Why Good Urban Ideas Don’t Scale | Inside How Cities Actually Change | HCE29| Amanda O Rourke

About the Episode: What does it actually mean to build a city for people, not around them?In this episode of The Human City Podcast, I sit down with Amanda O'Rourke, Executive Director of 8 80 Cities — the organisation built on one deceptively simple idea: if a city works for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old, it works for everyone.We talk about what that looks like in practice. And the gap between cities that say they're inclusive and cities that actually are.In this conversation:→ What performative inclusivity actually looks like and why most organisations doing "inclusive" city work aren't→ Why angry residents at a public meeting is a success, not a failure→ Why one strong political champion is never enough for lasting change→ What 20-year master plans reveal about how cities lie to themselves→ What progressive city leaders consistently get wrong — and it has nothing to do with planningOne line from this conversation I haven't stopped thinking about:"They might get rid of bike lanes. But they cannot make cyclists disappear."About the Guest: Amanda O'Rourke is the Executive Director of 8 80 Cities, a Toronto-based non-profit working to create healthier, more equitable and sustainable cities. She has over 20 years of experience leading public space and equitable mobility projects across North America, Europe and Australia. She is Co-Chair of the Children, Play and Nature Committee for World Urban Parks.Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-j-orourke/Know more about her Work: https://www.880cities.org/------------------------About the Host:The Human City Podcast is hosted by Ruchita Bansal, an accomplished urban planner and project management professional with 15+ years of experience. She has led multi-billion-dollar development projects and sustainable mobility programs across India, including her leadership role at the Ayodhya Development Authority.Ruchita is also the founder of SheCity India, a platform for gender-inclusive urban planning, storytelling, and data-driven advocacy.--------------------------About The Human City Podcast:This podcast brings together global voices and local insights to explore how cities can be made more inclusive, sustainable, and human-centered. Each episode uncovers what it takes to design cities that truly work for people.“The Human City Podcast is an initiative of SheCity India — building gender-inclusive, human-centered cities.”