Cities in Mind

Hello everyone!Our podcast series is back this week with an exciting episode about the power of regenerative design and what it means for cities across Asia.Wait, what is regenerative design?For more than three decades, architects, planners, designers and others shaping the built environment have been following and promoting sustainable design. In 1987, the United Nations' Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”Sustainability was introduced with good intentions and there has been important progress in terms of energy-efficient buildings, use of materials and resources, change management and general awareness. But overall, the sustainable design movement has fallen short of the progress needed to prevent substantial environmental damage and climate change. The concept has been so widely misused that it has lost its original meaning.As architect and circular economy advocate William McDonough observed, if we get to complete sustainability, we simply get to the point of being “100% less bad”.Our current trajectory in construction, energy use and resource consumption guarantees we will exceed 1.5°C global warming. Across the world, natural habitats continue to be destroyed at an alarming rate. There is a need for a paradigm shift and the language and terms we use strongly influence the way we tackle our problems. So enters regenerative design.The quest for sustainability has moved society forward in important ways, but we believe it is now time to embrace a new regenerative approach to design and development. As a globalized society, we urgently need to reach the turning point in human civilization where everything we do has a net positive impact on the environment. We contend that this is a transformation that is within our reach. It is time to shift from merely mitigating negatives to optimizing positives. We need to embrace approaches that restore ecosystems, reunite divided communities, and reciprocally enhance the interdependent health of people, place and planet – schemes that, in myriad ways, restore what we have lost and deliver compounding net benefits – actualizing regenerative potentials that are beyond the limits of what ‘sustainability' can imagine.Sarah Ichioka, Michael Pawlyn, Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary EmergencyI hope I got you interested in this approach because that's precisely what we will discuss in today's episode with Sarah Ichioka.Sarah is a strategist, urbanist, curator and writer. She is the Founding Director of Desire Lines, a Singapore-based consultancy for environmental, cultural, and social-impact organizations and initiatives. In previous roles, she has explored the intersections of cities, society and ecology within leading international institutions of culture, policy and research, including Singapore's National Parks Board, La Biennale di Venezia, LSE Cities, NYC's Department of Housing Preservation & Development, as Director of The Architecture Foundation (UK) and Co-Director of the London Festival of Architecture. Her new book Flourish: Design Paradigms for Our Planetary Emergency (2021) is co-authored with London-based architect Michael Pawlyn. It's a wonderful (and engaging) read which unpacks the possibilities offered by regenerative design.

Hi everyone,In this week's podcast episode, we'll explore the intersection between energy production and air quality in Southeast Asia, a complex, yet fascinating, topic which encapsulates multiple challenges ranging from climate action, transition to clean energy and social justice.Air pollution is a silent killer whose health impacts concern almost every one of us. In 2019, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that more than 90% of the global population lived in areas where concentrations exceeded the 2005 WHO air quality guideline for long term exposure to PM₂.₅. The health risks associated with particulate matter equal or smaller than 10 and 2.5 microns (µm) in diameter (PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, respectively) are of particular public health relevance. Both PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ are capable of penetrating deep into the lungs but PM₂.₅ can even enter the bloodstream, primarily resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory impacts, and also affecting other organs.In order to unpack the complexity of air pollution, I met with Isabella Suarez, Southeast Asia Analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).CREA is an independent research organisation that focuses on revealing the trends, causes, and health impacts, as well as the solutions to air pollution. Using scientific data and evidence, Isabella's research focuses on how modern, clean energy technologies are key to improving air quality, the energy transition and the protection of public health in the Southeast Asia region.The WHO considers that Southeast Asia has an annual burden of 2.4 million premature deaths from air pollution. In Southeast Asia, as in other parts of the world, Particulate Matter (PM) is primarily generated by fuel combustion in different sectors, including transport, energy, households, industry, and from agriculture.With Isabella, we go back to the roots of air pollution in Southeast Asia and investigate the intersection between energy and clean air.How's the current energy mix in Southeast Asia, heavy on fossil fuels, impacting air pollution in cities?We also take stock of the latest clean energy policies in the region and discuss their potential impacts on air quality and social justice. As the technologies required to plan for the future of energy will be diverse, it is crucial to ensure that clean energy policies don't have inequitable impacts on the most marginalised communities.I hope you'll enjoy the episode and learn a thing or two. Feel free to share this issue & podcast episode around you or drop it in one of your company's Slack channels. And subscribe now so you don't miss the next issue!

Hi everyone,In this week's podcast, we dig a little deeper into the circular economy and its potentials for the built environment, taking the case of Southeast Asian countries and cities.I had the pleasure to discuss with Devni Acharya, Senior Consultant, Advisory, Planning and Design at ARUP Singapore.Devni has consulted on projects across the UK, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and now Asia Pacific, advising cities, investors and developers on circular economy projects as they work towards their net zero carbon targets. She has also worked with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on the adoption of circular principles in the real estate industry and on the definition of new business models to generate value and improve financial performance.How's the concept of circular economy being received in the region, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic?How can circular principles be adopted at-scale to drive the development of new economic sectors in the region?Can real estate value chains in Southeast Asia adapt to circular thinking?With Devni, we explore some examples of circular economy policies in the region, including Thailand's Bio-Circular-Green Economic Model (BCG), Singapore's Zero Waste Masterplan or Indonesia's circular economy opportunity assessment.2021 saw a surge in the number of circular economy plans across Southeast Asia, a region that is both a vital driver of global manufacturing, deeply integrated in global supply chains, and one of the epicentres of the current climate crisis.How can cities in Southeast Asia adopt circular economy principles to become more resource efficient, competitive, and innovative? That's our topic for this week.Enjoy the episode and feel free to share it around or drop it in one of your company's Slack channels!-- I'm sorry for the two little mic bumps at 7'45'' and 16'42''

Hello everyone!China has long been a blindspot for me and I decided to educate myself more about its growing and undeniable importance. China is at a critical moment in its history and current events might have long term consequences on the country's future.From the Evergrande real estate crisis, Xi Jinping's current crackdown on capitalism to an acceleration of climate change-related events (dramatic summer floods), China's urban development model is under the spotlight. The conflict between marketization and state control has never been so strong in the country.How do these tensions translate in the urban environment? Where is urban China going? Will China manage to escape the “middle-income trap”? How could iconic initiatives such as the BRI accelerate the diffusion of China's urban model? I reached out to Andrew Stokols, an urban planner and researcher, currently PhD researcher at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. His research explores the intersection of urban planning and infrastructure, state power and geopolitics and mostly focuses on East and Southeast Asia. Previously, Andrew has been involved in various research projects, in China, Singapore and the US, investigating the different facets of global urbanization, particularly in China and Asia. Together, we discuss the different phases behind China's urbanization and how President Xi Jinping is currently making the state more central in all aspects of life in China. We take the example of a new planned city, called Xiong'An New Area, about 100 km south of Beijing in the Hebei Province. The development of Xiong'an has several goals, chief among them to relieve pressure on Beijing by relocating “non-capital functions” and to stimulate new innovative industries. It has been labeled as a “1000-year project of national importance” and it is supposed to be China's version of “city of the future”, promoted as an engine for innovation growth.

After a 2-month trip back to Europe (followed by a 2-week quarantine

In this episode, we'll discuss the potential of tactical urbanism in creating more space for people to meet, walk, socialise and play safely.As we move towards a new COVID-19 normal, it is crucial to rethink how our streets and open spaces operate and how they could be more flexible in their usages and functions. Tactical urbanism could help achieve that in a systematic and cost-effective way. Some examples include turning parking spaces into temporary parks, pop-up cultural and retail events, the creation of outdoor seating to improve public spaces, or the introduction of temporary cycling lanes.How can we lock-in some of these temporary urban experiments to get longer-term gains? How is Singapore exploring the use of tactical urbanism?To know more, I met with Lorenzo Petrillo, founder of LopeLab, an urban design studio that focuses on the transformation of public spaces for the purpose of bringing people together, including street closures, pocket public spaces and large-scale pop-up events.With Lorenzo, we discuss the different facets of tactical urbanism in Singapore, from Park(ing) day to new green parklets and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and we explore the new frontiers of place-making in the city state.And because “a picture is worth a thousand words”, check out below some snippets of LopeLab's street activation strategies in Singapore's city centre (the famous Keong Saik Road that we explored in Episode 03 - Adaptive Reuse for Vibrant Precincts). Of course, the Urban Ventures street closure event is pre-COVID

In this episode, we'll discuss the potential of nature-based solutions in cities to adapt to climate change, reduce disaster risk, benefit the environment and improve community living.

In this short episode, I'll bring you to Penang, a mid-sized city of 1.7 million, located in the northwest coast of Malaysia. Penang is very unique in many aspects. It is known as the Silicon Valley of the East for its semiconductor industries. It is a growing start-up hub and it is one of Malaysia's most vital economic powerhouses. It boasts a very diverse cultural heritage, with its urban core George Town and being an island, it has many natural green and blue assets.Penang is in the midst of an important transition and its huge potential has not gone unnoticed. Local stakeholders have recently been busy launching an International Ideas Competition to future-proof Penang Bay, as well as reaching out to international organisations such as UN-Habitat to reframe the city's priorities and better align it with the Sustainable Development Goals.I discuss the future of Penang with Ahila Ganesan, Special Projects Lead at Think City, an urban think tank exploring the future of Malaysian Cities. Think City combines placemaking, resilience, urban analytics, conservation and adaptive reuse. I invite you to check their work and also listen to their podcast The City Maker which brings you stories from around the world helping you to understand what shapes the cities we live in.Why is Penang a city to watch in Southeast Asia and why it could be an inspiration for other mid-sized cities in the region? Let's hear it from Ahila.Some resources I have used to prepare for this episode:Think City's initiative to rethink Penang's urban core in an age of disruption Penang Bay International Ideas CompetitionThe City Maker Podcast Episode about Penang Bay's Ideas Competition Penang Bay Ideas: A Resilient New Economic ZoneMy recent post about Adaptive Reuse in Asia, taking the example of Penang's George Town Past as Future - How Adaptive Reuse is Anchoring Innovation and Circular Strategies in Asian CitiesUN Habitat's Flagship Programme “SDG Cities” - Sustainable Development Goals CitiesPenang's controversial southern islands reclamation project, dubbed BiodiverCity Boon or bane? Malaysian island reclamation plan divides residents (not discussed in the podcast episode) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit citiesinmind.substack.com

Hello everyone!In this third episode, I bring you to one of Singapore's most iconic streets : Keong Saik Road, near Chinatown. 

Hello everybody! In this short episode, I am sharing with you 5️⃣ reasons to subscribe to the Cities in Mind Newsletter and Podcast series!I am currently working on two new episodes, featuring two Singaporean super stars who are shaking up the local urban scene. Stay tuned!

The creative city concept has been a popular global planning paradigm since the late 1980s. Many cities over the world have embraced the idea of urban regeneration and have placed creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans.