Why do we fear failure?

Sustainability is an iterative process. There are no shortcuts. But in a world focussed on success, we often hide from our mistakes.

Recognising this, Gerald Babel-Sutter set out to unite urban change-makers in an environment where they could confidently share their pitfalls, problems, and brick walls.

The idea caught on. What started out as a workshop for around 50 people quickly grew into a full-blown conference – and stories of prominent eff-ups are a real mainstay.

Featuring: Gerald Babel-Sutter, Maria Vassilakou

Elected officials make decisions that affect millions of people, but beyond voting every few years, what say do citizens really have? Maybe democracy needs a tune-up. A citizens’ assembly – a sort of lottery promising better representation – can bring diverse voices to the table. Copenhagen has already given it a go, and the change in perspectives it brought about have been… surprising.

Featuring: Johan Galster, James Macdonald-Nelson

Moving an entire city? It’s not science fiction. Faced with an existential crisis, the city of Kiruna, in Sweden, is being relocated approximately three kilometres away from where it was founded – brick by brick. The whole process raises some interesting questions: how exactly do you undertake such a massive task? What do you bring with you from the old city? What do you build from scratch? And what can other cities learn from the experience – the ones that are staying put?

Featuring: Brenda Cooper, Johanna Lindgren Ringholt, Peter Pääjärvi, Viktoria Walldin, Krister Lindstedt

How can we ensure that a ‘smart city’ is also a fair, diverse and ethical one? We talk to Douwe Schmidt from the city of Amsterdam about the thorny issues cities face when implementing technological solutions, and why we can’t leave ethical decision-making to the computers.

Featuring: Douwe Schmidt

What would a city designed entirely by children look like? And what could it tell us about the cities we live in now – the good things and the bad? Academic Christina Ergler's research into pre-school aged children and the urban environment has some surprising insights for the experts (and the adults) who make the big decisions about our cities, as well as some instructive lessons in better listening.  

Featuring: Christina Ergler

Turning big ideas into reality is what CityChangers do.

But what happens when, against the odds, you finally achieve your goal? What next?

Nicholas Marchesi, of charity Orange Sky, launched the world’s first mobile laundry, helping Brisbane's homeless community to wash and dry their clothes. Then he discovered this served a very different purpose...

In this episode, Nic explains how reaching your destination can sometimes take surprising turns along the way – and how leaning into these differences can take us on a very different, yet just as rewarding, journey to the one we originally set out on.

Featuring: Nicholas Marchesi

With declining rates of civic engagement across cities around the world, Kiel, in Germany, is taking a unique approach to improving participation – by putting it on wheels! The Tiny Townhall is a world-first project that brings city government out of the stuffy buildings we’re used to and back to the citizens. And, in a time when bigger is often better, this small solution is having an outsized impact, inside and outside city hall.

Featuring: Sophie Mirpourian (formerly with Anscharcampus), Anne Czichowski, Annette Wiese-Krukowska

What links pedestrian crossings in Chicago, USA, with the Sydney Opera House in Australia?

Sascha Haselmayer’s surprising story provides an unexpected answer to this unusual question, and it’s led to positive change in more than 130 cities around the world.

In this episode, Sascha explains why we should embrace red tape and presents a case for taking a slow approach to sustainability because quick fixes consistently fail.

Featuring: Sascha Haselmayer

Facing their fair share of challenges on the ground (from housing shortages to climate change) cities like Rotterdam are looking skywards for solutions – to the rooftops. There’s plenty of opportunity but also headwinds on the horizon. For one thing: where most roofs are owned by private citizens, how do you convince more people to look up and see the potential?

Featuring: Paul van Roosmalen, Claire Wolff, Jazlyn Bo, Anne Danielle Kissi, Lucille Lebret