The CityAge Podcast

What started as a childhood soaking up the Florida Everglades turned into a passion for the outdoors and eventually a purpose for Chris Castro, Chief of Staff of the Department of Energy's new office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP).

"I realized that my passion and purpose was doing everything in my power to make this switch to a sustainable future," Chris tells CityAge in describing his "A-HA!" moment while studying at University of Central Florida.

Chris details his incredible journey from founding a consulting firm and a non-profit to city government to Washington, DC, where his non-stop energy and passion are on full display while growing SCEP since becoming  Employee number one.

With hundreds of millions of dollars available through various DOE initiatives, he shares with Lisa the many ways in which individuals and businesses alike can take part in the sustainability movement and save money, while helping to save the planet, too.

Thank you to our episode sponsor, the University of Victoria's Peter B. Gustavson School of Business. 

From Philadelphia to New York, Detroit to Salt Lake City, Los Angeles to San Diego, cities are experiencing the post-pandemic era very differently. And while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are fundamental principles that any city can use to guide its approach to recovery.  

In today's episode of The CityAge Podcast, brought to you by FLO EV Charging, we explore this topic in depth with Tracy Loh. She is a Fellow with the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Metro, a part of the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, DC.

Tracy and Lisa chat about the future of downtowns, commercial real estate and pandemic recovery, as well as picking their own favorite cities to live in.

Our second of two special episodes recorded in-person at the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit features three experts involved in urban regeneration projects that place social impact at the centre of their work: Heela Omarkhail, Vice President of Social Impact at the The Daniels Corporation, Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta, and Eime Tobari who leads a social impact practice at Avison Young. 

In the first of two episodes of the CityAge Podcast recorded at the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit last week, we chat about transportation. From the use of data to improve transportation, to real-world innovations in use today, to the largest mass transit system in the US (believe it or not, schoolbuses!) and much more. Our three special guests share stories from the front lines of one of our greatest urban challenges and opportunities today: Jennifer Holmes, Global Cities, Transport & Infrastructure Industry Lead at Accenture; Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zūm; and Laura Fox, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Streetlife Ventures. 

On the Season 3 premiere of the CityAge Podcast, our new co-host Lisa Chamberlain chats with Bedrock Detroit CEO Kofi Bonner. A seasoned professional with diverse experience in affordable housing, fintech, public sector work and sports, Kofi chats with Lisa about Detroit’s transformation, future development in Cleveland, the importance of public-private collaboration, and much more. From the role of climate change in reshaping urban landscapes, to the need to concentrate redevelopment efforts and the future of manufacturing in Midwestern cities, this wide-ranging conversation has something for everyone.   

This season we're excited to welcome renowned journalist and urban strategist Lisa Chamberlain as our new co-host of The City Age Podcast. In Season 3, Lisa will host another round of extraordinary leaders and thinkers offering their take on the future of cities. Watch for our season premier airing October 4th, with new episodes following every second Wednesday. In the meantime be sure to check out our extensive back catalogue and enjoy hearing more about the business of city building. 

On the final episode of Season 2 of the CityAge Podcast, we sat down with Jay Cross, President of the Howard Hughes Corporation, to chat about how the pandemic changed the way people make decisions about where to live and work, and why that change is giving smaller and mid-sized cities more opportunities to grow and attract a skilled workforce. Jay also shares what he’s learned about how to build complete communities, as well as what he hopes the future urban landscape will look like in the United States. 

If you enjoyed this season of the CityAge Podcast and have ideas for Season 3, email us at [email protected]. And thanks for tuning in. After all, you can’t build the future alone. 

On this week’s penultimate episode of the CityAge Podcast Season 2, CityAge Co-Founder Miro Cernetig sat down with Susannah Pierce, President and Country Chair and VP of Emerging Energy Solutions for Shell Canada. Miro and Susannah discuss what’s unique about Shell’s operations and opportunity in Canada compared to other countries, what decarbonizing looks like for cities, and what her team is currently working on when it comes to reaching the country and the company’s climate goals. Susannah shares how she navigates the complexity of her role, which includes integrating and coordinating business investment and operational performance across Shell’s lines of business in Canada including upstream, downstream, integrated gas and new energies. She’s also accountable for Shell’s overall reputation and stakeholder relations in the country. 

On this week’s episode we sat down with Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It, and Joshua Humphries, Senior Housing Policy Advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Both interviews explore the current housing crisis. With Nolan, we dive into the far-reaching problems zoning has caused and worsened (including the housing crisis, racial segregation, lagging economic growth, and urban sprawl that hurts the climate) and what we can do about it. With Joshua, we discuss Atlanta’s housing needs in particular, and the unique way they’re addressing them.

Arbitrary Lines: https://tinyurl.com/yvx42sch

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast Marc Andrew, CityAge Co-Founder, sits down with Andrew Bui, VP of Global Transportation Strategic Initiatives and Electrification Lead at AECOM. Marc and Andrew dive into lots of interesting stuff about electrifying transportation, aerial-mobility, and more. 

We are also sharing a special feature on how Los Angeles is preparing to host the World at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games. You’ll hear from Chief Innovation Officer of LA Metro, Seleta Reynolds, and the President and CEO of the LA County Economic Development Corporation, Stephen Cheung.