Dynamic Criticality is the idea that organizations must constantly reform their priorities in the face of volatile environments to maintain an adaptive state. Infrastructure research has yet to identify competencies that might aid infrastructure organizations in achieving dynamic criticality. Ryan Hoff discusses how competencies from other organizations can inform how infrastructure managers can better prepare their organizations to shift priorities in the face of disturbances.

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Suggested Readings:
Dynamic Criticality article
Susan Clark’s work
Mikhail Chester’s governance work
Mikhail Chester’s autopoiesis work
Book rec: The Black Swan by Taleb

Follow our guest on Twitter: @RyanMHoff

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Pervasive across infrastructure literature and discourse are the concepts of centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems, and there appears to be growing interest in how these configurations support or hinder adaptive and transformative capacities towards resilience. There does not appear to be a concerted effort to align how these concepts are used, and what different configurations mean for infrastructure systems. This is problematic because how infrastructure are structured and governed directly affects their capabilities to respond to increasing complexity. Dr. Alysha Helmrich recommends a multi-dimensional framing of de/centralization through a network-governance perspective where capabilities to shift between stability and instability are paramount and information is a critical mediator.

Articles:
De/centralization - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ac0a4f
Leadership - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.791474/full

Follow our guest on Twitter: @AlyshaHelmrich

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dr. Christina H. Fuller shares her work on environmental health and justice, particularly examining how air quality varies down to a block-level across communities. She provides insights on conducting participatory research within frontline communities and advocating for more inclusive environmental justice research. Dr. Fuller also discusses her diverse work experiences from industry, non-profits, consulting, and academia.

Follow our guest on Twitter: @DrCHFuller

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dr. Mikhail Chester hosts Dr. Stephanie Pincetl, whose work engages a multitude of disciplines (from engineers to urban planners to economists) to advance urban sustainability science and decision-making for water, energy, transportation, and land use systems. She explores how understanding and synthesizing these diverse systems surrounding our complex urban systems opens opportunities for future alternatives.

This episode is part of a continuing series: Infrastructure and the Anthropocene Forum.

Follow our hosts:
Dr. Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester)
Dr. Stephanie Pincetl (@SPincetl)

Recommended Readings:
Transforming California: A Political History of Land Use and Development
The Nutmeg's Curse
Envisioning Real Utopias
Designs for the Pluriverse

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

The built environment has significantly contributed to climate change, and it is becoming increasingly clear that net-zero carbon emissions is not enough. Phil Horton and Alysha Helmrich discuss the importance of carbon capture and explore how cities may play a role in carbon banking. In this episode, we will discuss the role that buildings and urban infrastructure will play in carbon draw-down and decarbonization through: end-to-end carbon accounting, building material innovations, and emergent alignment and coordination across critical stakeholders and agencies in the future of our urban environments.

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

• Philip Horton (@asudesignschool)
• Alysha Helmrich (@AlyshaHelmrich)

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Additional Resources:

• Build Beyond Zero https://islandpress.org/books/build-beyond-zero
  Carbon Cure https://www.carboncure.com/
  Dr. Klaus Lackner and Mechanical Trees https://mechanicaltrees.com/our-latest-news/arizona-state-university-and-carbon-collect-announce-agreement-to-deploy-worlds-first-commercially-viable-passive-carbon-capture-technology/
  Center for Negative Carbon Emissions https://globalfutures.asu.edu/cnce/
  Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/
  Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation https://asu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/production-of-functionalized-carbon-from-synergistic-hydrothermal
  
  

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Distributive, procedural, recognitional justice are vital for nature-based solutions, but these dimensions of justice have multiple and conflicting meanings. Drs. Katinka Wijsman and Marta Berbés-Blázquez explore how political theory and philosophy help in understanding differences and conflict. They present five key justice questions for researchers and practitioners to reflect with. One major takeaway? Praxis and reflectivity are crucial to balancing the act of practicing justice.

Topic paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.018

Hosts & Twitter handles:

• Katinka Wijsman (@KatinkaWijsman)
• Marta Berbés-Blázquez (@MartaBerbes)
• @SGPL_UU and @UniUtrecht
• Alysha Helmrich (@AlyshaHelmrich)

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NATURA RULA-IRES project Opportunity: https://natura-net.org/rula

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Whose voice counts? Whose visualization informs the design of cities? And how do we collaborate in nurturing resilient equitable futures? Join a conversation led by Ananth Udupa between Duván López, Mathieu Feagan, Melissa Moreno, Theresa O’Neil, and Daniela Moreno.

Follow the hosts on Twitter:

@duvanhernan

@MathieuMatt

@ttttheresa

@DanielaGarMo

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode was initially published in Spanish -- the co-hosts' native language. Today, we are publishing a dubbed English version.

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The episode discusses the NATURA Thematic Working Group  'Urban Informality and Innovation for Resilient Futures,' and the work strategy that has been developed in Bogotá, Colombia, so-called Local Labs, supported by @catunescosost, @ccdUPC, and @Unisalle.

Initially, the differential focus of research on informality is discussed by Duván H. López (@duvanhernan) and Tony Pererina (@peregreenmx), and the relevance of approaching exploratory sites immersed in deep environmental conflicts, and strong social conditions of vulnerability, for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) scholars and practitioners.

NbS are envisioned as a stepping stone, working in informal cities to introduce the natural assets harmonizing with the urban form, facilitating social inclusion, and triggering adaptive trends. Finally, the voice of communities is amplified. @Tuarraigo calls for the international collaboration and engagement of academics into collaborative networks to encourage knowledge spillover and break the inertias of exclusion, therefore, opening transformative opportunities in marginalized areas.

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode is initially being published in Spanish -- the co-hosts' native language. On September 15th, we will be publishing a dubbed English version.

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The episode discusses the NATURA Thematic Working Group  'Urban Informality and Innovation for Resilient Futures,' and the work strategy that has been developed in Bogotá, Colombia, so-called Local Labs, supported by @catunescosost, @ccdUPC, and @Unisalle.

Initially, the differential focus of research on informality is discussed by Duván H. López (@duvanhernan) and Tony Pererina (@peregreenmx), and the relevance of approaching exploratory sites immersed in deep environmental conflicts, and strong social conditions of vulnerability, for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) scholars and practitioners.

NbS are envisioned as a stepping stone, working in informal cities to introduce the natural assets harmonizing with the urban form, facilitating social inclusion, and triggering adaptive trends. Finally, the voice of communities is amplified. @Tuarraigo calls for the international collaboration and engagement of academics into collaborative networks to encourage knowledge spillover and break the inertias of exclusion, therefore, opening transformative opportunities in marginalized areas.

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode, Heat Risk, explores the risk of heat exposure in Phoenix, AZ but has relevance across the globe with the current heat waves being experienced. Dr. Alysha Helmrich interviews Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban and Adora Shortridge about their recent studies on heat risk in Phoenix, and she discusses the Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation with the director, Dr. David Hondula.

Links
Yuliya's Paper: Evidence of alliesthesia during a neighborhood thermal walk in a hot and dry city
Adora's Paper: HeatReady schools: A novel approach to enhance adaptive capacity to heat through school community experiences, risks, and perceptions
HeatReady Schools website

Connect with our guests:
Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban: @DrDzyu
Adora Shortridge: https://www.ascendwithadora.com/
Dr. David Hondula: @ASUHondula
City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation: @HeatReadyPHX

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If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at [email protected] or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.