All Things Urban

At All Things Urban, we thrive on uncovering new niches and exploring unexpected angles that offer fresh perspectives on urban living. Today, we delve into the fascinating world of underground urbanism—a field that is redefining how we design, utilize, and inhabit our cities. In this interview, we speak with Mahak Agrawal, an expert in the field, to gain insights into the significance, challenges, and potential of utilizing underground spaces to create more sustainable and resilient urban environments. Join us as we journey below the surface to discover how underground urbanism is shaping the cities of the future.

As urban development continues to evolve, it is crucial to gain insights from those at the forefront of these changes. In the lead up to the world cycling summit Velo-city 2023 in Leipzig, All Things Urban sits down with Thomas Dienberg, the city's Deputy Mayor of Urban Development and Construction. With two decades of experience in urban planning, Dienberg discusses global city development trends, Leipzig's role in the green transition, and the essential skills for future urban developers. His unique perspective brings to light the challenges and triumphs of city-level action, and the potential of strategic urban planning for a sustainable future.

How can we strategically transform cities to be more human-centered? Jorn Wemmenhove, co-founder of Humankind – agency for urban change (Rotterdam), shares his expertise on mobility transition and tactical urbanism. In this interview, All Things Urban spoke with Jorn about current trends in urban planning, practical advice for aspiring professionals and Humankind’s upcoming Masterclass „Beyond Flying Cars“.

As an official media partner for the upcoming CoMotion LA LIVE, All Things Urban spoke with John Rossant, the Founder and CEO of CoMotion and the Founder and Chairman of the NewCities Foundation, about a professional pathway from a journalist to one of the leading experts in urbanism, his opinion on the future of mobility, and the best solutions for cities to recover after the current pandemic.

As an official partner of the Wellbeing Cities Forum, All Things Urban sets off to find out what it takes to put wellbeing at the heart of the cities’ development strategy. In search of the main trends and ideas behind the wellbeing principles, we spoke with Niels Lund, Vice-President at Novo Nordisk and a member of the Advisory Board for the Wellbeing Cities Award that celebrated cities implementing ambitious, inspiring, innovative and inclusive initiatives.

The multidisciplinary nature of urbanism means there is a wide range of research methods available. Can filmmaking be one of them? The founders of Maison d'Être described their cinematic experiments and how they use documentary to explore the notion of ‘home’, one of the least studied yet promising themes in contemporary urban studies.

In the run-up to CoMotion LA, we spoke with Greg Lindsay, its director of strategy, as well as a journalist, urbanist and futurist, about his career in urbanism, what brought him to the field and how he envisions the future of cities and urban mobility.

Carla Cammilla Hjort is co-founder and Vision Director at SPACE10, a research and design lab in Copenhagen on a mission to create better and more sustainable ways of living. In this interview, Carla tells about her journey to founding SPACE10 and shares insights on tackling future challenges through mindful technology adoption.

Ori Succary is the VP of Design at Colu, an Israeli startup that issues local currencies for cities and encourages people to spend locally. In this piece, Ori explains how the app helps cities achieve economic sustainability and shares his vision on the role of design in shaping the future of places we live in.

Urs Thomann is a Swiss urban planner and a co-founder of the CANactions School in Kyiv and Amsterdam – a unique educational platform where different actors of urban change meet. Bringing together planners, economists, politicians, activists, the school promotes a collaborative approach to urban development and supports multiple initiatives throughout Ukraine. In this interview, Urs shares his vision on urbanism education and the challenges of urban professions.