The CityAge Podcast

What started as a childhood soaking up the Florida Everglades turned into a passion for the outdoors and eventually a purpose for Chris Castro, Chief of Staff of the Department of Energy's new office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP). "I realized that my passion and purpose was doing everything in my power to make this switch to a sustainable future," Chris tells CityAge in describing his "A-HA!" moment while studying at University of Central Florida. Chris details his incredible journey from founding a consulting firm and a non-profit to city government to Washington, DC, where his non-stop energy and passion are on full display while growing SCEP since becoming Employee number one. With hundreds of millions of dollars available through various DOE initiatives, he shares with Lisa the many ways in which individuals and businesses alike can take part in the sustainability movement and save money, while helping to save the planet, too. Thank you to our episode sponsor, the University of Victoria's Peter B. Gustavson School of Business.

From Philadelphia to New York, Detroit to Salt Lake City, Los Angeles to San Diego, cities are experiencing the post-pandemic era very differently. And while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, there are fundamental principles that any city can use to guide its approach to recovery. In today's episode of The CityAge Podcast, brought to you by FLO EV Charging, we explore this topic in depth with Tracy Loh. She is a Fellow with the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking at Brookings Metro, a part of the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, DC. Tracy and Lisa chat about the future of downtowns, commercial real estate and pandemic recovery, as well as picking their own favorite cities to live in.

Our second of two special episodes recorded in-person at the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit features three experts involved in urban regeneration projects that place social impact at the centre of their work: Heela Omarkhail, Vice President of Social Impact at the The Daniels Corporation, Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta, and Eime Tobari who leads a social impact practice at Avison Young.

In the first of two episodes of the CityAge Podcast recorded at the World Economic Forum’s Urban Transformation Summit in Detroit last week, we chat about transportation. From the use of data to improve transportation, to real-world innovations in use today, to the largest mass transit system in the US (believe it or not, schoolbuses!) and much more. Our three special guests share stories from the front lines of one of our greatest urban challenges and opportunities today: Jennifer Holmes, Global Cities, Transport & Infrastructure Industry Lead at Accenture; Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO of Zūm; and Laura Fox, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Streetlife Ventures.

On the Season 3 premiere of the CityAge Podcast, our new co-host Lisa Chamberlain chats with Bedrock Detroit CEO Kofi Bonner. A seasoned professional with diverse experience in affordable housing, fintech, public sector work and sports, Kofi chats with Lisa about Detroit’s transformation, future development in Cleveland, the importance of public-private collaboration, and much more. From the role of climate change in reshaping urban landscapes, to the need to concentrate redevelopment efforts and the future of manufacturing in Midwestern cities, this wide-ranging conversation has something for everyone.

This season we're excited to welcome renowned journalist and urban strategist Lisa Chamberlain as our new co-host of The City Age Podcast. In Season 3, Lisa will host another round of extraordinary leaders and thinkers offering their take on the future of cities. Watch for our season premier airing October 4th, with new episodes following every second Wednesday. In the meantime be sure to check out our extensive back catalogue and enjoy hearing more about the business of city building.

On the final episode of Season 2 of the CityAge Podcast, we sat down with Jay Cross, President of the Howard Hughes Corporation, to chat about how the pandemic changed the way people make decisions about where to live and work, and why that change is giving smaller and mid-sized cities more opportunities to grow and attract a skilled workforce. Jay also shares what he’s learned about how to build complete communities, as well as what he hopes the future urban landscape will look like in the United States. If you enjoyed this season of the CityAge Podcast and have ideas for Season 3, email us at info@cityage.com. And thanks for tuning in. After all, you can’t build the future alone.

On this week’s penultimate episode of the CityAge Podcast Season 2, CityAge Co-Founder Miro Cernetig sat down with Susannah Pierce, President and Country Chair and VP of Emerging Energy Solutions for Shell Canada. Miro and Susannah discuss what’s unique about Shell’s operations and opportunity in Canada compared to other countries, what decarbonizing looks like for cities, and what her team is currently working on when it comes to reaching the country and the company’s climate goals. Susannah shares how she navigates the complexity of her role, which includes integrating and coordinating business investment and operational performance across Shell’s lines of business in Canada including upstream, downstream, integrated gas and new energies. She’s also accountable for Shell’s overall reputation and stakeholder relations in the country.

On this week’s episode we sat down with Nolan Gray, author of Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It, and Joshua Humphries, Senior Housing Policy Advisor to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Both interviews explore the current housing crisis. With Nolan, we dive into the far-reaching problems zoning has caused and worsened (including the housing crisis, racial segregation, lagging economic growth, and urban sprawl that hurts the climate) and what we can do about it. With Joshua, we discuss Atlanta’s housing needs in particular, and the unique way they’re addressing them. Arbitrary Lines: https://tinyurl.com/yvx42sch

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast Marc Andrew, CityAge Co-Founder, sits down with Andrew Bui, VP of Global Transportation Strategic Initiatives and Electrification Lead at AECOM. Marc and Andrew dive into lots of interesting stuff about electrifying transportation, aerial-mobility, and more. We are also sharing a special feature on how Los Angeles is preparing to host the World at the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic games. You’ll hear from Chief Innovation Officer of LA Metro, Seleta Reynolds, and the President and CEO of the LA County Economic Development Corporation, Stephen Cheung.

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast Anna chats with Brian Platt, City Manager for Kansas City, MO, and Caroline Samponaro, Head of Transit and Micro-mobility Policy at Lyft. Brian tells listeners about the exciting moment KC finds itself in after winning the Super Bowl (again), and preparing to host the upcoming World Cup and U.S. Conference of Mayors, and what special events like that mean for a city’s development. We chat about how city managers juggle the day to day of keeping their city running with innovation and visionary plans for their city’s future, and how Brian has learned to do it. With Caroline we get a history on micro-mobility, a look into where it’s going, and how the needle is moving when it comes to women taking leadership roles in transportation. She also tells us about the ‘moment’ that micro-mobility is having in mainstream consciousness.

On this week’s special Earth Day edition of the CityAge Podcast we sat down with Rit Aggarwala, Chief Climate Officer of New York City and the Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection. Anna and Rit discuss recent wins for the city’s climate efforts, some challenges they’re facing, how it feels to lead a city like New York through the climate crisis, and what all of us can do in our own lives to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. To learn more about the city's work: Gowanus Canal cleanup: https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/186-23/mayor-adams-epa-break-ground-1-6-billion-project-protect-gowanus-canal-sewage Cloudburst: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dep/news/023-23/mayor-adams-construction-new-cloudburst-resiliency-projects-better-manage-intense Local Law 97: https://www.nyc.gov/site/sustainablebuildings/ll97/local-law-97.page https://www.nyc.gov/site/buildings/codes/sustainability.page

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast we chat with Marc Eichenbaum, Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless Initiatives at the City of Houston, and Mary Rowe, President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute. Marc discusses Houston’s progress so far in addressing homelessness, as well as the city’s next steps, challenges, and the lessons he’s learned. With Mary we discuss the future of Canadian downtowns and what the post-pandemic future for Canadian cities looks like.

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast Anna chats with Alisia McClain, Executive Director of the Louisville Future of Work Initiative, powered by Microsoft. The Future of Work initiative is a partnership between Microsoft and the Louisville Metro Government, focused on giving historically marginalized people more opportunities to learn digital skills and secure employment in tech, while also making Louisville into a regional hub for Artificial Intelligence, IoT, and data science. Anna and Alisia talk about why it’s important for women and people of color to be involved in the research, development, and deployment of AI, what it feels like to be excluded from it, and what companies like Microsoft can do to help. For more on the Future of Work Initiative: https://www.futurelou.com/

On this week’s episode of the CityAge Podcast, sponsored by EMILI, we sat down with Ben Almond, CEO of Engineering Services Canada at SNC-Lavalin, and Christine Bergeron, President and CEO of Canada’s largest community credit union, Vancity. We talk about SNC-Lavalin’s data-driven solution to decarbonize Canada’s built environment and how Vancity is financing affordable housing in the midst of the country’s housing crisis. We cover everything from what diversity and equity have to do with reaching net zero, whether we’re on track to meet our climate goals, the role that financial institutions must play in solving our biggest challenges, and how Vancity’s business model allows them to prioritize people, profits, and planet at the same time. For more on our friends at EMILI, visit https://emilicanada.com/ or follow them on Twitter at @EMILI_Canada.

This week we chat with both Steve Zoegall, the Global Industry Lead for Cities, Transportation, and Infrastructure at Accenture, and Candy Johnson, the President and CEO of the Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. We talk about two very different but equally important issues: the digital underpinnings of reaching net zero and the role of public private partnership, and how to build inclusive economies where people of color drive and achieve prosperity. Candy Johnson is a native of Clarksville, Tennessee where she was the youngest member ever elected to public office for the Clarksville City Council, at 25 years old. Johnson’s professional experience includes more than a decade as a leader in nonprofit, education, political and civic related roles. Steve Zoegall studied at Harvard and Columbia University. Prior to joining Accenture he worked in biotech marketing, taught at the university level, and worked as a strategy consultant. For more on Accenture’s work with the World Economic Forum: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/wef-industries#block-urban-transformation For more on the Urban League: https://www.ulchatt.net/

On this episode of the CityAge Podcast, Anna sits down with Uber’s Director of Global Policy for Cities and Transportation, Shin-pei Tsay. They talk about how Uber is prioritizing electrification and decarbonization, while also adapting to the realities of climate change (extreme weather), and how they’re increasing accessibility for all kinds of users. That includes business partnerships to make EVs more accessible to drivers, policy work on EV charging, disaster response, and initiatives that help increase transportation options for the people who need it most. Check out the Future of Mobility podcast here.

Welcome to the CityAge Podcast, Season 2! We’re thrilled to be back. Ben McAdams is our first guest and he does not disappoint. He’s a Senior Fellow at the Sorenson Impact Center at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah and the founder of the Common Ground Institute. The Institute works with local governments to unlock revenue from their publicly-owned real estate. Ben served previously as a Member of the United States Congress, as Mayor of Salt Lake County and in the Utah State Senate. We chat with Ben about his Putting Assets to Work incubator and the impact it can have on cities and regions across America. Ben is definitely a thermostat (that will make sense to you in a few minutes). Enjoy! If you want to know more about Putting Assets to Work, check out Ben’s Podcast, Possible City.

The CityAge Podcast is back. And this time around we'll have more interviews, topics, and episodes. In Season 2, Anna, Alon, and our guests will dive into the future of urban infrastructure from smart buildings to transit systems, decarbonization strategies, best practices for inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship, new housing solutions, and more. We're excited to welcome you back to the conversation, starting January 25th.

On the final episode of season 1, brought to you by Genome BC, Anna sits down with Rick Cole, Executive Director of Congress for the New Urbanism. The CNU is a champion for legalizing walkable urbanism, supporting complete neighborhoods, designing for climate change, and building cities that work for everyone by addressing historic inequities. Rick and Anna chat about how the response to the concept of the new urbanism has changed over the course of Rick’s career and Rick’s faith in Gen Zs’ ability to help solve some of the biggest problems facing North American cities. For more on zoning: How Zoning Broke the American City (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/06/zoning-housing-affordability-nimb) Learn more about Genome BC here (https://www.genomebc.ca/)