234 episodes

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.

What is The Future for Cities‪?‬ Fanni Melles

    • Science

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.

    206I_Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech

    206I_Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech

    "For me the future is what can I change, what can I influence."

    Are you interested in the future of cities as the notion of what the individual can change? What do you think about integrated approaches? How can we save character but create inclusion?

    Interview with Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech. We talk about his vision for the future of cities, the city as a place serving needs, the real estate bubble, integration, and many more.

    As Founder CEO of Yeme Tech, Amir Hussain has developed data-led, solutions which enhance place and asset-based uplift using ESG benchmarking systems. Amir's personal experience of living within a polarised and disadvantaged community, forms a strong understanding of challenging places. Amir is a regular contributor to national and regional policy debates as well as leading objective discussions about exclusion and polarisation. As a Partner in solutions-driven Corporate Fund - ONG Capital, Amir brings a strong understanding of commercial deliverability using transformative large-scale projects particularly in Tier 2 places.

    Find out more about Amir through these links:


    Amir Hussain on LinkedIn;
    @get_yeme as Yeme Tech on X;
    Yeme Tech website;
    Yeme Tech on LinkedIn;
    Yeme Tech on Instagram;
    Amir Hussain at Bradford Means Business;

    Connecting episodes you might be interested in:


    No.129 - Interview with Alan Donegan about urban situation influencing business;
    No.182 - Interview with Ted Baillieu about the challenges of retrofitting
    No.205R - Role of urban planning standards in improving lifestyle in a sustainable system;

    What wast 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.

    Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    • 48 min
    205R_Role of urban planning standards in improving lifestyle in a sustainable system (research summary)

    205R_Role of urban planning standards in improving lifestyle in a sustainable system (research summary)

    Are you interested in how urban planning can improve lifestyles?

    Summary of the article titled Role of urban planning standards in improving lifestyle in a sustainable system from 2023 by Abdullah Addas, published in the Sustainability journal.

    This is a great preparation to our next interview with Amir Hussain in episode 206 talking about improving the urban experience through social approaches.

    Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how new indicators measure urbanization developments regarding land use and neighbourhoods. This article proposes urban planning standards and transitions to improve the living quality in a sustainable residential area.

    As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:


    There is a critical need for comprehensive urban planning standards to address the lack of essential services in residential areas, improving living and health conditions.
    Focusing on creating a sustainable and compact urban model that prioritises green spaces and public services can prevent suburban sprawl.
    Integrating green spaces into urban development is important to balance between built-up areas and accessible green spaces, enhancing urban living quality.

    You can find the article through this link.

    Abstract: The current study aims to propose urban planning standards and urban sustainability transitions to improve the living quality in a sustainable residential area. The planning of urban standards plays a vital role in improving the quality of living in any city. We present the intensity of land exploitation per inhabitant and the social infrastructure to determine a reasonable relationship between the housing development and the green spaces, type of services and indicators by considering the minimum requirement in establishing new sustainable systems and infrastructures. The research provides an in-depth analysis of urbanization developments through various indicators and addresses the exploitation of land use and the future of neighborhoods. New indicators have been developed, which include: the demographic indicators of demand for basic educational infrastructure depending on the current forecast; indicators to determine the exact space required for new infrastructure; academic indicators for each age group (i.e., nursery, preschool, junior and senior); and the minimum required urban green spaces (i.e., public parks, recreational areas and housing developments). The paper compares the proposed required areas and the standard area requirement according to the number of residents per hectare. It also considers the weighted average number of stories to the shared area in a plot. The research also develops a relationship between the proposed development intensity and the percentage share in the plot area, which provides the built-up area and the green area with leisure facilities. Then, we present the share in the plot area, calculated according to current indicators.

    Connecting episodes you might be interested in:


    No.162 - Interview with Warren Hill about the role of standards;
    173R_Comparative analysis of standardized indicators for Smart sustainable cities;

    You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    What wast 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.

    Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    • 8 min
    206I_Trailer_Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech

    206I_Trailer_Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech

    Trailer for episode 206 - interview with Amir Hussain, founder and CEO of Yeme Tech. We talk about his vision for the future of cities, the city as a place serving needs, the real estate bubble, integration, and many more.

    Find out more in the episode.

    Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

    • 1 min
    204I_Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo

    204I_Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo

    Smartness is "making decisions with a range of credible information with as little bias as possible for the benefit of people and the future in mind."

    Are you interested in carbon management solutions for individuals and small businesses ? What do you think about carbon elephant? How can we change the system we reside in?

    Interview Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo. We talk about his vision for the future of cities, resilience, responsible land and property management, bank involvement in sustainability, and many more.

    As the Director of Business Development at Cogo, Josh Dry provides carbon measurement and climate action solutions that help financial institutions throughout North America, Asia and the Pacific to help their business and retail customers understand, measure, and reduce their impact on people and the planet.

    Find out more about Josh through these links:


    Josh Dry on LinkedIn;
    @1joshdry as Josh Dry on X;
    Cogo website;
    Cogo on LinkedIn;
    Cogo on YouTube;
    What's YOUR contribution to life? by Josh Dry on the Cogo website;
    Josh Dry on the Terra Nova Earth Talks podcast;

    Connecting episodes you might be interested in:


    No.003 - Interview with Frans-Anton Vermast about Amsterdam Smart City project;
    No.165 - Interview with Michael Healy about Smart Christchurch
    No.177 - Interview with Amelia Gaskill about climate anxiety propelling career change;
    No.203R - Too risky - The role of finance as a driver of sustainability transitions;

    What wast 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.

    Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

    • 40 min
    203R_Too risky – The role of finance as a driver of sustainability transitions (research summary)

    203R_Too risky – The role of finance as a driver of sustainability transitions (research summary)

    Are you interested in the role of finance for sustainability?

    Our summary today works with the article titled Too risky – The role of finance as a driver of sustainability transitions from 2022 by Björn Nykvist and Aaron Matlais, published in the Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions journal.

    This is a great preparation to our next interview with Josh Dry in episode 204 talking about efforts to transform the financial sector.

    Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how transitions towards sustainability can be mirrored in the financial sector. This article investigates what motivates the sector and how to govern a faster transition.

    As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects:


    Sustainable and ethical investing, notably with the rise of ESG criteria, positions the finance sector as a pivotal force in driving sustainable economic transitions.
    The integration of finance in sustainability transitions, especially in sectors like renewable energy, requires clear policy directions and innovative public-private partnerships to overcome inherent risk aversion.
    Sweden's leadership in sustainable finance, especially through green bonds, demonstrates its role as a positive example for financial sustainability efforts globally.

    You can find the article through this link.

    Abstract: The finance sector has a long track record of engaging with sustainability issues, and policymakers and sector representatives agree that a transition to sustainability needs to be mirrored by rapidly expanding financing. Based on in-depth interviews with a broad range of actors in the Swedish finance sector, we show that despite a strong recognition of the challenges, the sector remains cautious towards risk. We explore what motivates the sector and how to govern a faster transition and find that informants strongly believe that the sector cannot move any faster without further government intervention. The preferred policy is the use of generic tools such as CO2 taxes, or for the government to step in and mitigate the risk. We conclude that a more ambitious narrative on how the private and public sector can collaborate to share risk is needed, as it is unlikely that the finance sector will lead the way.

    Connecting episodes you might be interested in:


    No.088R - The cost and benefits of environmental sustainability;
    No.161R - The perception of the quality of smart city solutions;

    You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    What wast 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.

    Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

    • 10 min
    204I_Trailer_Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo

    204I_Trailer_Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo

    Are you interested in carbon management solutions for individuals and small businesses ? What do you think about carbon elephant? How can we change the system we reside in?

    Trailer for the episode 204 - interview Josh Dry, Director of Business Development at Cogo. We talk about his vision for the future of cities, resilience, responsible land and property management, bank involvement in sustainability, and many more.

    Find out more in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠episode⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠

    • 1 min

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