In the shimmering heat of the Gulf region, a new kind of city is taking shape. One where ancient architectural wisdom meets cutting-edge technology—and where people live well  with extreme heat.

In this final episode of The Philanthropist’s Conversation, our host Paula lands in Abu Dhabi to ask a powerful question: What does urban life look like, in a world where temperatures frequently reach 40*C? 

Joined by senior government advisor Hamdan Al Suwaidi, Paula tours Abu Dhabi’s historic landmarks like Qasr Al Hosn or the Grand Mosque to learn about the city’s centuries-old relationship with heat. They also spotlight the United Arab Emirates’ most innovative design initiatives, with a visit of the ultra-modern Masdar City – a large-scale urban project that put the UAE on the map when it comes to sustainability. 

Along the way, you’ll hear an exclusive interview with Gerard Evenden, a senior partner at Foster + Partners who helped designed Masdar. And we’ll explore the UAE’s sustainability agenda, which is moving away from oil wealth, and towards ecological stewardship. 

So what can an experimental desert city teach the world about adaptation? And what conclusions should we draw from this series, to turn individual projects into engines for systemic change?

Find out today on The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat.

Highlights:

• Welcome to Abu Dhabi (00:59)
• Meeting Hamdan Al Suwaidi in the Mandarin Oriental Lounge (03:05)
• An Historic Approach to Heat in Central Abu Dhabi (07:29)
• Islamic Futurism at the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (16:02)
• Masdar City: A Case Study in Heat Resilient Design, with Gerard Evenden (26:33)
• Introducing Ivan Peter and Pegasus’s Ambitious Vision (37:31)
• Insights & Legacy: A Walking Tour of Masdar City (39:16)
• Reflecting on Abu Dhabi’s Approach to Extreme Heat (51:28) 
• Conclusions on Urban Heat and Applications for the Future (58:32)
• A Glimpse into Season 2: Spotlight on Food Resilience (01:04:48)

Links:

• Episode Resources
• Gerard Evenden LinkedIn

New York is a place where private money has left a trail. From the high rise towers of Midtown, to large urban regeneration projects like the High Line, philanthropy is the reason New York rose up through the bad times and the good. 

So in this episode of the Philanthropist’s Conversation, our host Paula takes a deep dive into the world of philanthropic innovation, and asks a burning question: how can the private sector advance heat resilience?

Paula meets with locals who can answer that question, and walk her through the history of New York’s iconic skyline. Along the way, we discuss the transformative impact of Michael Bloomberg’s policies and learn about the role of the Rockefeller Foundation in establishing Chief Heat Officers. Through real examples of grassroot initiatives and private-public partnerships, we break down how private investors and public authorities can come together to form a whole new system. 

So what does New York’s approach teach us about the power dynamics of heat resilience? How does philanthropy turn ideas into action? And what happens when the private sector sees heat not just as a crisis, but as an economic opportunity? 

Find out today on The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat.

Highlights:

• Welcome to New York (00:50) 
• The High Line: a case study in philanthropy and urban development (05:33)
• Looking back on Michael Bloomberg's impact as Mayor of New York (11:38)
• Exploring the history and legacy of Rockefeller Center (16:42)
• Philanthropy's role in New York's cultural institutions (23:49) 
• Private-public partnerships: resilience as an economic opportunity (26:53)
• The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts towards sustainability and urban development  (29:02) 
• Meeting Jane Gilbert: the role of Chief Heat Officers (34:56)
• What happens when heat is no longer a seasonal phenomenon? (45:52)

Links:

• Episode Resources 
• Jane Gilbert LinkedIn
• Michael Berkowitz LinkedIn

Urban heat is not just a weather phenomenon; it’s also something we can respond to socially. But the cities we live in are complex. Between government powers, private actors, and the public’s understanding of the issue, there are several moving parts to coordinate to achieve resilience. 

So how does a city get mobilized around the heat question? What do we need to organize political action? And crucially: how can Social Architecture help fulfill resilience goals?

In the second episode of the Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat, our host Paula takes us to Paris to answer these questions.

Paris is a city that has been paving the way for heat resilience for over two decades. From its world-famous architecture to its history of political engagement, the French capital has taken adaptation seriously since 2003, after a devastating heat wave gave authorities a wake-up call. The city has since developed a web of incentives and services to respond to urban heat, and map out a more resilient future. 

Today, we dissect the city’s political wiring, with a deep dive into the Parisian Mayor’s Office. We discuss local partnerships between city government and the private sector, and we also meet up with key actors in the field of urban heat; including Alexandre Florentin, who is at the forefront of this movement.

Together, we find out what it takes to connect with civil society, and engage actors across the board, beyond political party lines. 

Ready to get in the heat of the action? Then, welcome to Paris. 

Highlights:

• A heat management crisis scenario (1:08)
• What is Paris like when it’s hot? (7:05)
• Parisian urban design: the Haussmann revolution (9:28)
• Why it’s difficult to adapt old architecture (13:50)
• A dive into the City of Paris Mayor’s Office (17:41)
• Bridging the gap between the public and private sector (24:27)
• The “Paris at 50 Degrees” project, with Alexandre Florentin (30:21)
• How to rally different political perspectives around the heat question (36:36)
• Commitment, partnerships, and education: the recipe for social change (40:50)
• Beyond adaptation: what about innovation? (42:45)

Links:

• Episode Resources 
• Alexandre Florentin LinkedIn
• Julie Roussel LinkedIn
• Lenio Myrivili LinkedIn

Welcome to The Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat. In this four-part series, we embark on a fictional journey around the world to talk about heat and how it’s changing our lives.

Why is heat more dangerous in an urban environment? What factors affect how we live with high temperatures? And how can we respond to heat efficiently, and responsibly? 

Today, our host Paula and her co-host Jack walk the streets of London to answer these foundational questions. Together, they take a tour of their city to find out how heat affects Londoners, and what we can do to adapt.

This episode outlines the risks that urban heat poses for our health, our services and our social system at large. It also provides tangible applications for adaptation, on an individual and collective level. We discuss the mechanisms that drive heat in urban environments – like the “urban heat island effect” – and interrogate specialists in the field about the changes needed for heat resilience. And as you’ll see, it all starts with social architecture: an approach to design and innovation that can reshape our behaviours.

Ready for this conversation? Then let’s venture into London and beat the heat. 

Highlights:

• Introducing London & the heat problem (0:37)
• Factors driving urban heat (3:52)
• Who is vulnerable to high temperatures? (7:02)
• Heat as a systemic issue (9:25)
• The “urban heat island effect” (12:40)
• The Urban Heat Snapshot with Josef Hargrave (16:37)
• Is London ready for extreme weather events? (21:17)
• Resilient solutions and social architecture to mitigate heat (24:33)
• Solutions at the individual level (28:26)
• A resilient approach to innovation (31:26)
• Political commitment to heat resilience: a tenuous question (33:30) 
• Chasing collaboration and engagement beyond London (35:05)

Links:

• Episode Resources 
• Pegasus Website
• Arup Website
• Joseph Hargrave LinkedIn
• Lenio Myrivili LinkedIn
• Julie Roussel LinkedIn

The Philanthropist's Conversation is a podcast from Pegasus. For more any enquiries, please visit our website.

The world of tomorrow is full of questions. Are we prepared for another pandemic? Can we protect our cities against extreme weather events? What if artificial intelligence could mitigate climate risks? Would 2050 look different then? There’s no roadmap for the future, but if we want to embrace change, we need to have new conversations.   

Introducing: The Philanthropist's Conversation, from Pegasus. In this show, we tackle the  biggest challenges facing the world of tomorrow.We interrogate experts in sustainable development, urban design, or government policies to dive into the hard questions and strive for a more resilient future. Together, we tap into the power of social architecture, and build a new cultural discourse to navigate the road ahead. 

For our first series, join us on a fictional journey around the world to talk about urban heat. Our cities are getting hotter, and it’s going to impact our health, our transport, our politics… In short, every part of our environment. So in the Philanthropist’s Conversation: Social Architecture to Address Urban Heat, we find out what heat resilience looks like on the ground. We span four countries, climates, and social systems to break down how heat works, and how to live better with it. Because heat – it’s going to transform our day to day.

Ready for this conversation? Then join us, from September 25th, wherever you get your podcasts.