In this episode of The Century of Cities, we are joined by Michelle Cramer, Principal and Practice Lead Sustainable Communities at Frazer-Nash Consultancy and former Future Communities Leader at GHD. Michelle takes us back to 1980s Canberra, her hometown and one of the world’s few planned capitals, where she grew up surrounded by fresh suburbs and bold infrastructure. That experience shaped her conviction that cities aren’t just built environments, they’re social experiments that shape who we become. Drawing on insights from GHD’s global Crossroads report, which surveyed over 10,000 people across ten countries, Michelle explains what different generations want from their cities and how the built environment must evolve to meet those needs. From housing affordability to climate resilience and transport equity, shared priorities emerge, but so do generational divides on technology, sustainability, and optimism. Michelle calls for a rebalancing of power, where younger voices are embedded early, and infrastructure delivers not just utility, but equity.

Samer Bagaeen, professor, urban planner, academic, and city councillor, joins us on The Century of Cities. Samer walks us through a personal and professional timeline of urban transformation, reflecting on his childhood city of Amman in 1980, today’s challenges in urban resilience and capacity-building, and what cities might face by 2080. Samer explains the tension between civic needs and public opinion, and the growing gaps in infrastructure and workforce shaping the future of cities. From whispering into mayors’ ears to spearheading urban resilience in cities like Rome and Milan, Samer reveals how leadership, political will, and technical capacity intersect to shape cities for generations to come. He advocates for a new kind of civic listening, especially when funds are limited, and makes the case for hyperlocal interventions as building blocks for future-ready cities. 

The Century of Cities welcomes Debra Lam, Founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, a regional public-private partnership driving innovation, workforce development, and economic opportunity. Debra challenges the long-held belief that innovation must be high-tech, making the case for low and no-tech approaches that prioritize people, process, and place. Debra offers a bold vision for the future of cities. She shares a powerful case study from Thomasville Heights in Atlanta, where drones and collaborative design helped alleviate energy poverty, and she unpacks the kind of decentralized, inclusive leadership needed to scale this work. Her insights remind us that the future of urban innovation lies not in flashy tech but in thoughtful partnerships, empowered communities, and a relentless focus on equity and access. 

In this episode of The Century of the Cities, we are grateful to be joined by Victor Santiago Pineda, a global human rights expert, serial founder, UC Berkeley lecturer, and lifelong advocate for inclusive urban futures. Born into a city that wasn’t built for him, Victor shares a deeply personal story of growing up in Caracas in the 1980s, where architectural barriers and social neglect nearly robbed him of an education. Through radical resilience and a commitment to structural change, Victor not only rewrote his future but is also reshaping the future of cities worldwide. From advising the United Nations to launching the Smart Cities for All initiative, Victor has become a leading voice in making accessibility a legal, economic, and design imperative.

Victor shares how inclusive innovation isn’t a fringe benefit but the very foundation of a thriving city. He explores how technologies initially designed for people with disabilities, such as speech synthesis or alt-text, have powered today’s generative AI and digital tools. He also lays out a five-pillar framework for meaningful change, urging city leaders to move beyond compliance and into radical intentionality. By redefining participation, policy, and leadership, Victor explains how to build cities that are barrier-free, frustration-neutral, and rich with untapped human potential.

Eleanor Sharpe, founder of Sharpe Solutions and former interim Deputy Mayor and Director of Planning and Development for the City of Philadelphia, joins us on The Century of Cities. In this bold and deeply personal conversation, Eleanor reflects on Philadelphia’s transformation from the post-industrial 1980s to a city defined by “eds and meds,” creative resurgence, and continued racial inequities. Drawing from her own life, she unpacks how systemic design, not individual choice, shapes our cities and our neighbourhoods, often in ways we don’t realize.

Eleanor raises hard questions about education, equity, and who cities are built for. From redlining and racialized land use to calls for planners to actively redress past harms, Eleanor makes the case for a new kind of planning, deliberate, transparent, and deeply community-rooted. As she turns her attention toward her hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, she calls for a bold cultural and civic renaissance built not just on money, but on shared vision.

The Century of Cities welcomes Angelica Nunez, Practice Manager of the Global Programs Unit in the Urban, Resilience, and Land Global Department of the World Bank. With decades of experience in affordable housing and urban finance, Angelica shares a hopeful yet grounded vision for the future, where connectivity, better planning, and smarter housing policies can help cities live up to their promise of opportunity for all. From the explosive growth of cities like Mexico City to the rising urbanization of Africa, Angelica discusses how jobs, housing, and the private sector must work together to shape inclusive, livable, and resilient urban futures. Along the way, she reflects on land value capture, urban mobility as a social equalizer, and what it will take to move from fragmented cities to ones where prosperity is widely shared.

Hiroo Ichikawa, Dean at the Professional Graduate School of Governance Studies, Meiji University, and the visionary behind the Global Power City Index, joins us on The Century of Cities. He reflects on Tokyo's extraordinary arc, from the high-growth optimism of the 1980s through economic stagnation and revitalization to its current role as a quiet powerhouse of global urbanism. As Tokyo prepares for the demographic and economic tests of 2080, we discuss what other cities can learn from its balancing act of growth, resilience, and reinvention. We also explore the inner workings of the GPCI, what it takes to measure urban power, why global rankings shift, and how international events, start-up ecosystems, and cultural connectivity reshape the urban leaderboard. 

The Century of Cities welcomes Gautam Bhan, Senior Consultant at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements. Gautam traces India’s urban journey from what he calls a “lost decade” to a moment of emergence, while refusing to look away from the deep structural inequalities that persist. He reframes urbanization not as a race for economic growth, but as a shared responsibility to build dignified, equitable futures, rooted in circular economies, local materials, and social fabrics that resist Western templates. Gautam calls for a new kind of leadership, grounded in humility, local wisdom, and the lived experience of cities, and offers a compelling vision of Southern cities looking to each other, not upward, to shape what comes next.

In this episode of The Century of Cities, we’re joined by Cristina Garrido, CEO of Anteverti, Deputy Curator of the Smart City Expo World Congress, and Founding Director of CitiesToBe.com, to unpack what truly makes a city “smart.” From her childhood memories of 1980s Barcelona to leading global conversations on urban innovation, Cristina explains why technology alone isn’t enough, and why people, governance, and fearless leadership must take center stage. She explores the evolution of the smart city concept, the rise (and pitfalls) of globalization, and why cities need “studio-like” spaces to experiment and fail forward. Cristina’s vision for 2080 is clear: act now, innovate boldly, and always design with people at the core.

Nadia Verjee, Executive Director at Expo City Dubai and former Chief of Staff of Expo 2020 Dubai, whose career has spanned mega-events, global collaboration, and civic storytelling, joins us on The Century of Cities to reflect on the extraordinary task of coordinating 192 nations during a global pandemic. She shares how Expo 2020 became a moment of connection, trust, and shared imagination, sparking the ongoing legacy of Expo City Dubai. As Nadia explains, Dubai isn’t just imagining a sustainable future, it’s building one from the ground up. With 75,000 people expected to live and work in Expo City, the district is becoming a working model for climate adaptation, pedestrian-first planning, and green tech innovation. Certified as the world’s first WELL and LEED-accredited urban district, Expo City is pioneering Dubai’s broader walkability ambitions and hosting global events that advance conversations on resilience, equity, and urban innovation. For anyone curious about cities built with care and purpose, Nadia offers a rare glimpse into what it means to shape something truly meaningful for the world.