Future Cities

We know that green spaces are good for you. They provide benefits to air quality, biodiversity, and even your mental health... but why?Returning guest Joeri Morpurgo, a postdoctoral fellow at Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands, set out with his team to answer this question. They found an important distinction: not all green spaces are created equal.The team also investigated the various benefits of green space, and found natural variables to attribute them to: lower air temperatures were directly related to tree heights, soil quality promotes water storage, and so on. Every green space has unique characteristics that give it unique, nuanced benefits. In this episode, Joeri joins hosts Alysha and Todd to talk about why distinction between outdoor spaces is so important.Joeri's Haiku: Lush green fill the streetsYet life and function divergeFeatures shape what they giveLinks:Joeri's Bio: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/staffmembers/joeri-morpurgo#tab-1 Joeri's Publications: https://scholar.google.nl/citations?user=PHxx0pIAAAAJ&hl=nl 

The Mississippi River Basin covers over a million square miles across the southeast and midwest US. Despite growing up far away in the northeast US, Boyce Upholt thinks about the nation's largest waterway more than most: he's the author of "The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi." The book began nearly eight years earlier with a paddling trip, a sunken steamboat, and love-at-first-sight for the iconic southern river.Upholt speaks to our hosts Alysha and Todd about his intertwining passions for history and nature, and why this work centers on "the Great River." The book covers how humans have thought about, related to, and altered the region over centuries, and how the river changes to meet us in new ways."We know it's out there, this sort of heart beating in the middle of America, but most Americans don't know what it looks like."Boyce's Haiku (The Edgelands Wander Haiku):Shopping cart half-sunkInto the crust-dried batture mudNothing lasts too longLinks:Check out the book: https://www.boyceupholt.com/Southlands Magazine, a new project by Boyce Upholt, is launching later this year: https://www.boyceupholt.com/southlands

Emmanuel Stone was raised to love good food: his mother, a restaurant owner, inspired him to teach culinary arts, learn about agriculture, and emphasize the importance of whole foods. This led him to Athens Land Trust: an organization that simultaneously encourages conservation and community in Athens, GA where UGA is located.Stone serves as the Strategic Partnerships Director for ALT. From his office at Williams Farm, a space where ALT houses their offices as well as a community garden, sustainable farming classes for both youth and adults, and counseling for homebuyers, he explained the model ALT uses to simultaneously provide affordable housing, educational resources, and whole foods to the Athens community."We see these things all as connected," he said. "The Trust tries to do many things, but the main thread connecting all these areas of work is that we see how community development takes many shapes."Whether you're interested in sustainable communities, agriculture, buying a house, or just hearing us chat about food- this episode is for you!Links:Learn more about Athens Land Trust here: https://athenslandtrust.org/ Emmanuel Stone Bio: https://athenslandtrust.org/staff_member/emmanuel-stone/ ALT Workshops and Classes: https://athenslandtrust.org/classes-events/ Upcountry Oyster Roast: https://athenslandtrust.org/classes-events/oyster-roast/ 

This month's guest is someone close to home for our team- meet Alysha's PhD student, Negin Shamsi! Negin gives an overview of her first first-author publication, titled, "Interdependency classification: a framework for infrastructure resilience."Shamsi's research focus is infrastructure and urban resilience. Infrastructure managers collaborate across engineering, urban planning, emergency response, policy making and more. The goal of Shamsi's research, including the new paper, is to better prepare all of these fields for disturbances from hurricanes to cyber attacks."These systems do not function in isolation, they are interdependent and if one system fails, it will have effects on other systems as well," she said. "When we talk about interdependencies, especially in the past, people think about vulnerabilities, cascading failures- something negative. But recently, there has been a changing perspective: we can look at them as an opportunity for collaboration and innovation."

How big does an urban garden need to be to support pollinators and other important insects? What kinds of plants lead to the most biodiverse space? How should homeowners manage their gardens to support the natural world?Get the full garden scoop with PhD researcher Joeri Morpurgo, from University Leiden in the Netherlands! Morpurgo and his colleagues visited urban gardens throughout Amsterdam and counted all the different plant and insect species they could find. Some key findings? Gardens can be small but mighty--as long as there's dense foliage and a plethora of plant species, they supported a variety of insect species. And one controversial finding: native vs. non-native plant species didn't seem to make a difference to insect diversity. Hear Morpurgo's take on his findings, and his urban garden management recommendations on the podcast!Related links: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1618866724003297https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/news/2024/07/pavement-gardens-are-crucial-to-urban-biodiversity

Big, leafy shade trees, burbling creeks, and access to recreation in beautiful natural areas: most people intuitively know that these kinds of natural amenities create pleasant communities, and houses located close to these kinds of resources tend to sell for more than those without. What folks often aren't thinking about is the fact that these resources have other benefits too--including filtering stormwater, sequestering carbon, and cooling neighborhoods. But how can we use policy to help encourage developers to adopt these policies from the start? And how can policy backfire in helping create equitably distributed natural resources for communities? Michael Drescher, Associate Professor in the School of Planning and Adam Skoyles, PhD student at the University of Waterloo, joined host Alysha Helmrich to discuss these questions and more. Drescher is the Director of the Residential Development Impact Scorecard for the Environment (RISE) project, which "Aims to better understand the longer-term impacts of urban residential developments on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and seeks to measure the effectiveness of GHG mitigation efforts of green infrastructure." Learn more about how RISE is working to help institute permanent changes in the development sector through their scorecard on the podcast!

Lauren McPhillips didn't always dream of being a professor, but she knew she loved solving problems.After earning three degrees in Earth systems science and environmental engineering at Cornell University, McPhillips completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Arizona State University, where she met our host Alysha. Now, she's working on ecological and water resources engineering problems from green stormwater infrastructure to solar implementation. In her position as a researcher and assistant professor at Penn State's Institute for Energy & the Environment, she studies how best to implement solar power across ecosystems while preserving ecosystem services in proposed solar fields.Solar farms get a lot of pushback due to their potential to interrupt ecosystems, whether they're just taking up important habitat space or actually causing harm through increased erosion or stormwater runoff. But McPhillips argues that, when done carefully, solar power could be just the nature-positive energy solution we need.Lauren's Haiku:Solar energyCan keep nature's benefitsCould be a win-winGuest Bio: https://iee.psu.edu/people/lauren-mcphillipsMcPhillips' Lab Website: https://sites.psu.edu/lmcphillips/

Water is a natural resource all of us rely on, but there's a lot of thought and work that goes into being able to turn on your tap. How do we make sure water is accessible to everyone? Who does a water source belong to? And why is getting water out West so complicated?This month, hosts Alysha and Todd are joined by Dr. Ben Rachunok, an assistant professor at the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at NC State University. Rachunok studies how communities evaluate and respond to water rights, climate risk and natural hazards. Costs of water and climate action are not equally distributed across space, and low-income households often pay a higher price for water access- and during periods of water scarcity.With examples from the Carolinas to California, the group explores the surprising interconnections in the world of water rights and affordability, the role of policy in risk management, and how at-risk communities manage climate threats.Check out the recent paper they discuss in this episode: Socio-hydrological drought impacts on urban water affordability (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-022-00009-w)And this "companion paper" for more context: The unequal burdens of water scarcity (https://www.nature.com/articles/s44221-022-00016-x)Ben's haiku:Droughts raise water's priceLow-income homes bear the costThirst deepens the gapBio: https://ise.ncsu.edu/people/barachun/

Introducing Dr. Brian Bledsoe, Director of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Georgia and farmer, guitar player, and dad (not in that order.)Our hosts Alysha Helmrich and Todd Bridges join Bledsoe in reviewing his lifelong commitment to research and interdisciplinary collaboration. His career has largely focused on river management and hydrology, leading him to work not just with engineers but ecologists, economists, geologists, lawyers and more. When he proposed a new institute at UGA focusing on natural solutions for infrastructure problems, he found a large community of interest that confirmed just how critical interdisciplinary expertise was for resilience. Bledsoe described the "tremendous potential" nature-based solutions have to change how we approach development. His own mission in the movement is "to act as a connector of people who are committed to rethinking infrastructure." IRIS itself is meant to adapt to needs of the researchers, stakeholders and students that comprise it, but Bledsoe hopes that the institute can act as a lighthouse for natural infrastructure solutions. He explains how IRIS is promoting this work for their large community of students and partners, and calls on practitioners of the IRIS mission to be "relentless listeners," sharing knowledge while learning from others. Listen now to learn more about IRIS's ongoing work on nature-based solutions!Brian's poems:When in doubt,Don't just build it stout-Spread it out!Bend, don't breakHard and strong will failGreen sapling.Dr. Brian Bledsoe, UGA IRIS: https://iris.uga.edu/iris-people/brian-bledsoe-p-e/ Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems: https://iris.uga.edu/IRIS's new Natural Infrastructure Certificate: https://iris.uga.edu/natural-infrastructure-certificate/ASCE's statement on NbS: https://www.asce.org/advocacy/policy-statements/ps575---nature-based-solutionsIRIS's NbS Job Board: https://iris.uga.edu/the-iris-job-board/Check out this past episode that also discusses interdisciplinary resilience: https://iris.uga.edu/2023/11/15/resilient-futures-podcast-episode-2-promoting-resilience-interdisciplinary-expertise-and-collaboration/

This month, our host Alysha Helmrich and her guest Lynn Abdouni are coming to you live from halfway across the world.This pair of UGA engineering professors recently visited Doha, Qatar for a meeting about the Proactive Resilience Plan (PReP), a collaboration between UGA, Texas A&M, and the Qatar Foundation. During their trip, they took a moment to chat about urban morphology: "the study of the buildings, the streets, and the spaces in between them.""We're talking about the urban fabric- it's alive," Dr. Abdouni said. "The streets are for walking, but they're also for meandering to shop, for having impromptu conversations, for chasing after pigeons- whatever you want to do, it's for multiple uses."Abdouni's interest in this topic started early. She grew up in a semi-rural area of a postwar Lebanon, and noticing where features like sidewalks were (or weren't) placed inspired her to connect to places through urban design. By designing public spaces with humans in mind, we can foster personal connections to place and more flexible, long-lasting cities. "I'm obsessed with anything mundane and boring- gas stations, take me there; parking lots, I love them- anything boring," she said. "You take some of these mundane places where we spend a lot of time, and you start thinking about them as, 'what else could this be?'"Listen now to hear all the thoughts, feelings, and even some controversial takes on urban design, such as the correct parking-spots-per-bowling-lane ratio and why the San Antonio Riverwalk is the best riverwalk.Lynn's Haiku (co-authored by Alysha):Flex the space, anewHuman is the center, now:Past, future, combined.Lynn's other poem, "Urban Morphology: A Checklist":Urban morphology, a checklist:Flex, humanize, imagine.Links:Dr. Lynn Abdouni: https://engineering.uga.edu/team_member/lynn-abdouni/Dr. Abdouni's new publication, "Bridging the Gap: Morphological Mapping of the Beqaa's Vernacular Built Environment": https://cpcl.unibo.it/article/view/16887/17779Read more about the Proactive Resilience Plan (PReP): https://research.uga.edu/research-insights/proactive-resilience-plan-prep-an-integrated-framework-applied-to-critical-economic-sectors-bjorn-birgisson/

This month, we're welcoming practitioners from Atlanta Regional Commission: Katherine Zitsch, Deputy COO, and Jon Philipsborn, Climate and Resilience Manager.Regional commissions work on many subject areas across a metropolitan area, from community development and transportation to water security and climate change. At ARC, resilience is a key defining factor in how they make decisions around all of these topics and more. In this episode, hosts Alysha and Todd and their guests discuss how ARC is helping Atlanta tackle big development questions, challenges and opportunities.The group also tackles larger questions like the role of government, specifically local governments, in engineering and environmental decisions, as well as specific projects ARC is working on to solve problems and build relationships across Atlanta."What's interesting about resilience is that everybody comes at it differently. Every city is in a different space, and every county is in a different space, and what we're trying to do at ARC is leverage the ones that are ahead towards helping the ones that are interested, but haven't had the space to get there yet."Both guests also responded to our usual request for a haiku about their episode's subject matter, despite some debate about syllables...Katherine's poem:Atlanta's futureKnitting our resilienceBridges to new pathsJon's poem:Disasters happenOur choices influence the impactFuture is openLearn more about Atlanta Regional Commission here.

This month, anthropologist and historian Dr. Eric Cline and USACE research social scientist Dr. Ben Trump come together with hosts Alysha and Todd to explore large-scale regional destabilization and collapse in the Late Bronze Age.Around 1200 B.C., an interconnected network of eight large, thriving civilizations collapsed in a matter of decades. Dr.s Cline and Trump wanted to explore how this collapse came about, whether the civilizations could have predicted or prevented it, and what resilience strategies some of these civilizations exhibited."They went down. There's no reason to suspect that we won't as well... It would be absolutely hubristic to think that we would be the first ones that are immune from that."We promise it's not all that ominous. Listen to learn more about what these researchers describe as a "poly-crisis," and how we can learn from it today to be more resilient to environmental, economic and social disturbances, and how recovery from collapse takes place.Dr. Eric Cline, Professor of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies and of Anthropology; Director of the GWU Capitol Archaeological Institute: https://cnelc.columbian.gwu.edu/eric-h-cline Dr. Ben Trump, Research Social Scientist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-trump-ba062523 Check out the paper: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378023001589/pdfCheck out Dr. Cline's book, 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed, here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691208015/1177-bcPreorder Dr. Cline's upcoming sequel, After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations, here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691192130/after-1177-bc You can also preorder the graphic novel version of 1177 B.C., coming soon: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691213026/1177-bc Ben's Haiku:   Complexity's cost.   Dependency's brief fragility.   Resilience is key.Eric's Haiku(s):   Bronze realms crumble,   empires fade in twilight's grasp,   ages mourn their fall.   Civilizations wane,   bronze echoes in silent ruins,   time's shadow devours.       Bronze echoes shatter,   civilizations entwine,   silent ruins weep.

This month features a special guest. The Honorable Rachel Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, visited UGA for the Southeast Defense Communities Resilience Workshop this week. During her busy visit to Athens, she stopped by to chat with Alysha and Todd about climate resilience in the U.S. Army: on military bases, in outreach projects and construction, and overseeing climate policies.Ms. Jacobson is an experienced environmental lawyer who previously served in the Department of Justice and at private law firms in Washington, D.C. In this episode, she describes the importance of resilience in the military and its projects, and how (and why!) the Army is building a better standard of resilience.Our guest described it best: "It is a national security imperative to maintain resilient installations."Links:Rachel Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment: https://api.army.mil/e2/c/downloads/2022/04/21/3c9c5f77/hon-rachel-jacobson-s-bio.pdfHelpful links from the ASA (IE&E), including projects and directories: https://www.army.mil/asaiee#org-ie-e-info-links U.S. Army's Climate Strategy: https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/about/2022_army_climate_strategy.pdf U.S. Army's Climate Strategy Implementation Plan: https://www.army.mil/e2/downloads/rv7/about/2022_Army_Climate_Strategy_Implementation_Plan_FY23-FY27.pdf 

Alysha and Todd speak with Marta Berbés-Blázquez and Stephanie Cruz Maysonet from the University of Waterloo about the implementation of Nature-based Solutions in the Global South. NbS research has primarily taken place in the Global North. The group discusses how to build solutions that satisfy the ecological, economic and sociopolitical needs of the Global South. Berbés-Blázquez introduces the idea of "urban labs," spaces for communities to engage in place-based experimentation.  Cruz Maysonet then speaks to practitioners Tischa Muñoz Erickson (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and Mercy Borbor-Cordova (Guayaquil and Duran, Ecuador) about their work with communities and project management.Stephanie's Haiku: Stream-facing housesPounded by sudden watersNow a blooming front.Resources:Marta's profileMercy's profileTischa's profileStephanie's profileStephanie's participation was financially supported by the Waterloo Climate Institute. Learn more here: https://uwaterloo.ca/climate-institute/

Alysha and Todd are joined by Kyle McKay (USACE Research Civil Engineer) and Charles van Rees (Conservation Scientist at UGA) to discuss BIODIVERSITY- and spoiler alert, it's a lot bigger than bugs and bunnies.Biodiversity is an ecological concept that can be difficult to quantify but is critical for environmental stability. It's also something that engineers working on nature-based projects have to keep in mind for the creation and restoration of natural infrastructure systems.Kyle's Haiku:Built or natural?IntergenerationalLegacy is key.Charles's Haiku:Safe homes and good health, Butterfly, thistle, finch, fox.Choose both: it's all life.Todd's Haiku:All species on EarthComprise the planet's machinePluck, pull, push, kaputResources:Jointly advancing infrastructure and biodiversity conservationThe potential for nature-based solutions to combat the freshwater biodiversity crisis

On interdisciplinary collaboration, promoting resilience projects and disaster management strategies with Executive Director of ASCE, Tom SmithAlysha Helmrich and Todd Bridges are joined by Tom Smith, Executive Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers, to discuss interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, policy experts, and environmental managers. The group engages in a detailed discussion of how to promote resilience projects and disaster management strategies. Find the full episode description here. Find links mentioned in the episode below!Pathways to Resilient Communities - Pathways to Resilient Communities (1).pdf (asce.org)ASCE 73 Sustainable Infrastructure Standard - ASCE releases groundbreaking standard for sustainable infrastructure | ASCEASCE-NOAA Workshops and Report - New ASCE-NOAA report details tangible needs, progress toward climate-resilient infrastructure | ASCEASCE Future World Vision - Home | Future World VisionASCE INSPIRE Conference - Home | ASCE INSPIRE 2023ASCE 7 Supplement - New addition to the ASCE/SEI 7-22 Standard protects buildings from a 500-year flood event | ASCEASCE Report Card - America's Infrastructure Report Card 2021 | GPA: C-ASCE Code of Ethics - Code of Ethics | ASCEG20 Policy Brief - T20_PolicyBrief_TF3_-Investments-Climate-Resilient-Infrastructure.pdf (orfonline.org)Plot Points Podcast and new ASCE Book - The infrastructure system resilience big picture starts with incremental progress | ASCE

Join co-hosts Dr. Alysha Helmrich and Dr. Todd Bridges as they introduce themselves and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, reintroduce the show, and try to define resilience! (Previously named the Future Cities podcast -- same content, new branding!)

Academic research, no matter how scientific, can be deeply personal. Pursuing a PhD in a field like urban resilience demands an unwavering dedication to the topic driven by a genuine care for the issues at hand. While this passion can help motivate scholars, it is practically very difficult to bring one's full self into academic endeavors, even when an institution explicitly recognizes that individuals' unique perspectives and experiences can enrich their research and shed new light on complex problems. In this episode, Madison Horgan (PhD student, Arizona State University) interviews fellow ASU scholars Dr. Michele Clark and Taína Diaz-Reyes (PhD student) about how programs such as ASU's Earth Systems Science for the Anthropocene Graduate Scholars Network (ESSA) can help create safe spaces for researchers, especially black, Indigenous, and people of color, who have unique and incredibly important perspectives on resilience and science, to bring their whole selves to their research.Cultivating safe spaces for reflection and learning is especially important when working on place-based solutions alongside communities. Recognizing that urban resilience is not a one-size-fits-all concept, some scholars will partner with local communities to develop contextually relevant strategies. Solutions that are tailored to the specific challenges, needs, and aspirations of a particular community hold the potential for more meaningful and sustainable impact. However, to do this work well, researchers must learn how to ask the right questions to understand the nuances of each context and identify the most pressing issues that need to be addressed. Asking the right questions involves engaging with community members, stakeholders, and experts to gain a comprehensive understanding of the interconnected factors that contribute to urban resilience. Further, we discuss what it means to use the term “solutions” in the context of wicked challenges.Follow our guests on Twitter!@ESSA_ASU, @ MicheleDClark1, and @Tai_rannosaurus---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Urban green infrastructure has the ability to make cities more sustainable. However, the exact implementation of green infrastructure and the choices that must be made during implementation are still topics for discussion. Recently, the Consolidated Urban Green Infrastructure Classification (CUGIC) was published as a tool to help policymakers, practitioners and researchers assess the state of their urban green infrastructure relevant to urban biodiversity, human well-being, and ecosystem services. In this podcast, Joeri Morpurgo (Leiden University), Dirk Voets (Head remote sensing, Cobra-Groeninzicht), Ciska van Alphen (Policy officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality), and Jacco Schuurkamp (Senior policy officer, Municipality The Hague) discuss the challenges and opportunities for implementing green infrastructure and how CUGIC helps!Follow our guests on Twitter!@DirkVoets, @JoeriMorpurgo @UniLeidenNews and @MultiGreen3.---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

On this month's episode of the Future Cities Podcast, Dr. Alysha Helmrich hosts Dr. Virginia Smith, who explores the future of urban hydrology. She covers a lot of ground! From the magnitude of flood impacts, the differences between hydrology and urban hydrology, the stakeholders in urban flooding, data collection and management for stormwater, integration of AI in stormwater management, and social vulnerability and equity. Tune in to hear all the details!Of note, Virginia is hiring students! You can reach out directly via email or apply online at: https://www1.villanova.edu/university/engineering/faculty-research/Resilient-Water-Systems.htmlRelevant Links to Research Articles:https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1038/s41598-020-65232-5.pdfhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1752-1688.12656https://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000945https://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000958https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000986https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-23214-9Follow our guest on Twitter!@VCRWSteam---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

On this month's episode of the Future Cities podcast, Alysha Helmrich interviews her colleague, Katherine (Kat) Shayne. Kat Shayne is the CEO of Can I Recycle This? (CIRT). A start-up homed in Athens, GA that helps cities, counties, businesses, and individuals properly dispose of products. Kat shares her own journey in sustainability that led her to creating CIRT and describes CIRT's mission and goals. You can learn more about CIRT at www.cirt.tech. You can also learn more about the Circularity Informatics Lab at https://www.circularityinformatics.org/.Follow our guest on Twitter!@CanIRecycleThis@KatherineShayne---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dr. Catherine de Rivera leads a conversation with Carole Hardy and Eric Butler.  They dive into the social, ecological, and technological aspects of connectivity with an emphasis on the benefits of ecological connectivity. This podcast is rooted in work co-produced with researchers and practitioners from Portland, Oregon. This episode also features Sahan T. M. Dissanayake, Leslie Bliss-Ketchum, Jennifer Karps, and Lori Hennings. Referenced Articles:Butler 2022Hardy 2022---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dynamic Criticality is the idea that organizations must constantly reform their priorities in the face of volatile environments to maintain an adaptive state. Infrastructure research has yet to identify competencies that might aid infrastructure organizations in achieving dynamic criticality. Ryan Hoff discusses how competencies from other organizations can inform how infrastructure managers can better prepare their organizations to shift priorities in the face of disturbances.--Suggested Readings:Dynamic Criticality article Susan Clark's workMikhail Chester's governance workMikhail Chester's autopoiesis workBook rec: The Black Swan by TalebFollow our guest on Twitter: @RyanMHoff---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Pervasive across infrastructure literature and discourse are the concepts of centralized, decentralized, and distributed systems, and there appears to be growing interest in how these configurations support or hinder adaptive and transformative capacities towards resilience. There does not appear to be a concerted effort to align how these concepts are used, and what different configurations mean for infrastructure systems. This is problematic because how infrastructure are structured and governed directly affects their capabilities to respond to increasing complexity. Dr. Alysha Helmrich recommends a multi-dimensional framing of de/centralization through a network-governance perspective where capabilities to shift between stability and instability are paramount and information is a critical mediator.Articles:De/centralization - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ac0a4fLeadership - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.791474/full Follow our guest on Twitter: @AlyshaHelmrich---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dr. Christina H. Fuller shares her work on environmental health and justice, particularly examining how air quality varies down to a block-level across communities. She provides insights on conducting participatory research within frontline communities and advocating for more inclusive environmental justice research. Dr. Fuller also discusses her diverse work experiences from industry, non-profits, consulting, and academia.Follow our guest on Twitter: @DrCHFuller ---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Dr. Mikhail Chester hosts Dr. Stephanie Pincetl, whose work engages a multitude of disciplines (from engineers to urban planners to economists) to advance urban sustainability science and decision-making for water, energy, transportation, and land use systems. She explores how understanding and synthesizing these diverse systems surrounding our complex urban systems opens opportunities for future alternatives.This episode is part of a continuing series: Infrastructure and the Anthropocene Forum. Follow our hosts:Dr. Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester)Dr. Stephanie Pincetl (@SPincetl)Recommended Readings:Transforming California: A Political History of Land Use and DevelopmentThe Nutmeg's CurseEnvisioning Real UtopiasDesigns for the Pluriverse---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

The built environment has significantly contributed to climate change, and it is becoming increasingly clear that net-zero carbon emissions is not enough. Phil Horton and Alysha Helmrich discuss the importance of carbon capture and explore how cities may play a role in carbon banking. In this episode, we will discuss the role that buildings and urban infrastructure will play in carbon draw-down and decarbonization through: end-to-end carbon accounting, building material innovations, and emergent alignment and coordination across critical stakeholders and agencies in the future of our urban environments.Follow the hosts on Twitter:Philip Horton (@asudesignschool)Alysha Helmrich (@AlyshaHelmrich)---Additional Resources:Build Beyond Zero https://islandpress.org/books/build-beyond-zeroCarbon Cure https://www.carboncure.com/Dr. Klaus Lackner and Mechanical Trees https://mechanicaltrees.com/our-latest-news/arizona-state-university-and-carbon-collect-announce-agreement-to-deploy-worlds-first-commercially-viable-passive-carbon-capture-technology/Center for Negative Carbon Emissions https://globalfutures.asu.edu/cnce/Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation https://asu.pure.elsevier.com/en/publications/production-of-functionalized-carbon-from-synergistic-hydrothermal---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Distributive, procedural, recognitional justice are vital for nature-based solutions, but these dimensions of justice have multiple and conflicting meanings. Drs. Katinka Wijsman and Marta Berbés-Blázquez explore how political theory and philosophy help in understanding differences and conflict. They present five key justice questions for researchers and practitioners to reflect with. One major takeaway? Praxis and reflectivity are crucial to balancing the act of practicing justice.Topic paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2022.06.018Hosts & Twitter handles:Katinka Wijsman (@KatinkaWijsman)Marta Berbés-Blázquez (@MartaBerbes)@SGPL_UU and @UniUtrechtAlysha Helmrich (@AlyshaHelmrich)---NATURA RULA-IRES project Opportunity: https://natura-net.org/rula---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

Whose voice counts? Whose visualization informs the design of cities? And how do we collaborate in nurturing resilient equitable futures? Join a conversation led by Ananth Udupa between Duván López, Mathieu Feagan, Melissa Moreno, Theresa O'Neil, and Daniela Moreno. Follow the hosts on Twitter:@duvanhernan@MathieuMatt@ttttheresa@DanielaGarMo---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode was initially published in Spanish -- the co-hosts' native language. Today, we are publishing a dubbed English version.---The episode discusses the NATURA Thematic Working Group  'Urban Informality and Innovation for Resilient Futures,' and the work strategy that has been developed in Bogotá, Colombia, so-called Local Labs, supported by @catunescosost, @ccdUPC, and @Unisalle.Initially, the differential focus of research on informality is discussed by Duván H. López (@duvanhernan) and Tony Pererina (@peregreenmx), and the relevance of approaching exploratory sites immersed in deep environmental conflicts, and strong social conditions of vulnerability, for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) scholars and practitioners.NbS are envisioned as a stepping stone, working in informal cities to introduce the natural assets harmonizing with the urban form, facilitating social inclusion, and triggering adaptive trends. Finally, the voice of communities is amplified. @Tuarraigo calls for the international collaboration and engagement of academics into collaborative networks to encourage knowledge spillover and break the inertias of exclusion, therefore, opening transformative opportunities in marginalized areas.---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode is initially being published in Spanish -- the co-hosts' native language. On September 15th, we will be publishing a dubbed English version.---The episode discusses the NATURA Thematic Working Group  'Urban Informality and Innovation for Resilient Futures,' and the work strategy that has been developed in Bogotá, Colombia, so-called Local Labs, supported by @catunescosost, @ccdUPC, and @Unisalle. Initially, the differential focus of research on informality is discussed by Duván H. López (@duvanhernan) and Tony Pererina (@peregreenmx), and the relevance of approaching exploratory sites immersed in deep environmental conflicts, and strong social conditions of vulnerability, for Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) scholars and practitioners.NbS are envisioned as a stepping stone, working in informal cities to introduce the natural assets harmonizing with the urban form, facilitating social inclusion, and triggering adaptive trends. Finally, the voice of communities is amplified. @Tuarraigo calls for the international collaboration and engagement of academics into collaborative networks to encourage knowledge spillover and break the inertias of exclusion, therefore, opening transformative opportunities in marginalized areas.---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's episode, Heat Risk, explores the risk of heat exposure in Phoenix, AZ but has relevance across the globe with the current heat waves being experienced. Dr. Alysha Helmrich interviews Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban and Adora Shortridge about their recent studies on heat risk in Phoenix, and she discusses the Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation with the director, Dr. David Hondula.LinksYuliya's Paper: Evidence of alliesthesia during a neighborhood thermal walk in a hot and dry cityAdora's Paper: HeatReady schools: A novel approach to enhance adaptive capacity to heat through school community experiences, risks, and perceptionsHeatReady Schools websiteConnect with our guests:Dr. Yuliya Dzyuban: @DrDzyuAdora Shortridge: https://www.ascendwithadora.com/Dr. David Hondula: @ASUHondula City of Phoenix Office of Heat Response and Mitigation: @HeatReadyPHX ---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

In this month's episode, Dr. Alysha Helmrich sits down with Marissa Webber, a PhD Candidate at Carnegie Mellon University, to discuss her recent publication: A Review of Decision Making Under Deep Uncertainty Applications Using Green Infrastructure for Flood Management. We also introduce our new sponsor, NATURA. Review Paper: Coming soon!DMDU Book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-05252-2---If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the NATURA project at natura-net.org.

This month's podcast is brought to you by the children of Cadder Primary School in Glasgow and the Lost Woods Project to tell you all about their work on Every Tree Tells a Story in the run up to COP26 and work to create the Glasgow Children's Woodland.Please note, this episode is partially recorded outdoors due to COVID-19 restrictions. Follow the guests on Twitter: @CadderPrimary @The Lost Woods @everytree––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Green infrastructure features are often celebrated as multifunctional solutions in cities, with an array of benefits that they could provide. However, the implementation of green infrastructure can also cause disservices, including gentrification when green infrastructure features are implemented without a plan for how those features will interact with existing systemic issues. In this episode, we speak with Dr. Fushcia-Ann Hoover about her research on environmental justice issues surrounding green infrastructure. She tells us about her path towards interdisciplinary research, recommendations for cities to envision more equitable green infrastructure implementation, and her business, where she helps researchers and planners alike to center environmental justice in their work and to see the connections between people and the environment.Follow Dr. Fushcia-Ann Hoover on social media!Twitter: https://twitter.com/EcoGreenQueenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecogreenqueen/––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Dr. Sybil Derrible (@SybilDerrible) is the creator of the Actionable Science for Urban Sustainability (AScUS) society, and former chair of the International Society of Industrial Ecology's Sustainable Urban Systems section. He is an Associate Professor of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago. His work embraces the growing complexity of cities, exploring our changing relationships with the built environment, natural environment, and cyber technologies, through innovative techniques that reveal the changing networks and behaviors that define urban dynamics. He is interviewed in today's podcast by Dr. Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester), a professor in the School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment at Arizona State University.Infrastructure Misfits (un)Society:http://www.infrastructurecomplexity.org/Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering | Arizona State University: https://metis.asu.edu/––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Discussions about infrastructure are often centered on the opinions and prevailing ideas within engineering, but other disciplines have valuable insights on what infrastructure is and what it can be. In this first installment of the 2021 Infrastructure and the Anthropocene series, Professor Mikhail Chester of Arizona State University (ASU) interviews his ASU colleague, Professor Chuck Redman, who looks at infrastructure from a more anthropological and social sciences perspective. Topics discussed include whether to think of infrastructure as permanent or impermanent, the ways existing infrastructure shapes future path dependencies, and inserting values into the pursuit of resilience.Infrastructure Misfits (un)Society: http://www.infrastructurecomplexity.org/Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering | Arizona State University: https://metis.asu.edu/––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

In this month's episode, we talk with Nkosi Muse (@weatherkos), a scientific advisor on climate change adaptation to the city of Miami and Ph. D. student at the University of Miami, about climate change and gentrification processes in Miami. We delve into the phenomenon of "climate gentrification," a form of gentrification that proceeds by the wealthy buying properties in marginalized communities in Miami because of their higher elevation and longer-term resilience to climate change. We also touch on another form of gentrification, "downward raiding," identified elsewhere in the world that probably also exists in the US. Finally, as potential inspiration to other academics working in urban resilience, we talk about how Nkosi obtained his dual-status as academic researcher and scientific advisor.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

This week we bring you another podcast from the city of Glasgow focusing on the Hidden Environmental Histories of the River Clyde. At the height of the British Empire, Glasgow was the hub of the Scottish and European Enlightenment with a vast manufacturing and ship building industry which profoundly shaped the river and the surrounding communities. We're joined by Ria Dunkley, University of Glasgow and Gillian Dick, Glasgow City Council to tell us all about a new partnership that has been set up between artists, academics, local government, museums and community groups to explore and expose how the rise of empire and industrialisation shaped the River Clyde and its surrounding urban and natural environment. Singer song writer, Ainsley Hamill and poet, Eilidh Northridge also perform artistic contributions that were inspired by the project. Keep up with the people and projects highlighted in this episode on Twitter:The Hidden Environmental Histories of the River Clyde (@hiddenclyde21)Ria Dunkley (@RiaDunkley)Gillian Dick (@gilliand)Eilidh Northridge (@EilidhNorth)Ainsley Hamill (@AinsleyHamill)You can learn more about Ainsley Hamill at her website (www.ainsleyhamill.com), and buy a physical CD with notes and lyrics at her store.Her music is available on all streaming platforms, such as Spotify.––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

In this episode, a diverse team of graduate students discuss their research on climate gentrification in the Eastern coast of the United States and their personal stories about why they are inspired to study this topic. They share perspectives on the importance of interdisciplinary science in their own professional development and the value of an interdisciplinary approach to tackling wicked problems like climate change gentrification. The team also reflects on the importance of team science with peers in building confidence and establishing an essential network of support as early career researchers.Learn more about the the National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center at sesync.org.Follow and connect with this month's guests:Kelsea Best: Twitter, LinkedInAzmal Hossan: Twitter, LinkedInSharif Islam: Twitter, LinkedInZeynab Jouzi: Twitter, LinkedInTimothy Kirby: Twitter, LinkedInBecca Nixon: TwitterRichard A. Nyiawung: Twitter, LinkedIn––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

Clair Cooper, PhD Candidate at Durham University, is joined by Gillian Dick, Strategic Planning Manager with Glasgow City Council, and Donagh Horgan from the Institute of Social Innovation at the University of Strathclyde to talk about Every Tree Tells a Story.  Every Tree Tells a Story is an innovative new nature-based solution that aims to help communities reconnect with urban nature, particularly urban trees, and understand what are nature-based solutions by sharing and mapping their favourite stories about trees. Gillian and Donagh talk about their inspiration for the project, how it relates to the concept of nature-based solutions, and explain our deep connection with trees. Gillian and Donagh then talk about why it's so important that we educate people about the role of trees in the fight against climate change and how they plan to help people reconnect with trees through community participation and mapping of stories about our favourite trees. You can keep up with this exciting project by following @everytree_ and using #EveryTreeTellsAStory on Twitter.Other Twitter links:Institute for Future Cities (@iFutureCities)Glasgow City Council (@GlasgowCC)Gilian Dick (@gilliannd)Donagh Horgan (@godonagh)Clair Cooper (@cooper_clair)––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

We hear the term used all over the place: in music, on TV, in books– but what IS resilience? In this episode, we discuss resilience from the Social-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) perspective. To understand what resilience means from this perspective, we interviewed urban resilience experts from each of these three disciplines. Dr. Nancy Grimm is a professor of ecology in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) and a co-director of the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN). Dr. Marta Berbes is a professor in the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at ASU, but is transitioning the University of Waterloo where she'll work on their Future Cities Initiative. Dr. Dan Eisenberg is a Research Assistant Professor of Operations Research at the Naval Postgraduate School. Learn more about and connect with our hosts and guests by checking out these links:Hosts:Stephen Elser: Twitter, LinkedInSam Markolf: Twitter, UC-Merced website, Google ScholarGuests:Nancy Grimm: Twitter, lab webpageMarta Berbes: Twitter, Future Cities InitiativeDan Eisenberg: Personal faculty page, research group page––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod.

Green infrastructure (GI) and nature-based solutions (NBS) are relatively new concepts in expert circles, at least by those terms. In this episode, Dr. Elizabeth Cook and Clair Cooper join first-time host Charlyn Green to discuss what green infrastructure and nature-based solutions mean for non-experts. Topics of discussion include examples of GI and NBS at scales ranging from household to city, the benefits of having access to private green space, and factors involved in work to advance the uptake of nature-based solutions in cities.Here are some links to learn more about projects mentioned during the episode:NATURA Network of Networks: https://natura-net.org/Convergence Resilience Research Project | http://convergence.urexsrn.net/  Urban Nature AtlasFollow this month's host and guests on Twitter!Elizabeth Cook: @e_m_cookClair Coope:r @cooper_clairCharlyn Green: @CharlynEGreen ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Description: Alysha Helmrich and Maike Hamann host a discussion on the various perspectives surrounding green infrastructure (GI) with Vinicius Taguchi, Stephen Elser, Clair Cooper, and Zbigniew Grabowski, exploring insights from engineering, public health, ecology, and more!This podcast was inspired by an UREx SRN early career symposium--Get Ready, Get SETS: GI! (Website pending publication in August 2021.) Below are links to references mentioned throughout the episode.Selection of Previous Future Cities GI Episodes:Wetlands as Green Infrastructure in Valdivia, ChileGreen Stormwater Management in Three U.S. CitiesTrees to Help Cities BreatheThe Many Names of Urban NatureCREATE Initiative:Green Gentrification Policy ToolkitFollow us on Twitter!@FutureCitiesPod@stephen_elser @MaikeHamann@cooper_clair  @zjgrabowski––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Marissa Matsler and Robert Lloyd explore another dimension of the series title, as they chat with the authors and editors of “Cities of Light” - a new book of science fiction stories focused on solar-powered cities of the future! Guests Joey Eschrich, Clark Miller, Deji Olukotun, and Lauren Withycombe Keeler talk about the creation of the book, the ideas behind it, and how science fiction can help prepare us for the possibilities - and the demands - of future cities.Get a free digital edition of “Cities of Light”, or order a print edition, here: https://csi.asu.edu/books/cities-of-light/Arizona State University Center for Science and the Imagination (@imaginationASU):https://csi.asu.edu/Learn more about this episode's guests and find links to their Twitter accounts below.Joey Eschrich:https://csi.asu.edu/people/joey-eschrich/Clark Miller (@clarkamiller):https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/person/clark-miller/Deji Olukotun (@olutron):https://returnofthedeji.com/Lauren Withycombe Keeler (@femmefutura):https://ifis.asu.edu/content/center-study-futures

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended so many aspects of our lives – from the ways we socialize, the ways and places where we spend our free time, and the ways in which we work. Which, if any, of these changes will persist once the pandemic is behind us? This month, our guests are Dr. Laura Schewel (CEO of StreetLight Data) and Dr. Carlo Ratti (Director of the Senseable City Lab at MIT). We discuss whether work-from-home momentum will persist after the pandemic, the 15-minute city, equitable transportation and mobility, and more. Our guests also share insights on interdisciplinary collaboration and their visions and hopes for cities in the year 2080.Learn more about Streetlight Data at their website (www.streetlightdata.com) and connect on social media:Facebook (@StreetLightData)Twitter (@StreetLightData)LinkedInYouTubeLearn more about Dr. Ratti's work at his website (www.carloratti.com) and connect on social media:Facebook (@carlorattiassociati)Twitter (@crassociati)Instagram (@crassociati)LinkedIn––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Doctors Marta Berbes, Nancy Grimm, Robert Hobbins, and Timon McPhearson join Robert Lloyd to talk about how scenarios of future city transformations are analyzed and turned into products that can be understood and used by city practitioners, and the general public, as well as other researchers. Scenarios provide potential goals for practitioners in city government and other actors to work towards in efforts to ensure greater sustainability, resilience, and equity. A new book, the result of collaboration among many of the researchers who participated in this episode and the previous one, is also discussed.Urban Systems Lab Data Visualization Platform: https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/urbanresilience/San Juan, Puerto Rico Story Map: https://asu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=559ac359d9c24bdeb8ce80cbacc3aebaLearn more about our guests:Marta Berbes (@MartaBerbes):https://sustainability-innovation.asu.edu/person/marta-berbes/Nancy Grimm (@DrNitrogen):https://sols.asu.edu/nancy-grimmRobert Hobbins (@RobertHobbins):https://roberthobbins.com/https://urbaninstitute.gsu.edu/profile/robert-hobbins/Timon McPhearson (@timonmcphearson):https://www.newschool.edu/bachelors-program/faculty/timon-mcphearson/Access their recently published book here: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030631307––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

Doctors Elizabeth Cook, David Iwaniec, Lelani Mannetti, and Tischa Muñoz-Erickson join Robert Lloyd to talk about the production of scenarios for future city transformations. Scenarios provide potential goals for practitioners in city government and other actors to work towards in efforts to ensure greater sustainability, resilience, and equity. Co-production of knowledge, limits of future visions, and the challenges to realizing scenarios are among the topics discussed.Learn more about our guests:Elizabeth Cook (@e_m_cook):https://envsci.barnard.edu/profiles/elizabeth-m-cookDavid Iwaniec (@SustFutures):https://urbaninstitute.gsu.edu/profile/david-iwaniec-2/Lelani Mannetti (@LelaniM)https://urbaninstitute.gsu.edu/profile/lelani-mannetti/Tischa Muñoz-Erickson (@tmunozerickson):https://www.fs.fed.us/research/people/profile.php?alias=tamunozericksonAccess their recently published book here: https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030631307––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

When asked what infrastructure are supposed to do, responses of course vary dramatically from the mundane (for example, provide water and power) to the abstract (for example, facilitate improved well-being through the delivery of basic services). Of course, both are right on some level. But what is often lost is the perspective of the values that we use to design and operate infrastructure systems. In the third and final episode of the Infrastructure of the Anthropocene series, Professor Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester) of Arizona State University interviews Professor Adjo Amekudzi-Kennedy (@AdjoKennedy) of Georgia Tech about the need for value-focused thinking to guide how we think about restructuring infrastructure to ensure that infrastructure meets the needs of future populations in increasingly complex environments. See the whole Infrastructure and the Anthropocene playlist on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvz_faOzavaSD40LmDr4RknZZxWAVqwGpAdjo Amekudzi-Kennedy at Georgia Tech – Center for Serve-Learn-Sustain (SLS)  Infrastructure Misfits (un)Society | http://www.infrastructurecomplexity.org/  Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering | Arizona State University | https://metis.asu.edu/ Convergence Resilience Research Project |  http://convergence.urexsrn.net/  ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

It's widely recognized that infrastructure are central to societal goals, that changes to infrastructure and how we use them can have profound impacts on people and economies. It's critical to recognize that infrastructure are the hammer at the end of the arm, and the arm is governance. In the second episode of the Infrastructure of the Anthropocene series, Professor Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester) of Arizona State University interviews Professor Mary Uhl-Bien (@MaryUhlBien) of Texas Christian University about how infrastructure is governed and why, and particularly about what she has learned about leadership in complexity. The conversation explores complexity leadership theory, the differences between the leadership models used to govern now and those relevant to an age of uncertainty, and the critical role the threat of failure plays in driving adaptation. See the whole Infrastructure and the Anthropocene playlist on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvz_faOzavaSD40LmDr4RknZZxWAVqwGpInfrastructure Misfits (un)Society: http://www.infrastructurecomplexity.org/Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering | Arizona State University: https://metis.asu.edu/Convergence Resilience Research Project |  http://convergence.urexsrn.net/  ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.

People often think of infrastructure as merely physical assets, but they are the outcome of cultural preferences and how we generate knowledge. In this episode, Professor Mikhail Chester (@mikhailchester) of Arizona State University interviews Professor Thaddeus Miller (@Thad_Miller) of University of Massachusetts Amherst about infrastructure governance, the knowledge systems embedded in organizations and governance networks, and the values or assumptions built into those systems. We also hear about complexity and future problems, as well as the importance of transdisciplinary knowledge co-generation to solve problems in the Anthropocene.The Infrastructure and the Anthropocene Forum took place from December 7-9, 2020 and was moderated by Prof. Mikhail Chester of Arizona State University. The forum was hosted by the Infrastructure Misfits and Arizona State University's Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering.See the whole Infrastructure and the Anthropocene playlist on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvz_faOzavaSD40LmDr4RknZZxWAVqwGpInfrastructure Misfits (un)Society: http://www.infrastructurecomplexity.org/Metis Center for Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering | Arizona State University: https://metis.asu.edu/––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––If you have questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes, e-mail us at futurecitiespodcast@gmail.com or find us on Twitter @FutureCitiesPod. Learn more about the Urban Resilience to Extremes Sustainability Research Network (UREx SRN) at urexsrn.net.