This episode was recorded live at the Urban Future 2024 conference with José Besselink, Senior Urban Planner for the Municipality of Rotterdam, Netherlands.

With her, we discuss the city's efforts in creating pedestrian-friendly spaces, enhancing green areas, and promoting active mobility through initiatives like the City Lounge framework, the Green and Healthy Neighborhood program, and tactical urbanism projects. She highlights successful interventions, the importance of community involvement, and strategies to balance competing urban planning priorities.

Overview of the episode:

[00:01:51] Teaser Question: "If you could describe your work for the city of Rotterdam with just three emojis, which emojis would they be?"

[00:02:18] Our guest's background

[00:03:41] Investment in public spaces: Examples of transformative projects in Rotterdam

[00:05:39] Next steps: Future green city projects and their significance

[00:07:06] Greening strategies: Various approaches to greening the city

[00:08:10] Tactical interventions: Explanation and examples of successful tactical urbanism in Rotterdam

[00:10:34] Measuring impact: How to assess the success of tactical interventions

[00:13:26] Green and Healthy Neighborhood Program: Combining climate adaptation, biodiversity, mobility, and health

[00:16:52] Community involvement: How data and community energy drive project locations

[00:19:24] Promoting walking and cycling: Strategies and the importance of considering pedestrians

[00:22:01] Data insights: How data informs walking initiatives

[00:23:22] Accelerating change: Tools and strategies to move faster in urban planning

[00:25:39] Social aspects of mobility: Investing in the social dimensions of cycling and mobility

[00:26:57] Urban Decision Dilemmas: how would our guest navigate fictional city planning or decision-making scenarios?

[00:30:58] Ending Question: "To you, what is a Smart City?"

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