja con un equipo de planificadores y desarrolladores enfocados en mejorar la forma en que la ciudad se mueve. La conversación explora cómo los sistemas de transporte sostenible, la planificación estratégica y una visión de infraestructura a largo plazo pueden ayudar a resolver la complejidad de la movilidad en una ciudad densa y en constante crecimiento. Este episodio analiza la movilidad no solo como transporte, sino como un factor clave en la forma en que las ciudades funcionan, evolucionan y permanecen habitables a lo largo del tiempo.

    34 min
  3. Real Estate Development & Urban Growth in Cali | Growing Cities

    02/16/2021

    Real Estate Development & Urban Growth in Cali | Growing Cities

    English How do real estate investment decisions shape the growth of cities? In the first episode of Growing Cities, Viviana Addo speaks with architect Diego Piedrahita about the evolution of real estate development in Cali, Colombia—one of the country's fastest-growing metropolitan regions. Piedrahita has spent more than a decade working with Jaramillo Mora, one of the largest construction and development companies in the region. Through residential, multifamily, and mixed-use projects, the firm has played a significant role in shaping the built environment of the city. The conversation explores how developers make long-term investment decisions that influence housing supply, urban density, affordability, and sustainability. Topics include: • Real estate investment and urban development in Cali • Multifamily housing and mixed-use development strategies • Sustainability and affordable housing opportunities • How major developers influence the built environment • How the COVID-19 period reshaped construction and development decisions This episode offers a developer's perspective on how cities evolve through capital, planning, and the built environment. 📍 Episode recorded in Spanish Español ¿Cómo influyen las decisiones de inversión inmobiliaria en el crecimiento de las ciudades? En el primer episodio de Growing Cities, Viviana Addo conversa con el arquitecto Diego Piedrahita sobre la evolución del desarrollo inmobiliario en Cali, una de las áreas metropolitanas de mayor crecimiento en Colombia. Piedrahita ha trabajado durante más de una década en Jaramillo Mora, una de las empresas constructoras y desarrolladoras más importantes de la región. A través de proyectos residenciales, multifamiliares y de uso mixto, la firma ha contribuido significativamente a la transformación del entorno urbano de la ciudad. La conversación analiza cómo las decisiones de inversión y desarrollo influyen en la oferta de vivienda, la densidad urbana, la sostenibilidad y la forma en que las ciudades crecen a lo largo del tiempo. Entre los temas abordados: • Inversión inmobiliaria y desarrollo urbano en Cali • Estrategias de vivienda multifamiliar y proyectos de uso mixto • Oportunidades en sostenibilidad y vivienda asequible • El papel de los grandes desarrolladores en la transformación urbana • Cómo el periodo de COVID-19 impactó las decisiones del sector de la construcción Este episodio ofrece la perspectiva de un desarrollador sobre cómo el capital y el desarrollo inmobiliario moldean el futuro de las ciudades.

    50 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Growing Cities is a global podcast exploring how capital, policy, design, and innovation shape the future of cities. Hosted from New York by Viviana Addo, the show brings together real estate investors, developers, architects, urban policymakers, and operators who are actively influencing how cities grow, adapt, and endure. Conversations move beyond theory to examine the real decisions behind development, infrastructure, affordability, sustainability, and long-term urban value. Each episode offers practical insight from leaders working across markets and disciplines, making Growing Cities a platform for thoughtful dialogue at the intersection of real estate, cities, and capital. Viviana is available for speaking engagements, collaborations, and select partnerships aligned with the mission of advancing informed, responsible urban growth. Join the conversation and explore what it truly takes to grow a city. Host and Executive Producer's Bio Viviana Addo is a global real estate capital strategist and Managing Principal at VMCASA, where she advises owners and investors on portfolio and capital decisions before execution begins. With more than two decades based in New York and experience across the Americas, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, Viviana brings a long-cycle, cross-border perspective shaped by both institutional training and generational exposure to real estate ownership and development. She is the host of Growing Cities, a podcast exploring how capital, infrastructure, policy, and innovation shape the future of cities. Through conversations with investors, developers, operators, and policymakers, the podcast bridges global insight with practical decision-making in the built environment. Viviana also teaches international real estate and development, bringing real-world capital and portfolio strategy into the classroom. Contact Viviana for more info or to join the conversation.