Shows
Urban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 29 - Financing city resilienceDive into the heart of urban resilience and climate finance in this thought-provoking episode of the Urban Exchange podcast, where hosts Paul Wilson, Chair of the Advisory Board at Smart Cities World. and Nate Echeverria, North America Engagement Lead, Resilient Cities Network, are joined by Roland White, Global Lead for City Finance and Management at the World Bank. Together, they unravel the complex web of city-level financing, exploring why cities are increasingly at the forefront of the global climate agenda – and what it will take for them to drive transformative change.
From the bustling innovation hubs of...2025-07-0947 min
Urban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 28 - Data-driven urban resilience in MontevideoIn this compelling episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, host Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson dive deep into the transformative world of digital innovation and urban resilience, featuring an extraordinary case study from Montevideo, Uruguay.
Join us as we journey to Montevideo, where city representatives Andrea de Nigris and Ximena Cidras share the city's approach to data integration and municipal collaboration. Learn how this vibrant coastal city is breaking down institutional silos, creating open data platforms, and reimagining urban planning through a resilient, technology-driven lens.
The episode explores how cities can use data more effectively...2025-05-2836 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 27 - Life-saving action on extreme heatIn this episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson explore extreme heat in cities worldwide. Joined by Dr. Dileep Mavalankar, former Director of the Indian Institute of Public Health, and Nick Jones, Program Lead, Extreme Heat Resilience, at GDFRR and World Bank's City Resilience Program, they unpack a story of urban resilience that began in Ahmedabad and is transforming heat management globally.
When temperatures in Ahmedabad reached 47 degrees Celsius in 2010, causing 800 excess deaths in a week, local leaders developed a response. Dr. Mavalankar shares how they created India's first heat action plan...2025-04-3044 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 26 - Championing urban heat resilience: Global Chief Heat Officer Eleni MyriviliIn this episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson dive deep into the critical issue of extreme heat with Lenio Myrivili, Global Chief Heat Officer for UN-Habitat and the Atlantic Council. The conversation explores how rising temperatures are transforming urban experiences across the globe, from Athens to London, and the profound challenges cities face in managing increasingly intense heat waves.
Myrivili shares her journey from being Athens' Chief Resilience Officer to her current global role, highlighting the dramatic transformation of urban heat challenges over the past decade. She reveals shocking statistics about...2025-03-2643 min
Urban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 25 - Understanding AI-powered water resilienceIn this insightful episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast, sponsored by Sand Technologies, host Lauren Sorkin delves into the critical challenge of clean water and resilience, with a focus on how artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool to address these pressing issues.
Joined by Byron Roelofsz, the AI Solutions Director at Sand Technologies, and Beam Furr, the Mayor of Broward County, Florida, the conversation explores the unique challenges faced by coastal communities like Broward County, which is highly susceptible to sea level rise and saltwater intrusion.
Together, our guests dive into the innovative...2025-02-2642 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 24 - The City Resilience Framework & the next decade of resilienceThis episode of the Urban Exchange podcast focuses on the evolution of urban resilience and the critical role of the City Resilience Framework. Hosts Lauren Sorkin and Paul Wilson welcome Jo Da Silva, the Global Director of Sustainable Development at Arup, who shares insights from her decade-long journey in developing this influential framework.
The conversation begins by exploring the resilience challenges cities faced in 2024, from heatwaves and wildfires to political upheaval. Sorkin highlights how the sub-national community rallied together, citing the Resilient Cities Network's work on the intersection of climate and health. The discussion then delves into...2025-01-2936 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 23 - Identifying urban solutions at the intersection of climate, health, and equityThis episode of the Urban Exchange podcast focuses on identifying urban solutions at the intersection of climate, health, and equity.
Resilient Cities Network's Lauren Sorkin hosts, joined by Patricia Himschoot and Catalina Thela from the Buenos Aires City Government, and Jeannette Ickovics from Yale University to discuss the key findings from the Urban Pulse report.
The guests emphasise the need for better early warning systems, health surveillance capabilities, and multi-sector collaboration to address challenges related to extreme heat, flooding, air pollution and the related health threats.
The conversation turns to the specific impacts...2024-09-2742 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 22 - Digital solutions shaping the urban landscapeThis episode of the Urban Exchange podcast explores the role of digital financial innovation in building urban resilience, featuring experts Daniel Sullivan, Director of Resilience for the City of Cape Town, and Tanya Filer, Founder and CEO of StateUp.
Together, we look at the findings of StateUp's latest research, conducted in partnership with the Resilient Cities Network, on the transformative power of public financial technologies in building urban resilience. Tanya highlights some of the common challenges such as fiscal constraints, climate change, and social inequalities, and looks into the importance of digital and emerging technologies in urban...2024-08-0831 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 21 - 10 years of urban resilience in RotterdamThis episode of the Urban Exchange podcast takes a look back at Rotterdam's resilience journey over the past decade. Host Paul Wilson speaks with Arnoud Molenaar, Rotterdam's Chief Resilience Officer, who was one of the first city CROs to be appointed in 2014.
Molenaar discusses how Rotterdam first addressed resilience through climate adaptation efforts due to its location near water. We discover how the city developed two resilience strategies focused on issues like water management, social challenges, and pandemic preparedness, as Molenaar takes us through notable projects like the city's "water squares" and the "Resilient BoTu District 2028" initiative.2024-06-0324 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 20 - Tackling plastic waste in our waterThis episode of the Urban Exchange podcast explores solutions to the global challenge of plastic pollution, with a focus on cities' role in addressing this issue. R-Cities' Lauren Sorkin is joined by Dr. Parama Roy of Okapi Research and Advisory in Chennai, and Taylor Maddalene of the University of Georgia, to discuss the scope of plastic waste problems worldwide and their impacts on urban areas.
Taking Chennai as a case study, our expert guests outline the city's rapid growth and relationship with its extensive network of waterways, which have become threatened by waste dumping. There's discussion of...2024-05-1737 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 19 - The intersection between risk, resilience and insuranceThis episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast explores how risk, resilience and insurance measures come together to support the future of cities. The episode delves into innovative partnerships to strengthen climate resilience in Miami Dade County, with Galen Treuer from Miami Dade explaining how rising insurance costs due to hurricanes and flooding have impacted many residents.
Through the Resilient 305 initiative, Miami Dade is collaborating with Miami and Miami Beach to better manage regional climate risks. Peter Adams from insurance firm Howden also joins the conversation to discuss how the Global Risk and Resilience Fellowship (GRRF) aims to...2024-03-2738 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 18 - Dr. Tavida Kamolvej, City of Bangkok - Holistic disaster resilienceBangkok, a city of rapid growth, faces the challenges of a complex urban landscape. In this episode, we delve into Bangkok's resilience journey with Dr. Tavida Kamolvej, Deputy Governor in Bangkok, and a specialist in disaster resilience.
Join Lauren Sorkin, executive director of the Resilient Cities Network, in conversation with the Deputy Governor, as they discuss:
The city's biggest resilience challenges and how the current leadership is approaching disaster risk reduction through the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative
The crucial role of SMEs in Bangkok's economy and their unique vulnerability to shocks and stresses, discussing specific programmes...2024-02-2140 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 17 - Digitalising government disbursements to enhance urban resilienceThe latest episode of the Urban Exchange delve into the transformative impact of technology on government disbursements to enhance urban resilience. Joining host Paul Wilson are Agustin Botteron, author of a new Visa report on government disbursements and former Chief Resilience Officer of Santa Fe, and Robert L. Matthews, Director of the Washington D.C. Child and Family Services Agency.
Agustin shares insights from his experience as a city practitioner, emphasising the critical role of local government support programmes in addressing urban challenges, and the barriers such as capacity and funding. The conversation then shifts to the...2024-01-2430 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 16 – Genesis Gavino, City of DallasMike Lake, CEO of Leading Cities and a member of the Smart Cities World Advisory Board, hosts a special episode recorded live from the 2023 Smart City Expo in Barcelona, where he is joined by Genesis Gavino, Chief of Staff Resilience Officer for the City of Dalla.
Genesis provides a behind-the-scenes look at her role as Chief of Staff, detailing the essential elements that the role encompasses that don't necessarily fit elsewhere but are crucial for city operations. We hear how she manages diverse portfolios, overseeing strategic initiatives like the Resilient Dallas strategy, as well as smart city...2023-12-1832 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 15 - Greater Manchester and Arup - Cities building digital resilienceIn this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Lauren Sorkin, Executive Director of Resilient Cities Network and Co-chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Kathy Oldham, Chief Resilience Officer, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and Will Cavendish, Global Digital Services Leader, Arup.
The latest episode is set in the context of the new publication entitled Digital Cities, Resilient Cities: Delivering urban resilience through digital solutions, developed by Resilient Cities Network and Arup. Lauren begins by asking Will what “digital resilience” means and why cities should care about it. He explains the importance of looking at it th...2023-11-2827 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 14 – Kate MacKenzie, New York City – Plant-powered city actionUrban food systems are coming under increasing strain due to urbanisation and climate-related issues. In the latest episode of the Urban Exchange, Kate MacKenzie, Executive Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy, joins the Resilient Cities Network’s Lauren Sorkin to discuss how food systems and plant powered food transitions are advancing urban resilience and climate adaptation in cities around the world.
In an in-depth conversation, Kate reflects on the exciting and innovative initiatives that NYC is implementing for its Plant Powered Program. Through pilot projects, campaigns, challenges and other methods, the city...2023-10-1634 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 13 – Robert van Asten, The Hague – Creating a water visionIn this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Paul Wilson, Chief Business Officer for Connected Places Catapult and Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board, is joined by Robert van Asten, Deputy Mayor and Alderman for Urban Development, Strategy and Europe for The Hague.
On the agenda this month is The Hague's work on water resilience, its international significance as the peace and justice capital of the world, and the city's work on advancing the urban resilience practice.
Throughout, Paul delves into the role the Deputy Mayor’s leadership has played throughout this work, finding the ke...2023-09-1822 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 12 – Metropolitan Area of Guadalajara and Visa – Innovation in the urban mobility sectorIn the latest episode of the Urban Exchange, Paul Wilson, chair of the Advisory Board for Smart Cities World and Chief Business Officer at the Connected Places Catapult, is joined for a talk on all things urban mobility by Diego Marquez, the Planning Mobility Manager for the Metropolitan Institute of Planning and Development for the Metropolitan area of Guadalajara, and Jose Rodriguez, Head of Urban Mobility at Visa in Mexico.
This episode is part of the Future Ready Cities programme, a partnership between Visa and the Resilient Cities Network, and focuses on the city of Guadalajara, its...2023-08-1132 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 11 – Gareth Morgan, Cape Town – Mainstreaming and institutionalising urban resilienceIn this episode of the Urban Exchange, Lauren Sorkin, executive director of Resilient Cities Network, hosts Gareth Morgan, executive director of future planning and resilience for the City of Cape Town.
In an exclusive interview, Gareth reflects on the exciting frontier work he is undertaking to institutionalise and mainstream resilience across the various aspects of the city’s work, encompassing everything from the development of a 2050 strategy and multi-year capital portfolio management, to business continuity services and risk mauding how the city’s existing resilience strategy integrates with and influences it. Here, we also discover what kind of c...2023-06-0830 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 10 – Safer Schools: Building resilience in education infrastructureAs the risks from climate change increase, public school infrastructure in our cities and communities is under threat from natural hazards. It may not be a subject we often think about in connection to education in our cities, but it is regardless a critical issues – one that impacts our children’s present as well as their future.
On this episode of the Urban Exchange, host Francis Ghesquiere from the World Bank welcomes Fernando Ramirez Cortez, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist at the World Bank, and Vivian Argueta Bernal, Chief Resilience Office for the Chamber of Commerce in Cali...2023-04-2635 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 9 - Susan Aitken, Glasgow City Leader - Progress at COP27 and climate financeThe Urban Exchange welcomes back Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to talk Cop27 and climate finance.
The latest episode of the Urban Exchange Podcast sees Resilient Cities Network’s Lauren Sorkin in conversation with Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to uncover some of the key takeaways from Cop27, how the conference compared to Cop26, and the critical role of finance in climate action.
We begin with Susan’s thoughts on how Cop27 compared in terms of its outcomes to the Glasgow-hosted Cop26 in 2021, as she explains the various ways in which the conference move...2022-12-1435 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 8 - Making cities green, resilient and inclusive in a changing climateThe latest episode of the Urban Exchange brings together the principal authors of the World Bank’s latest extensive report on urban climate to discuss the 10 key findings.
Hosted by World Bank’s Francis Ghesquiere, Head of the Secretariat for the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction & Recovery (GFDRR), the Urban Exchange welcomes World Bank economists Megha Mukim and Mark Roberts as its latest guests to discover the key insights from Thriving – Making cities green, resilient and inclusive in a changing climate – a study of the impact of climate change on more than 10,000 cities worldwide.
Listen to the ep...2022-11-3027 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 7 - Part 2: Monica Barone, CEO, City of SydneyPreview: In part two of our conversation with Monica Barone, CEO of the City of Sydney, we discover the changing nature of city relationships with citizens, how that can shape resilience and climate action, and lead to more equitable and inclusive communities.
2022-10-1825 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 7 - Part 1: Monica Barone, CEO, City of SydneyThe part one of the latest episode of the Urban Exchange sees Monica Barone, CEO of the City of Sydney, in conversation with Jeff Risom to understand how the nature of resilience is changing, and how Monica and the city are adapting.
The new Urban Exchange Episode takes an in-depth look at the ways the City of Sydney is approaching urban resilience, from engaging with citizens to encouraging proactivity in the community.
In the first half of a two-part episode, our guest Monica Barone explains how the city’s response to climate has been shaped by...2022-09-2720 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Podcast Episode 6: Daniel Quintero, Mayor of Medellin
Preview: The latest episode of the Urban Exchange brings together Mayor of Medellín Daniel Quintero with Leading Cities’ Mike Lake to discuss the advance of urban resilience in Colombia’s second-largest city.
The new Urban Exchange takes an in-depth look at how Medellín has been led through times of strain in the pandemic by Mayor Quintero, and how it is now emerging as a more resilient and robust city.
Mayor Quintero explains what opportunities he sees for the city to build further resilience during its recovery from Covid-19, and how resilience is a critica...2022-06-1629 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 5: Andy Foster, Mayor of Wellington
Lauren Sorkin, executive director at Resilient Cities Network, will be joined by Mayor of Wellington, Andy Foster, to focus on the overarching frame of Mayor Andy Foster’s leadership on digital resilience with highlights on Wellington’s award-winning Digital Twin initiative and working with start-ups and digital businesses.
2022-05-0432 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 4: Francis Suarez, Mayor of MiamiEpisode four of the Urban Exchange podcast comes direct from Cop26 in Glasgow, as Resilient Cities Network executive director, Lauren Sorkin, hosts Mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, to reflect on Cop26, climate adaptation and mitigation, and the Mayor’s role in futureproofing Miami through digital technology.
To begin with, Mayor Suarez gives his take on progress at Cop26 and whether he truly believes cities have a seat at the negotiating table during this most crucial of climate conferences. He also explains the trends from the conference that he believes are going to make the biggest imp...2021-11-1131 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 3: Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City CouncilOn the third episode of the Urban Exchange podcast, Jeff Risom, chief innovation officer at Gehl Architects and member of the SmartCitiesWorld advisory board, speaks with Glasgow City Council leader, Susan Aitken, to discuss urban design for a sustainable future and why Glasgow is the perfect host for COP26.
During the conversation, Jeff discovers how Councillor Aitken came to be in her position on Glasgow’s City Council today, as the councillor reflects on her political activism through the years, the events that led her into elected office, and how her view of the city has changed si...2021-10-2034 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 2: Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb, City of RotterdamEpisode 2 of the Urban Exchange podcast welcomes the City of Rotterdam’s Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb as its special guest, as he discusses how to advance urban resilience for climate adaptation with the Resilient Cities Network’s (R-Cities) executive director, Lauren Sorkin.
During the discussion, Mayor Aboutaleb speaks about the challenges facing his city at the moment, the steps he’s taking to face them, and the importance of collaboration in building resilience against them.
As part of R-Cities’ Board, the Mayor explains to Lauren his reasons for committing himself to urban resilience – not only for the sake of Rotte...2021-10-1324 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange Episode 1: Mayor Sylvester Turner, City of HoustonCities on the Frontlines: Resilient Infrastructure
Preview: The first episode of the Urban Exchange podcast sees Mayor Turner of Houston, the Chair of the Resilient Cities Network Board of Directors, in conversation with Paul Wilson, Chair of the SmartCitiesWorld Advisory Board. Together, they discuss Houston’s definition of resilience, Houston’s plans to build resilience, and why Houston’s status as an energy city places specific emphasis on its climate action plans.
2021-10-0723 minUrban Exchange: Cities on the FrontlinesUrban Exchange: Cities on the Frontlines TrailerUrban Exchange: Cities on the Frontlines is the podcast series from SmartCitiesWorld and the Resilient Cities Network (R-Cities), delivering frank and open conversations between international city leaders and industry practitioners that share ideas to solve urban challenges.
With the world’s cities under pressure to deliver a sustainable future for more than half of the global population – a figure that is consistently trending upwards – the Urban Exchange provides a platform for the people driving urban innovation and change to share their ideas and insights with those that need them most.
As cities seek a future that i...2021-10-0501 min