Folge 35: Heidelberg and Palo Alto in the Pandemic: Global Challenges - Local Solutions

For the past eight months, the HCA podcast has been following the ramifications of the global Covid-19 pandemic. This episode takes a look at how cities on both sides of the Atlantic have faced and continue to face the enormous challenges of this crisis. It focuses on Heidelberg and Palo Alto, California, the not-so-secret capital of Silicon Valley. The two cities joined the “Smart City Alliance” in 2013 and established a more formal partnership in 2017. They are both homes to renowned universities and research institutions and committed to developing innovative solutions for problems both cities deal with like an enormous traffic density and affordable housing; during the past year, the pandemic has added a new dimension to city politics. Anja Schüler talks to mayors Tom DuBois and Eckhart Würzner about local solutions to a global challenge.