GP 57: Investing to Make Life Better in Cities: with Jesse Shapins of Urban Partners

In this episode of the Grow Places Podcast, Tom Larsson is joined by Jesse Shapins, Head of Urban Regeneration at Urban Partners, to explore what it really takes to deliver neighbourhood scale change in European cities. Jesse shares his journey from a childhood shaped by landscape architecture and historic preservation, through New York and Berlin, to the ambition and lessons of Sidewalk Labs, and ultimately to leading urban regeneration across Northern Europe. It is a story that connects culture, capital, and civic responsibility, and asks how places are intentionally shaped rather than left to chance. Together, they discuss what it means to be a true partner to cities, not simply delivering buildings, but stewarding places over the long term. The conversation explores decarbonisation, affordability, transport, and the politics of housing supply, alongside the role institutional capital can play when aligned with public purpose. At its heart, this is an optimistic but pragmatic discussion about how cities, investors, and communities can work together to create places that are economically resilient, socially inclusive, and built for the next generation.