The DNA of Cities
We know that there are over 10,000 cities in the world. We also know that there is something unique about every city. But what is it that makes each city feel, move, look and act so differently? In this podcast, Professor Greg Clark CBE and Dr Caitlin Morrissey bring together inspirational leaders from the worlds of urban history, politics, art, architecture and more to decode The DNA of Cities.
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The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part III
11/06/2025
The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part III
The future of the Amazon Rainforest depends on the health of its cities. In this episode, released as Belém, Brazil prepares to host , we convene several experts on Amazonian cities and urbanisation to explore what needs to stop, change or begin to ensure that the Amazon, including its cities, will thrive forever. There is no single policy, solution or fix that can be deployed to secure or safe-guard the health of the cities, the forest and the rivers. An urgent mindset shift is needed to first acknowledge the existence of the rainforest's cities and then to embrace original Amazonian ways of city-making, allowing contemporary cities to be redefined and remade as champions of the forest. – We were honoured to be invited by the Inter-American Development Bank (the IDB) to work with them on a series of The DNA of Cities episodes about Amazonian cities. This is the first time that we have taken the idea of The DNA of Cities to look at a group of cities and we were really excited to do this in such an important part of our world. Over three episodes, we convene seven experts on Amazonian cities, archaeology, anthropology, indigeneity, history, political economy and political ecology. We are incredibly grateful to Dr Adrian Lerner Patron, Professor Eduardo Góes Neves, Ana María Durán Calisto, Dr Tatiana Shor, Professor Felipe Correa, Isabel Peñaranda Currie and Professor Saint Clair Trindade Jr for joining us to decode The DNA of Amazonian Cities. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Professor Tim Stonor
10/16/2025
Keynote - Professor Tim Stonor
Professor Tim Stonor is an architect and urban planner. He is the Managing Director of , a renowned architecture and urban planning practice that uses science-based techniques to analyse, model and design human behaviour patterns at different scales. Tim is a founding member and former director of The Academy of Urbanism, a Visiting Professor at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, and a Harvard Loeb Fellow. In this delightful Keynote conversation with Tim, we ask: what is Space Syntax? Can the syntax of cities be lost? How does the Space Syntax team help cities to recover their syntax? How do we as individuals and communities know if we are in cities with good or bad spatial syntax? – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - The DNA of Cities x CityDNA
10/02/2025
Keynote - The DNA of Cities x CityDNA
One of the key ideas that we have been developing in this podcast series is that it is possible to decode, unlock and optimise the distinctive ingredients and traits in any city; their DNA. In this episode, we are going to discover how this DNA is helping leaders in the investment, tourism, convention and destination industries in cities to tell the authentic stories of their cities. We’ll also reveal why this is becoming more important for both attracting visitors and building strong local civic support for the visitor economy. We are delighted to be joined today by Barbara Jamison-Woods, Jurgen Moors and Flavie de Bueil from the , a European knowledge sharing alliance for cities and urban regions. Barbara is the Head of Business Development and Tourism Partner Engagement at London & Partners and she is the President of CityDNA. Jurgen is the Managing Director of the Maastricht Convention Bureau and he is a Board member at CityDNA. Flavie is the Chief Operating Officer of CityDNA. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Dyfed Aubrey
09/25/2025
Keynote - Dyfed Aubrey
We are very honoured to be joined by Dyfed Aubrey in today's Keynote episode. Dyfed is the Chief of Office at UN-Habitat’s Office for the European Union based in Brussels. Across his career, Dyfed’s work has focused on the challenges faced in fragile urban settings, particularly forced displacement in the context of conflict. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Chris Choa
09/18/2025
Keynote - Chris Choa
We are delighted to be joined by Chris Choa. Chris is the Founder and Director of which provides Strategy and leadership for complex urban projects. Previously, Chris led AECOM’s Cities Consulting practice out of London for almost 15 years. Chris is an urban strategist, and he is currently writing a book on ‘sociality’ in cities. We took this opportunity to learn more about this work. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part II
08/26/2025
The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part II
What kinds of cities do we find in the Amazon rainforest in the 21st Century? What are their relationships to one another and to their powerful environment? – We were honoured to be invited by the Inter-American Development Bank (the IDB) to work with them on a series of The DNA of Cities episodes about Amazonian cities. This is the first time that we have taken the idea of The DNA of Cities to look at a group of cities and we were really excited to do this in such an important part of our world. Over three episodes, we convene seven experts on Amazonian cities, archaeology, anthropology, indigeneity, history, political economy and political ecology. We are incredibly grateful to Dr Adrian Lerner Patron, Professor Eduardo Góes Neves, Ana María Durán Calisto, Dr Tatiana Shor, Professor Felipe Correa, Isabel Peñaranda Currie and Professor Saint Clair Trindade Jr for joining us to decode The DNA of Amazonian Cities. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Dr Sadhana Manthapuri
08/21/2025
Keynote - Dr Sadhana Manthapuri
We are delighted to have Dr Sadhana Manthapuri as our Keynote guest. If you are a long-time listener, you may remember Sadhana as a guest in Our Listener episodes, where she told us about The DNA of Varanasi. Congratulations are in order because since we last spoke, Sadhana has completed her PhD at Virginia Tech on the topic of Urban DNA! – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Leader Keynote - Sir Richard Leese on The DNA of Manchester
08/07/2025
Leader Keynote - Sir Richard Leese on The DNA of Manchester
We have the great privilege of welcoming Sir Richard Leese as today’s Leader Keynote guest. Richard was the Leader of Manchester City Council from 1996 to 2021. He is now the Chair of NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care and he is the co-Chair of the Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership. We heard from Richard in our three-part exploration into The DNA of Manchester but he has generously given us permission to share the full interview with our listeners. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Leader Keynote - Mayor Andy Burnham on The DNA of Greater Manchester
07/31/2025
Leader Keynote - Mayor Andy Burnham on The DNA of Greater Manchester
We warmly welcome Andy Burnham – Mayor of Greater Manchester – as today's Leader Keynote. Andy shares how he celebrates The DNA of Greater Manchester in his role as Mayor. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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Leader Keynote - Councillor Bev Craig on The DNA of Manchester
07/24/2025
Leader Keynote - Councillor Bev Craig on The DNA of Manchester
In the first of our Leader Keynotes in Manchester, we meet Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council. We were delighted to spend some time learning about her perspectives on The DNA of Manchester. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Tom Harrington and Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part I
07/15/2025
The DNA of Amazonian Cities - Part I
Did you know that over 70% of the 50 million people living in the Amazon live in cities? We were honoured to be invited by the team at the Inter-American Development Bank (the IDB) to work with them on a series of The DNA of Cities episodes about Amazonian cities. This is the first time that we have taken the idea of The DNA of Cities to look at a group of cities and we were really excited to do this in such an important part of our world. Over three episodes, we convene seven experts on Amazonian cities, archaeology, anthropology, indigeneity, history, political economy and political ecology. We are incredibly grateful to Dr Adrián Lerner Patrón, Professor Eduardo Góes Neves, Ana María Durán Calisto, Dr Tatiana Schor, Professor Felipe Correa, Isabel Peñaranda Currie and Professor Saint-Clair Trindade Jr for joining us to decode The DNA of Amazonian Cities. In this episode, we turn to the dark soils of the forest to unearth the ancient traits and characteristics of cities in the Amazon: The cities of the world’s largest tropical rainforest and the world’s longest and most powerful rivers. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Manchester - Part III
07/14/2025
The DNA of Manchester - Part III
In this episode, the final installment of The DNA of Manchester, we continue our exploration into the city’s recovery but with a focus on how a distinctly Manchester approach to this was galvanised. We then explore mindsets in Manchester. We’ve heard several times over these three episodes that this is a place of collaboration, but where has that come from? We’ll then step into present day Manchester to ask where is the city now, where is it going next, and how might it’s DNA shape that? Thank you to Jessica Bowles, Victoria Braddock, Christine Cort OBE, Sir Richard Leese, Sukhbir Singh, Esme Ward, Peter Saville CBE and Keisha Thompson FRSA for joining us! Stay tuned for some very special Leader Keynotes coming soon. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Manchester - Part II
07/10/2025
The DNA of Manchester - Part II
It is not possible to talk about the character or traits of Manchester today without talking about deindustrialisation and the city’s revival. In our work on The DNA of Cities, we see enduring and severe traumas such as this as a kind of epigenetic event – as a shock that alters a city. In the early 2000s, there was a feeling that Manchester could be capable of being more, again. It’s not that Manchester wanted to re-instate itself as the world’s industrial powerhouse in the 21st Century, but its own history and its sense of what and who it had once been formed a kind of aspiration for its own future. In this episode, we learn about the city's recovery with Brian Groom, Peter Saville, Sir Richard Leese, Mike Emmerich, Christine Cort, John McGrath and Jessica Bowles. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Manchester - Part I
07/03/2025
The DNA of Manchester - Part I
If you are familiar with Manchester already, you may have heard it being described as the “shock city” of the Industrial Revolution and it also fits the description of an “instant city”. It was the industrialisation of the textile manufacturing and finishing that transformed Manchester under an intense and dramatic process of urbanisation. Put simply, the scale of innovation that took place in this region in the 18th and 19th centuries revolutionised the world. Mills, warehouses and factories processed more cotton than anywhere else and through its pioneering inventions in transport, industrial techniques and factory layouts. It became a global symbol of industrial success. We ask, why Manchester? Why did this place become the world’s first industrial city? We hear from Victoria Braddock, Brian Groom, Mike Emmerich, Sir Richard Leese, Peter Saville, Keisha Thompson, Esme Ward and Maya Wolfe-Robinson. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Professor Rosemary Wakeman
06/12/2025
Keynote - Professor Rosemary Wakeman
What does The DNA of Cities mean to global urban historians? Rosemary is Professor of History at Fordham University and she is the Director of the Urban Studies Programme. We were delighted to hear during this conversation about some of her recently published global comparisons from her book (The University of Rosemary is also the President of the , which brings together scholars at all stages of their careers from around the world, with common interests in researching at the intersection of urban history and global history. – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100462 – Sound design by Josh Latham.
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The DNA of Mexico City - Part III
06/05/2025
The DNA of Mexico City - Part III
We trace and explore the social patterns and mindsets in Mexico City. We want to know, how and where is The DNA of Mexico City expressed, how can it be felt and experienced? In particular, we ask, where does that survival instinct reveal itself, how does it manifest? We are joined by Tatiana Bilbao, Lorena Zárate, Felipe Correa, Gabriela Jauregui, Onésimo Flores Dewey, Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo, Juan Villoro, Ana Elena Mallet Cárdenas and Matt Vitz. We wish to thank them and Gabriella Gómez-Mont for all of her support in putting these episodes together. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Mexico City - Part II
05/29/2025
The DNA of Mexico City - Part II
Welcome to Part II of The DNA of Mexico City. This is the episode where we explore the kinds of traits and characteristics that Mexico City has inherited through its history and where we might see, feel and experience them today. If our first episode on The DNA of Mexico City could be summarised in one word, it would be ‘survival’ and in this episode, the term that comes up again and again is ‘layering’. We are hugely grateful to the esteemed experts who joined us in this episode to unpack the decode The DNA of Mexico City. Thank you to Dr Gabriela Jauregui, Tatiana Bilbao, Onésimo Flores-Dewey, A/Professor Matthew Vitz, Professor Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo, Juan Villoro, Ana Elena Mallet Cárdenas, Professor Felipe Correa and Lorena Zárate. We also wish to thank Gabriela Gómez-Mont for all of her support in the making of these episodes. To discover more about The DNA of Mexico and our guests, check out: Feral by Gabriela Jauregui Clara Porset: Butaque by Ana Elena Mallet Horizontal Vertigo by Juan Villoro A City on a Lake by Matt Vitz Mexico City: Between Geometry and Geography by Felipe Correa Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs by Camilla Townsend I Speak of the City by Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo Lorena Zárate's writing on the right to the city Onésimo Flores Dewey's writing on transport and infrastructure – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Mexico City - Part I
05/22/2025
The DNA of Mexico City - Part I
At the turn of the 20th Century, Mexico City had a population of around 500,000 people and there are now over 21 million people who call the megacity home. It is the largest city in the Americas, it is the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world and it is the world’s oldest capital city. We begin this episode by asking, what are the planetary characteristics of this location and how have they shaped the city that has emerged here? As we will discover, this is probably one of the most unusual places to find a city. We are hugely grateful to the esteemed experts who joined us in this episode to unpack the survival of Mexico City. Thank you to Gabriela Jauregui, Tatiana Bilbao, Onésimo Flores-Dewey, Matthew Vitz, Mauricio Tenorio-Trillo, Juan Villoro, Ana Elena Mallet Cárdenas and Felipe Correa. We also wish to thank Gabriela Gómez-Mont for all of her support in connecting us with many of these inspiring and experienced experts. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Professor Philip Sheldrake
05/15/2025
Keynote - Professor Philip Sheldrake
Professor Philip Sheldrake shares his perspectives on spirituality and cities, how spirituality has been shaped by urbanisation, and how a sense of place enriches our human experiences. Philip is a historian of theology and spirituality. He is a Senior Research Fellow at the Cambridge Theological Federation at the University of Cambridge and he is Professor and Director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology. – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100462 – Sound design by Josh Latham.
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Keynote - Anna Campbell-Jones
05/08/2025
Keynote - Anna Campbell-Jones
Anna Cambell-Jones tells us how she brings a sense of place, neighbourhood and location into the homes that she interior designs. Anna is an interior designer, broadcaster and educator. She is the founder of residential interior design practice and she is the founder of her eponymous retail store, . You will also recognise Anna as a judge on BBC – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100462 – Sound design by Josh Latham.
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Keynote - Gonzalo Brujó
04/10/2025
Keynote - Gonzalo Brujó
We speak to Gonzalo about how he decodes the uniqueness of cities and how a sense of place shapes branding strategy and activation. He also reveals how city branding compares to national branding or corporate branding. Gonzalo is Global CEO at where he leads the day-to-day operations of the global brand consultancy, spearheading the growth agenda and supporting marketing and consulting efforts in all regions. – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100462 – Sound design by Josh Latham.
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Keynote - Dr Wangui Kimari
04/03/2025
Keynote - Dr Wangui Kimari
We meet the wonderful Dr Wangui Kimari. Wangui is Assistant Director at the Abroad Program and she is an Honorary Research Associate at the at the University of Cape Town. We had a fantastic time learning from Wangui about The DNA of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, and she also enlightened us about her starting points for understanding the uniqueness of cities as an urban anthropologist. – Here are a selection of Wangui's recent publications: Kimari, W. (2024) On the police as infrastructure and managers in the African city. Pfingst, A. and Kimari, W. (2021) Carcerality and the legacies of settler colonial punishment in Nairobi. Kimari, W. (2020) War-talk: an urban youth language of siege in Nairobi. Kimari, W., Melchiorre, L. & Rasmussen, J. (2020) Youth, the Kenyan state and a politics of contestation. – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100462 – Sound design by Josh Latham.
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The DNA of Sydney - Part III
03/27/2025
The DNA of Sydney - Part III
This is the episode where we attempt to understand identity, mindsets and social behaviours in Sydney and where we might look in the city’s history and evolution to find earliest signs of these traits or characteristics and how they became continuous. Although this is the final part of our mini-series, we know that there is so much more that we could attempt to decode in Sydney’s complex psyche – and we also know that there is no single truth waiting to be discovered. These conversations represent a contribution to discussions that have long been underway in Sydney about identity, character, perception and evolution. This mini-series has been almost five years in the making and was really only possible because of the generousity of our local experts. We wish to thank Monica Barone, Dr Sarah Hill, Dr Danièle Hromek, Lyn Lewis-Smith, Alex O’Mara, Professor Peter Read AM, Michael Rose AM, Rob Stokes and Eamon Waterford for joining us to decode The DNA of Sydney over these three episodes. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Sydney - Part II
03/20/2025
The DNA of Sydney - Part II
We ask ‘how many Sydneys are there?’ and uncover several distinguishing characteristics that layer together to produce a sense of pride and identity. We explore the geographies of its deep, diverse and continuous Aboriginal lifestyles and how waves of global migration have produced its contemporary cosmopolitanism. To do this, our local experts take us far beyond the Sydney we can all imagine and admire – the harbour icons and the beautiful eastern beaches – to the culturally rich suburbs that make up this vast city of villages. We are hugely grateful to the wonderful experts who joined us in this episode to decode what makes Sydney, Sydney. Thank you to Monica Barone, Lyn Lewis-Smith, Alex O’Mara, Professor Peter Read, Michael Rose AM, Rob Stokes and Eamon Waterford. You can read our full interviews with each of our local experts on . – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of Sydney - Part I
03/13/2025
The DNA of Sydney - Part I
The beauty and appeal of Sydney’s dramatic, dreamy, and diverse scenery have always been, and are still, an inspiration for people. Today, the Sydney metropolitan region is home to over five million people in a region whose spatial boundaries are defined by the Pacific Ocean on the eastern coast, the Blue Mountains to the west, the Hawkesbury River to the north and the swampy Woronora Plateau to the south. It's a place of abundance, where an environment of immense lushness and attractiveness combine with a temperate climate that has been very conducive to human flourishing. It’s an obvious point to make, but the mountains, the sea, the rivers, the climate and wider geography of this location are really quite important in shaping the way people have lived and congregated here. As we learn in this episode, that is true of the diverse Aboriginal communities that have always called this place home, to the relatively more recent urban story of Sydney. We are hugely grateful to the wonderful experts who joined us in this episode to decode what makes Sydney, Sydney. Thank you to Monica Barone, Dr Danièle Hromek, Dr Sarah Hill, Alex O’Mara, Michael Rose AM, Rob Stokes and Eamon Waterford. You can read our full interviews with each of our local experts . – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Dr Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani
03/06/2025
Keynote - Dr Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani
We are honoured to have Dr Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani as our second Keynote. Gabrielle is the founder of interdisciplinary design studio and she is the author of (MIT Press, 2024). Drawing from over two decades of research and practice in New York, Oakland, London and Buenos Aires, Gabrielle reveals that the: Everyday places in our neighbourhoods and cities are essential for discovering our sense of self People that manage and operate everyday places play a significant but often overlooked role in fostering community and belonging Building of social capital in multi-cultural, multi-faith, multi-lingual, hyper-diverse cities depends on the ability of different people to have frequent opportunities for low-stakes interactions – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of São Paulo - Part II
02/27/2025
The DNA of São Paulo - Part II
In our second episode on São Paulo, we explore the rich and irreducibly plural social and cultural fabrics and the unique scales of its global diaspora communities. Through the lenses of various infrastructural fragments (e.g. water and public transportation) and spatial patterning (e.g. the location of homes vs jobs and critical services), we discuss the politics and pervasiveness of inequalities in São Paulo. We also learn about the city’s distinctive roles in Brazil, South America and the world, and we ask how well São Paulo is understood and misunderstood. We are very grateful to our esteemed local experts Mariana Barros, Claudio Bernardes, Professor Miguel Bucalem, Professor Felipe Correa, Elisabete França and Professor Regina Meyer for revealing São Paulo's acquired traits. To continue exploring São Paulo, check out these resources: Felipe Correa – Regina Meyer – Edison Veiga – [BBC News Brazil] – To learn more about The DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit . – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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The DNA of São Paulo - Part I
02/20/2025
The DNA of São Paulo - Part I
In the second decade of the 21st Century, we find on a plateau in Brazil's Serra do Mar mountains São Paulo; a city of 12 million people and the nucleus of a metropolitan region of over 20 million people in a macro-metropolitan region of over 30 million people. We begin our time here exploring the conditions that led to permanent settlement in this location and the multiple drivers for the super-charged transformation that followed as São Paulo became an enormously energetic, globally fluent and magnetic metropolis. We are very grateful to our esteemed local experts Mariana Barros, Claudio Bernardes, Professor Miguel Bucalem, Professor Felipe Correa and Professor Regina Meyer for helping us to decode what makes São Paulo, São Paulo. To continue exploring São Paulo, check out these resources: Felipe Correa – Regina Meyer – Edison Veiga – [BBC News Brazil] – To learn more about The DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit . – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Ben Wilson - Part II
02/17/2025
Keynote - Ben Wilson - Part II
We are back with Part II of our conversation with Ben Wilson, our first Keynote guest. Ben is the author of several acclaimed books, including which was released in 2020 and which was published in 2023. In Part II of his Keynote, Ben sets out a compelling case for nurturing nature in cities. We discuss the: Forgotten histories of growing and foraging in cities Opportunities for cities of the future to be defined by how biodiverse and wild they are Requirement for agile, flexible and adaptive urban leadership that combines community energy with a guiding vision – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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Keynote - Ben Wilson - Part I
02/13/2025
Keynote - Ben Wilson - Part I
We are honoured to have historian Ben Wilson as our first Keynote guest. Ben is the author of several acclaimed books, including which was released in 2020 and which was published in 2023. In Part I of this global adventure spanning 5,000 years of urbanisation, Ben reveals: How cities rewire humans biologically, culturally and socially both individually and collectively Why the permanence of human settlement in cities catalyses innovation The innate duality of cities as places of opportunity and hardship, brute and beauty, enchantment and horror – What are the Keynotes? These are the episodes where we zoom out from our city-to-city voyage to meet global expert voices from a range of different disciplinary vantage points (e.g. from history, to theology, to genetics, to archaeology, to design) to understand the place of cities in their work. We want to know how they would approach and investigate the relationship between cities and human experience and evolution. – Bass Vibes - Rollin at 5 by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Source: – Sound design by Dainius Kacinskas.
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