When the pandemic hit, many hallmarks of city life—public transportation, skyscrapers with shared amenities, bustling streets—flipped from pros to cons. But don’t count cities out. We discuss how project teams are reimagining the urban environment with:

Jun Huang, partner, Wei Yang & Partners, London: Huang discusses the aspects of urban life most strained during the pandemic—and how cities can change in response. He also shares ways project leaders can best collaborate with multiple stakeholders to keep citizen needs at the forefront.

Zhengkai Jiang, PMP, senior project manager, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co. Ltd., Zhuzhou, China: Jiang discusses rail transit trends and his project to design and manufacture fully autonomous trains. 

Soo-Jin Kim, head of the urban policies and reviews unit, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Paris: Kim discusses how cities can become more sustainable, walkable and resilient, plus how digital transformation is changing urban life.

Key themes

[01:13] The growth—and evolution—of cities

[03:33] COVID-19’s stress test on urban life

[06:15] Urban development trends: creating sustainable, inspiring cities

[09:15] Collaborating with stakeholders while keeping citizens’ needs at the forefront

[12:18] Next-gen public transit: autonomous rail

[17:04] Three steps for a more resilient city

[19:15] Urban digital transformations 

[20:54] Making cities more adaptable, walkable and eco-friendly