In this episode of Better Cities by Design, host Davion Ford is joined by a panel of experts to explore the transformative potential of hydrogen technology in creating sustainable cities. Artiom Loginov from Cummins Inc., Brett Ryan from Hydrogen UK, and Paul Aspinall from Arcadis discuss the challenges and opportunities of integrating hydrogen into urban infrastructure. They delve into hydrogen's critical role in achieving net-zero emissions, the importance of public-private collaboration,...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we venture into the heart of Canada to explore how the City of Red Deer is revolutionizing its parking system. Host Davion Ford talks with Amy Fengstad and Amara Heppell from Red Deer about the city's efforts to upgrade its outdated parking meters to a modern, app-based system. Discover how this transformation is improving convenience and efficiency for residents, the challenges faced along the way, and the innovative approaches taken to engage with...

In this special episode of Better Cities by Design, we have convened a panel of experts to discuss a topic that’s important for all cities: road safety. We’re exploring this persistent challenge in the context of the United States, where traffic accidents are the number one cause of death for people under the age of 55, despite the significant technological advances we’ve seen over the past two decades. To find out what more can be done to make the roads in and around US cities safer, we...

Hop on for a ride through Amsterdam's urban landscape on this episode of Better Cities by Design. Join host Davion Ford as he chats with Sietze Faber, one of the masterminds behind Amsterdam's road safety and cycling ambitions. Explore the city's vision for zero carbon movement and zero traffic accidents by 2050. Unravel the challenges of creating cyclist-friendly spaces and discover how Amsterdam is paving the way for sustainable urban mobility. Don't miss this smart discussion that will...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, explore the story of Vancouver's climate disaster that, for many, flew under the radar. Join host Davion Ford as he engages in a captivating conversation with Bryan Crosby, Director of Infrastructure Resilience at the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Learn about the impact of the 2021 atmospheric river event on British Columbia's transportation network and explore the imperative for a multi-dimensional approach to...

Embark on a journey through Dublin's smart city landscape as this episode of Better Cities by Design brings you a conversation with Jamie Cudden, Smart City Program Manager, and Payal Pandya, Project Manager and Business Analyst, both at Dublin City Council. Davion talks to them about innovative solutions to urban challenges, with an emphasis on connectivity, data insights, and collaboration. We learn about transformative projects like the CurbIQ pilot, which is revolutionizing curbside...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we’re in Victoria, Canada, for a chat with Harsh Rathod, co-founder and CEO of Niricson, a company that is revolutionizing how bridges, dams, and other critical infrastructure are inspected for safety. Niricson uses digital technology in the form of software and drones as well as leveraging artificial intelligence to make infrastructure safety inspections much more reliable and efficient, significantly reducing the risk of human error. In this...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we head to the City of Bath in the UK, for a conversation with James Hooton, Managing Director of the Green Finance Institute (GFI). Bath is an ancient city with many very old buildings. But just like any other city, Bath is also striving to become more sustainable and that means these buildings need to be retrofitted, so they use less energy and therefore contribute less to climate change. GFI is working to help with this by channeling capital at...

Join us in Amsterdam, for a conversation about an important aspect of the city’s phenomenal transportation system: train stations. Davion sits down with Daan Klaase, Manager of Research and Station Development, and John Riepen, Manager of Amsterdam Central Station, both from NS Stations. Daan and John reveal some of the secrets behind Amsterdam's iconic transportation hubs. We explore the role of NS Stations in ensuring well-maintained and passenger-friendly train stations and discover the...

In this episode of the podcast we travel to Manchester in the UK, a city steeped in history and a rich cultural heritage. We speak with Natasha Rouse, Director of Asset Management at Equitix, a global investor, developer, and fund manager. Equitix has invested in myriad assets in Manchester and is playing a significant role in ensuring essential urban infrastructure is well maintained and delivering value for city residents. In this episode we explore Manchester's journey from being the...

We’re headed to the Belgian city of Antwerp for this episode of the podcast, and we spoke with the Vice Mayor of the city, Tom Meeuws, about the revolutionary new project that’s underway: the construction of a district heating network. Antwerp has set the ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050 and, along the way, cutting emissions in half by 2030. The district heating network, which is being built, will play an integral role in helping the city achieve these goals. The Port of...

We're back in New York. This week we speak with Maggie Hopkins, Vice President Civil Engineering & Environmental Planning at AKRF, a leading company specializing in environmental planning, and engineering services for climate resilience and coastal adaptation. AKRF has been working in conjunction with Arcadis on New York’s East Side Coastal Resiliency project, which is a leading climate adaptation effort started after Superstorm Sandy ravaged the city back in 2012. Maggie shares some of...

This week, we’re headed to Rotterdam and chatting with Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs at the global lighting company Signify. We talk with Harry about the outsized impact lighting has on urban electricity use and subsequent emissions. And we learn how proper lighting not only makes cities safer from crime and traffic accidents, but how also how modern light points can be used to collect air quality information as well as transfer data like a WiFi signal. Join...

In our first episode of 2024, our guest is Anselmo Collins, Senior Assistant General Manager – Water System, at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP). We speak with Anselmo about LADWP’s efforts to ensure safe and reliable water service to more than 4 million residents, in the face of climate change, a burgeoning population, and the ever-present threat of earthquakes. Join host Davion and Anselmo for this insightful discussion about water resilience in the City of Angels.

We close out 2023 with a special episode of Better Cities by Design. We are in Amsterdam to hear the story of the decade-long renovation of the National Museum of the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum. Our special correspondent Richard Walker heads over to the museum to speak with Igor Santhagens, the Rijksmuseum’s Renovation Project Leader, as well as Arcadians Dieneke Grimmeluis, and Gerard van Engelen, to uncover the secrets hidden within the museum. The building that is now the Rijksmuseum...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Katherine Drayson, Senior Environment Manager at Transport for London (TfL), is our guest. We speak with Katherine about the vital role TfL plays in managing much of London’s sprawling public transportation system and how climate change is impacting all of this. London has the world’s oldest underground rail system, and this is only one part of TfL’s portfolio, which also includes the Docklands Light Railway and the London Overground, along with...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Teun Bokhoven, Chairman of the 7 Square Endeavour, is our guest. We talk with Teun about his efforts to make Rotterdam’s Schouwburgplein (Theater Square) climate-neutral by 2030. The City of Rotterdam is the Netherland’s second largest city with just over one million inhabitants. It’s known for its bold, modern architecture and the plucky nature of its residents. Rotterdam has one of the largest ports in the world and the largest in Europe. Shaped...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Doug Gordon, safe streets advocate, and co-host and producer of “The War on Cars” podcast is our guest. We speak with Doug about his crusade to rid New York, and other cities, of cars. With a population of over 8.8 million residents, New York is the most populous city of the United States, and a melting pot of cultures from around the globe. Unlike many cities in the US, most New Yorkers do not own a car. Across the 5 boroughs 55% of households do...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Neil Arckless, Group Executive for Development at Lendlease is our guest. We talk with Neil about the sustainable redevelopment of Darling Square in Sydney, Australia. Darling Square, which is part of the Darling Harbour section of the Australian capital, has a rich history. This area was originally home to the Aboriginal people, the Gadigal, who lived on this land for thousands of years and continue to play an important role in Sydney. In the...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Co-founder and Architect Tim Vermeend and Chief Marketing Officer Jasmijn Rijcken, from the Urban Woods, are our guests. Together we discuss how they have designed and will construct the tallest residential building in the Netherlands without a concrete core, in the city of Delft. At the intersection of urbanization and climate change, there sits a major challenge: how can we keep constructing buildings for people to live in cities, when doing so...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Sat Patel, Programme Director – Edinburgh Waterfront, is our guest. We talk with Sat about an underserved section of Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, and how the city council is working to redevelop the area. Granton has a long history, dating back as far as 1479, and Granton Harbour was once an important economic driver for the city. In the 20th Century, the area was the site of gas works, petrol storage and other industrial activities. But by...

In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Nick Cleary, CEO of CLARA Energy, is our guest. We talk with Nick about the poor air quality in Sydney, Australia and how his organization is working to help address this by scaling up the production of green hydrogen. One major sources of air pollution is vehicle exhaust, in particular from the thousands of heavy haulage, diesel trucks that travel between Sydney and Melbourne. CLARA Energy’s mission is to use new and existing technologies to...

In the second episode of Better Cities by Design, Paul Riemens, CEO of RAI Amsterdam, joins the show and talks about how he’s working to make the city’s premier convention center fit for a sustainable future. Host, Davion Ford and Paul discuss both the positive and negative impact RAI Amsterdam has on the city, with the company being a major economic boon and the fact that large in-person events can often be carbon-intensive. During the episode Paul grapples with a number of thorny issues,...

On the first episode of Better Cities by Design, host, Davion Ford, is joined by, Joy Sinderbrand, the Senior Vice President for Capital Programs at the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the largest public housing authority in North America. Joy and Davion discuss the importance of affordable housing in New York City and its impact on maintaining the livability of the city. They also talk about the challenges faced by NYCHA, with a focus on capital funding and the need to maintain a...