PODCAST · science
What is The Future for Cities?
by Fanni Melles
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
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Engineering cities can use now - Laetitia Dablanc (474)
Laetitia Dablanc points to solar panels, new vegetation, and two years of swimming in the Seine as engineering cities already have, and still do not use enough. From the interview with Laetitia Dablanc in episode 474, on urban logistics in large cities. If you would like to support the podcast,...
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Last-mile urban logistics in Portuguese cities (473)
Diogo Correia, Cristiano Vagos, João Lourenço Marques, and Leonor Teixeira test last-mile logistics in Portuguese cities. Over 76% of municipalities lack real-time tools, so a 15-minute city-led network is elegant on paper and hard to run. The debate is whether a municipality should orchestrate...
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Why skills gather in big cities - Laetitia Dablanc (474)
Laetitia Dablanc argues that innovations come from a concentration of different people, and that a campus, a hospital, or a city hall still needs a big city to become real. From the interview with Laetitia Dablanc in episode 474, on urban logistics in large cities. If you would like to support...
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Robots and better warehouse jobs - Laetitia Dablanc (474)
Laetitia Dablanc says automated warehouses make the work less miserable, because robots take the worst jobs, and that training today's workers into the new ones will not be easy. From the interview with Laetitia Dablanc in episode 474, on urban logistics in large cities. If you would like to...
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V. Kelly Turner: Thermal literacy and which heat (472)
V. Kelly Turner, associate director and professor of urban planning and geography at UCLA's Luskin Center for Innovation, on treating extreme heat as a daily planning problem: which heat, whose body, and what a city can still redesign. She argues that heat, in the American Meteorological…
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Passive cooling as agency, not blame - V. Kelly Turner (472)
V. Kelly Turner would cool a home by night ventilation and covered windows, and she refuses to call that a private duty. Agency, she says, still sits inside a collective challenge. The skill reduces strain on the grid and on a household bill. The responsibility for safe heat, in her framing, does...
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Hyper-local heat beyond surface temperature (471)
V. Kelly Turner and colleagues find that a satellite map of land surface temperature is a poor guide to theheat a person feels in Civano, Tucson. Painting a street white can cool the pixel and heat the pedestrian. The debate is on their 2022 paper in the Journal of Land Use Science. One side…
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If we built it, we can cool it - V. Kelly Turner (472)
V. Kelly Turner finds optimism in a simple fact: cities are mutable. If people built a hot street, they canretrofit it, and local staff writing heat plans already know their cities. She points to the City of LA andLos Angeles County, where the people on heat action plans now know heat as well as...
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Heat is a verb, so ask which heat - V. Kelly Turner (472)
V. Kelly Turner says heat is a verb. A weather-app temperature is one snapshot of an energy exchange, and a city that plans to manage heat still has to say which heat. Air temperature, a surface, and sunlight on skin are different. She wants that distinction in everyday language and in local...
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Geoffrey West: Urban Scaling Laws and the Future of Cities (470)
Geoffrey West, theoretical physicist and distinguished professor at the Santa Fe Institute, on urban scaling laws,cities that grow faster than exponential, and what happens when populations start to shrink. He treats the future of cities as the future of the planet. Cities drive resource use and...
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Scaling Laws from Cells to Cities | Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West on urban populations growing faster than exponential, and the strange present in which some cities cannot build housing fast enough while others are already contracting. He calls the far side of that growth a singularity: depopulation, contraction, and possibly collapse. The...
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Growth, Innovation, and the Pace of Life in Cities (469)
A research debate on the 2007 paper Growth, innovation, scaling, and the pace of life in cities, by Luís M. A. Bettencourt, José Lobo, Dirk Helbing, Christian Kühnert, and Geoffrey B. West. When a city doubles in population, wealth and invention grow by more than double. Biology does the…
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A City Is a Machine for Social Interaction | Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West on urban populations growing faster than exponential, and the strange present in which some cities cannot build housing fast enough while others are already contracting. He calls the far side of that growth a singularity: depopulation, contraction, and possibly collapse. The...
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Cities Growing Faster Than Exponential | Geoffrey West
Geoffrey West on urban populations growing faster than exponential, and the strange present in which some cities cannot build housing fast enough while others are already contracting. He calls the far side of that growth a singularity: depopulation, contraction, and possibly collapse. The...
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468I_Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director
“We’ve been optimizing what’s familiar rather than asking what’s possible.” Are you interested in the Middle East as a testing ground for urban solutions? What do you think about mistaking innovation for progress? How can we improve our from-design-to-implementation ratio? Interview with Shawn...
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The next generation expects more for the future - Shawn Meyers (468I trailer 3)
Are you interested in the Middle East as a testing ground for urban solutions? What do you think about mistaking innovation for progress? How can we improve our from-design-to-implementation ratio? Trailer for episode 468 - interview with Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director. We will...
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467R_A systematic review of passive cooling strategies integrating traditional wisdom and modern innovations for sustainable development in arid urban environments (research debate)
Are you interested in what we can learn from the Middle East regarding urban cooling? Our debate today works with the article titled A systematic review of passive cooling strategies integrating traditional wisdom and modern innovations for sustainable development in arid urban environments from...
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Moving from design to implementation - Shawn Meyers (468I trailer 2)
Are you interested in the Middle East as a testing ground for urban solutions? What do you think about mistaking innovation for progress? How can we improve our from-design-to-implementation ratio? Trailer for episode 468 - interview with Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director. We will...
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What is possible if you are willing to change approaches? Shawn Meyers (468I trailer 1)
Are you interested in the Middle East as a testing ground for urban solutions? What do you think about mistaking innovation for progress? How can we improve our from-design-to-implementation ratio? Trailer for episode 468 - interview with Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director. We will...
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466I_Dr Anne Goodchild, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Washington and Founding Director at Urban Freight Lab
"I’ve really been trying to make the case that last mile delivery is a public good that the government should be investing in. You can only exist in a city because of this transport system. It’s bringing you the food you need to eat. You would die without it." Are you interested in urban freight…
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Cities providing opportunities for sustainability - Anne Goodchild (466I trailer 3)
Are you interested in urban freight as the movement of gods across scales? What do you think about the trust needed for expert vision creation? How can we accommodate for more people through infrastructure efficiency? Trailer for episode 466 - interview with Dr Anne Goodchild, Professor of Civil...
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465R_The state of sustainable urban last-mile freight planning in the United States (research)
Are you interested in last-mile freight planning? Debate of the article titled The state of sustainable urban last-mile freight planning in the United States from 2024, by Thomas Maxner, Giacomo Dalla Chiara, and Anne Goodchild, published in the Journal of American Planning Association. This is a...
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Urban freight designed to leave space for people - Anne Goodchild (466I trailer 2)
Are you interested in urban freight as the movement of gods across scales? What do you think about the trust needed for expert vision creation? How can we accommodate for more people through infrastructure efficiency? Trailer for episode 466 - interview with Dr Anne Goodchild, Professor of Civil...
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The importance of leaders setting the urban vision - Anne Goodchild (466I trailer 1)
Are you interested in urban freight as the movement of gods across scales? What do you think about the trust needed for expert vision creation? How can we accommodate for more people through infrastructure efficiency? Trailer for episode 466 - interview with Dr Anne Goodchild, Professor of Civil...
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464I_Laura Reupke, CEO of BABLE
"We do have solutions already today. We do see already what works today. We do know what is causing the problem. We do have it all." Are you interested in liveable cities designed for everyone? What do you think about having conversations about the future of cities with strangers? How can we…
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Why do we still need to be optimistic? Laura Reupke (464I trailer 3)
Are you interested in liveable cities designed for everyone? What do you think about having conversations about the future of cities with strangers? How can we design the future of our cities with everyone in mind? Trailer for episode 464 - interview with Laura Reupke, CEO of BABLE. We will talk...
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463R_Environmental and health effects of the Barcelona superblocks
Are you interested in the superblock model’s effects of health and the environment? Our debate today works with the article titled Environmental and health effects of the Barcelona superblocks from 2025, by Katherine Perez, Laia Palencia, Maria Jose Lopez, Brenda Biaani Leon‑Gomez, Anna...
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We do have solutions today for the urban challenges - Laura Reupke (464I trailer 2)
Are you interested in liveable cities designed for everyone? What do you think about having conversations about the future of cities with strangers? How can we design the future of our cities with everyone in mind? Trailer for episode 464 - interview with Laura Reupke, CEO of BABLE. We will talk...
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What healthy liveability means - Laura Reupke (464I trailer 1)
Are you interested in liveable cities designed for everyone? What do you think about having conversations about the future of cities with strangers? How can we design the future of our cities with everyone in mind? Trailer for episode 464 - interview with Laura Reupke, CEO of BABLE. We will talk...
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462B_Reflections with Ben Vass and Fanni Melles
"The future is here, just not evenly distributed." Are you interested in urban conscious evolution and a hopeful future? What do you think about the saying: the future is here just not evenly distributed? How can we move towards better urban futures? Special reflective episode with Ben Vass…
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Human progress is something to be proud of - Ben Vass and Fanni Melles (462B trailer 3)
Are you interested in urban conscious evolution and a hopeful future? What do you think about the saying: the future is here just not evenly distributed? How can we move towards better urban futures? Trailer for special reflective episode (462B) with Ben Vass, senior research engineer and yours...
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461B_Building Better Cities (book summary)
Are you interested in how to build better cities based on 5 years of conversations? Summary of the book titled Building Better Cities from 2026, by yours truly, Fanni Melles. This is a great summary of what we have learned during the first five years of the What is The Future for Cities? Podcast....
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Energy abundance through human ingenuity - Ben Vass and Fanni Melles (462B trailer 2)
Are you interested in urban conscious evolution and a hopeful future? What do you think about the saying: the future is here just not evenly distributed? How can we move towards better urban futures? Trailer for special reflective episode (462B) with Ben Vass, senior research engineer and yours...
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The future is here just not evenly distributed - Ben Vass and Fanni Melles (462B trailer 1)
Are you interested in urban conscious evolution and a hopeful future? What do you think about the saying: the future is here just not evenly distributed? How can we move towards better urban futures? Trailer for special reflective episode (462B) with Ben Vass, senior research engineer and yours...
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460I_Karl R Rábago, the Principal of Rábago Energy LLC
“When we rightsize and right site our energy like nature does, not wasting it, using what’s really necessary, we can actually enjoy the benefits of ubiquitous low-cost energy availability.” Are you interested in distributed energy systems? What do you think about energy as one of the crucial…
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What are distributed energy systems? Karl R. Rábago (460I trailer 3)
Are you interested in distributed energy systems? What do you think about energy as one of the crucial layers for urban anatomy? How can we leverage economies of energy for better urban futures? Trailer for episode 460 - interview with Karl R Rábago, the Principal of Rábago Energy LLC. We will…
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459R_National Standard Practice Manual: For benefit-cost analysis of distributed energy resources
Are you interested in how distributed energy systems can work in practice? Our debate today works with the report titled National Standard Practice Manual: For benefit-cost analysis of distributed energy resources from 2020, by Tim Woolf, Courtney Lane, Melissa Whited, Chris Neme, Mike Alter…
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Societal benefits of distributed energy systems - Karl R. Rábago (460I trailer 2)
Are you interested in distributed energy systems? What do you think about energy as one of the crucial layers for urban anatomy? How can we leverage economies of energy for better urban futures? Trailer for episode 460 - interview with Karl R Rábago, the Principal of Rábago Energy LLC. We will…
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Why aiming for singularity in distributed energy systems is crucial? Karl R. Rábago (460I trailer 1)
Are you interested in distributed energy systems? What do you think about energy as one of the crucial layers for urban anatomy? How can we leverage economies of energy for better urban futures? Trailer for episode 460 - interview with Karl R Rábago, the Principal of Rábago Energy LLC. We will…
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458I_Ruthbea Yesner, Group Vice President at IDC
“Cities are simultaneously the fastest-growing, most economically important areas in the world, and also the most strained and fiscally strained layer of government in the world. And so the future of cities is really resolving some of that tension.” Are you interested in technology helping us...
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Digital twins and simulations enhancing urban understanding - Ruthbea Yesner (458I trailer 3)
Are you interested in technology helping us making better decisions? What do you think about innovation as a relative term? How can we have discussions about the urban tension points? Trailer for episode 458 - interview with Ruthbea Yesner, Group Vice President at IDC. We will talk about her…
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457R_What have urban digital twins contributed to urban planning and decision-making? From a systematic literature review toward a socio-technical research and development agenda
Are you interested in the evolution of urban digital twins? Debate of the article titled What have urban digital twins contributed to urban planning and decision-making? From a systematic literature review toward a socio-technical research and development agenda from 2025, by Shervin Azadi, Dena...
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Sustainability and resilience paying for themselves - Ruthbea Yesner (458I trailer 2)
Are you interested in technology helping us making better decisions? What do you think about innovation as a relative term? How can we have discussions about the urban tension points? Trailer for episode 458 - interview with Ruthbea Yesner, Group Vice President at IDC. We will talk about her…
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Innovation as a relative term - Ruthbea Yesner (458I trailer 1)
Are you interested in technology helping us making better decisions? What do you think about innovation as a relative term? How can we have discussions about the urban tension points? Trailer for episode 458 - interview with Ruthbea Yesner, Group Vice President at IDC. We will talk about her…
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456I_Caroline Howell, CEO and Co-Founder of Canopy
“I believe humans can be keystone species once again… What does it look like when human presence on a land regenerates that land and brings more life to it?” Are you interested in regenerative development? What do you think about healthy living as being more locally connected? How can we become...
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Humans as keystone species for regeneration - Caroline Howell (456I trailer 3)
Are you interested in regenerative development? What do you think about healthy living as being more locally connected? How can we become keystone species for regeneration? Trailer for episode 456 - interview with Caroline Howell, CEO and Co-Founder of Canopy. We will talk about her vision for…
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455R_Understanding biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships in urban areas: A comprehensive literature review
Are you interested in the relationship between urban biodiversity and ecosystem services? Debate of the article titled Understanding biodiversity-ecosystem service relationships in urban areas: A comprehensive literature review from 2017, by Nina Schwarz, Marco Moretti, Miguel N. Bugalho, Zoe G....
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Difference between sustainability and resilience - Caroline Howell (456I trailer 2)
Are you interested in regenerative development? What do you think about healthy living as being more locally connected? How can we become keystone species for regeneration? Trailer for episode 456 - interview with Caroline Howell, CEO and Co-Founder of Canopy. We will talk about her vision for…
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How do we organise ourselves to relate positively to the land? Caroline Howell (456I trailer 1)
Are you interested in regenerative development? What do you think about healthy living as being more locally connected? How can we become keystone species for regeneration? Trailer for episode 456 - interview with Caroline Howell, CEO and Co-Founder of Canopy. We will talk about her vision for…
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454I_Kamogelo Thumankwe, founder and CEO of Tsarona
“A city can have a perfect transit, the perfect architecture, housing and energy - and still be one supply shock from empty shelves.” Are you interested in making our food chain more resilient? What do you think about our food foot prints? How can we improve the circularity of our food systems?...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does What is The Future for Cities? have?
What is The Future for Cities? currently has 750 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is What is The Future for Cities? about?
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.
How often does What is The Future for Cities? release new episodes?
What is The Future for Cities? releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 750 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to What is The Future for Cities??
You can listen to What is The Future for Cities? on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts What is The Future for Cities??
What is The Future for Cities? is created and hosted by Fanni Melles.
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