What is The Future for Cities?

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.

Episodes

July 5, 2025 2 mins

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 ...

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"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 fo...

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.

Sin...

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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 an...

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June 25, 2025 47 mins

"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 ...

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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.

Sin...

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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...

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June 18, 2025 48 mins

"[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 plannin...

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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 o...

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...

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"[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 it...

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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.

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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 ...

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"There seems to be an innate optimism that you have to have as a planner. Why else would you come to a profession where you're trying to look forward?"

Are you interested in the innate optimism planners have? What do you think about language as technology? How can we learn from the past for better urban futures?

Interview with Thomas W. Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. We will talk about...

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Our summary today works with the article titled Artificial intelligence and the local government: A five-decade scientometric analysis on the evolution, state-of-the-art, and emerging trends from 2024, by Tan Yigitcanlar, Sajani Senadheera, Raveena Marasinghe, Simon Elias Bibri, Thomas Sanchez, Federico Cugurullo, and Renee Sieber, published in the Cities journal.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Thomas Sanche...

Are you interested in the innate optimism planners have? What do you think about language as technology? How can we learn from the past for better urban futures?

Trailer for episode 330 - interview with Thomas W. Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, humans prevailing, planners’ innate optimism, technology, and many more.

Find out more in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

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"So that audacity to reach for the skies has been built into us ever since life reached the land."

Are you interested in technological innovation like writing? What do you think about cities as the guiding light for humanity? How can we utilise technology while still planning with community in mind?

Interview with Howard Bloom, author and founder of the Howard Bloom Institute. We will talk about his vision for the future of...

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Are you interested in urban evolution across time?

Our summary today works with the article titled Cities through the ages: One thing or many? from 2019, by Michael E. Smith and José Lobo, published in the Frontiers in Digital Humanities journal.

This is a great preparation to our next interview with Howard Bloom in episode 328 talking about urban evolution from the bacteria to space exploration.

Since we are investigating the futu...

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Are you interested in technological innovation like writing? What do you think about cities as the guiding light for humanity? How can we utilise technology while still planning with community in mind?

Trailer for episode 328 - interview with Howard Bloom, author and founder of the Howard Bloom Institute. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, blinding humanity, human and urban evolution, space exploration, and many...

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"The city is a collision of people and ideas."

Are you interested in the benefits of investing in public transport? What do you think about design by democracy? How can we create heterogenous cities with infrastructure as the backbone?

Interview with Sarah Bridges, Technical Director at Aurecon and Director of Precinct Planning within the AJM Joint Venture. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, public tra...

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