Better Cities By Design

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Doug Gordon, safe streets advocate, and co-host and producer of “The War on Cars” podcast is our guest. We speak with Doug about his crusade to rid New York, and other cities, of cars.

With a population of over 8.8 million residents, New York is the most populous city of the United States, and a melting pot of cultures from around the globe. Unlike many cities in the US, most New Yorkers do not own a car. Across the 5 boroughs 55% of households do not own a car and a mere 22% of people commute to work in a car. Still, it’s estimated that there are around 620 car accidents in the city every day. And a 2021 Harvard and University of North Carolina study found that around 1400 New York residents die prematurely each year from pollution caused by trucks, cars, and buses.

Join Host Davion Ford and Doug, as they discuss what New York could be like without cars. Doug shares why he has taken up this battle and how the COVID-19 pandemic taught many people that life in the Big Apple could be so much better with fewer cars. Doug raises serious questions about whether the car is really so beneficial for humanity, and he paints a picture of what city life could be if we eliminate cars from our streets. Listen in to find out why our guest has declared war on cars.

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Neil Arckless, Group Executive for Development at Lendlease is our guest. We talk with Neil about the sustainable redevelopment of Darling Square in Sydney, Australia.

Darling Square, which is part of the Darling Harbour section of the Australian capital, has a rich history. This area was originally home to the Aboriginal people, the Gadigal, who lived on this land for thousands of years and continue to play an important role in Sydney. In the 1900s, Darling Harbour was an industrial zone, which was later converted into public space. This happened in the 1980s, at a time when the area had essentially been abandoned. As a result, a pedestrian and tourist precinct was established. Darling Harbour also hosted part of the 2000 Summer Olympic Games. But over the ensuing decade, Darling Harbour had once again lost its luster and was no longer adequately serving the people of Sydney. And this led to a second redevelopment, led by Lendlease, with support from Arcadis.

Join Host Davion Ford and Neil, as they chat about the extraordinarily sustainable transformation of Darling Square from an underused part of Sydney, into a vibrant, mixed-use area, with residential, business, and commercial space for more than 4200 people. Neil talks about what led to the need to redevelop the area and how Lendlease approached this effort with an eye toward creating a space that residents could take ownership of. Neil discusses the complex task of carrying out the regeneration within the central business district, without fundamentally disrupting city life and how this is one of most walkable and highly rated sustainability projects ever delivered in Australia.

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Co-founder and Architect Tim Vermeend and Chief Marketing Officer Jasmijn Rijcken, from the Urban Woods, are our guests. Together we discuss how they have designed and will construct the tallest residential building in the Netherlands without a concrete core, in the city of Delft.

At the intersection of urbanization and climate change, there sits a major challenge: how can we keep constructing buildings for people to live in cities, when doing so generates massive carbon emissions that are fueling climate change? Globally, constructing and operating buildings is responsible for nearly 40% of energy-related carbon emissions. In the Dutch city of Delft, an innovative company may have found the solution: the Urban Woods. Tim has designed the Urban Woods with a wooden core, instead of concrete, which is almost universally used. The production of concrete is devastatingly carbon-intensive, so swapping out concrete for a wooden core will make the construction of the Urban Woods not just carbon-neutral, but carbon negative, because the wood used will have absorbed carbon as it grew in the forest.

Chief Marketing Officer Jasmijn Rijcken also joins the conversation and shares how the Urban Woods will be much more than merely a highly sustainable apartment complex; the building is designed to create a sense of community amongst residents. People who live in the Urban Woods will also have an app which will allow them to do things like upgrade their apartments in various ways, rent workspace in the building for the day, or even rent out a spare room to host visitors.

Join Host Davion Ford, Tim and Jasmijn, as they chat about the Urban Woods.

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Sat Patel, Programme Director – Edinburgh Waterfront, is our guest. We talk with Sat about an underserved section of Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, and how the city council is working to redevelop the area.

Granton has a long history, dating back as far as 1479, and Granton Harbour was once an important economic driver for the city. In the 20th Century, the area was the site of gas works, petrol storage and other industrial activities. But by the end of the century, Granton had fallen into a bad state, with most of the employment and economic opportunities having vanished.

Join Host, Davion Ford and Sat, as they discuss the city’s truly ambitious plans to revitalize Granton Waterfront and transform it into a highly sustainable coastal quarter. Sat talks about the plan, which includes building around 3500 new net zero carbon homes, along with creating Europe’s largest coastal park, ample commercial space, a new school, and a health center. Sat also speaks about his hopes for Granton Waterfront and how this project will contribute to a more equitable city.

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Nick Cleary, CEO of CLARA Energy, is our guest. We talk with Nick about the poor air quality in Sydney, Australia and how his organization is working to help address this by scaling up the production of green hydrogen.

One major sources of air pollution is vehicle exhaust, in particular from the thousands of heavy haulage, diesel trucks that travel between Sydney and Melbourne. CLARA Energy’s mission is to use new and existing technologies to create green resources at scale. They are focused on green hydrogen as a replacement fuel source that can eliminate those truck emissions and help improve air quality for people living in and around Sydney.

Join Host, Davion Ford and Nick, as they discuss some of the criticisms lodged against hydrogen, as well as Nick’s views on Australia’s journey towards net zero. Better Cities by Design is brought to you by Arcadis, the world’s leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. Tune in to episode three!

In the second episode of Better Cities by Design, Paul Riemens, CEO of RAI Amsterdam, joins the show and talks about how he’s working to make the city’s premier convention center fit for a sustainable future.

Host, Davion Ford and Paul discuss both the positive and negative impact RAI Amsterdam has on the city, with the company being a major economic boon and the fact that large in-person events can often be carbon-intensive. During the episode Paul grapples with a number of thorny issues, such as how he can revamp RAI Amsterdam’s business model, with an eye towards securing good returns on investments in sustainability, as well as whether we even need convention centers and in-person gatherings in a post-pandemic world.

Join us on this episode of Better Cities by Design as we find out how RAI Amsterdam is improving quality of life for folks in Amsterdam. Better Cities by Design is brought to you by Arcadis, the world’s leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. Check out episode two!

On the first episode of Better Cities by Design, host, Davion Ford, is joined by, Joy Sinderbrand, the Senior Vice President for Capital Programs at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America.

Joy and Davion discuss the importance of affordable housing in New York City and its impact on maintaining the livability of the city. They also talk about the challenges faced by NYCHA, with a focus on capital funding and the need to maintain a high standard of living for their residents. Joy also speaks about NYCHA's commitment to sustainability, with initiatives ranging from reducing greenhouse gas emissions to implementing renewable energy sources and retrofitting buildings for protection against climate change.

Join us on this episode of Better Cities by Design as we discover how NYCHA is improving quality of life for thousands of New Yorkers. Better Cities by Design is brought to you by Arcadis, the world’s leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets. Don’t miss the premiere!

Better Cities by Design is a podcast from Arcadis, where we explore the world of urban development and the state-of-the-art solutions used to create more sustainable cities. Each episode brings change-makers to the table to discuss how they are making our urban environments better places to live, work, and play. From green infrastructure to smart city technology, we'll dive into innovative projects and the positive impact they're having on communities around the world. Whether you're a city-lover or simply curious about the future of our cities, Better Cities by Design is the show for you. Tune in for a fresh perspective on the stories behind some of the world's most livable cities.