As you might have heard, Sidewalk Labs became a part of Google at the beginning of 2022. So City of the Future has been on hiatus...BUT I’m still creating podcasts that I think CotF listeners would like. And I’d like to share them with you all! Urban Roots . If you enjoyed City of the Future season 4, which was all about equitable development, then you should definitely check out Urban Roots . We not only tell the histories of women and people of color that you probably don’t know, we also draw ...
Dec 19, 2022•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast E-S-G. If you haven’t heard that term before, it stands for Environmental, Social, and Governance. It’s a framework that investors use to help them decide whether or not to put money into a company. Over the last 20 years, investors have increasingly embraced the “E” in ESG, and ESG funds are now consistently driving strong returns. In fact, 2020 was the biggest year for ESG-investing yet. With the events of 2020, the “S” of ESG — which includes some of society’s toughest problems, like economic...
Dec 14, 2021•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the early 20th century, many U.S. factories were located in urban cores, where workers could easily access their jobs. But the benefit of proximity also meant workers lived near loud, polluting factories. And as we know from the history of zoning in the U.S., low-income people frequently had no option but to live in neighborhoods built around intense industrial use. The consequences of those land use decisions are felt most severely today by communities of color, who continue to suffer from h...
Dec 10, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Innovation ecosystems — places where companies and anchor institutions cluster and connect with startups, incubators, and smaller accelerators — are far from a new urban trend. As technology has become core to our economy in the past few decades, big coastal cities like Boston, San Francisco, and Seattle have become big tech innovation ecosystems, attracting more and more talented workers, startups, and investment capital from across the country and the world every year. Despite all the growth s...
Dec 03, 2021•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cities throughout the U.S. (and around the world) are struggling with the many issues that come with neighborhood growth and displacement. But what if, instead of being negatively impacted by development, residents benefited from it instead? In this episode — part two of our two-part series on new models for wealth-building — we explore “neighborhood REITS,” a model that helps community members invest in local development projects. This innovative approach can help folks participate in their own...
Nov 19, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cities across the U.S. are suffering from dire housing crises. Housing supply is low, and prices are high — in some cities, sky high. And wages and income aren't keeping up. Many struggle to make rent, let alone save for a home. So it’s no wonder that affordable housing programs often focus on getting people into homes — people need help now. But we also need long-term solutions that could help renters generate wealth they could pass on to their families and children. In other words, as essentia...
Nov 12, 2021•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast The process of real estate development is critical to urban life. Without it, we’d have no homes, no stores, no community centers. But development isn’t working for everyone. All too often, new projects advance without sufficient concern for affordability, economic opportunity, or long-term vibrancy. But as Sidewalk Labs' Head of Urban Development Alison Novak tells us, 2020 made a lot of people pause and ask: “What am I doing, and how am I impacting the world?” Real estate developers are no exc...
Nov 05, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The pandemic has forced us to reexamine and reimagine how we use one of our most precious public spaces: our streets. From outdoor dining to expanded bike lanes, cities have been re-designing streets so they can be better shared by all — drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians alike. But could we take this idea even further? What if we could use design and technology to make our streets more flexible? So they could change use according to the season, the week, or even the hour? In our season finale...
Dec 04, 2020•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast For about a century, architects and developers have dreamed of the promise of factory-based construction — after all, if Henry Ford revolutionized the auto industry with assembly lines, why shouldn’t we be able to make buildings in factories, too? But, in North America at least, almost every attempt to revolutionize this industry has failed. But now, thanks to innovations in design, materials, and machinery — and a green wave taking over the industry — factory-based construction could be an idea...
Nov 20, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In an era of remote work, when people can work from anywhere, where will they choose to live? And what can cities do to set themselves apart from the competition? In this episode, we look at the ways remote work could change not just the way we live in cities — but which cities we live in, too. In this episode: [0:01 - 4:47] Tulsa Remote community manager Taylor Allen tells her story of moving from Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma, sight unseen [7:09 - 11:00] Professor of Urban Economics Richard Flori...
Oct 30, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Generative design is the process of automatically producing thousands of designs based on goals and constraints you feed into a computer. In this episode, we ask: could you apply generative design to something as complex as the urban planning process? Could it reveal better designs for buildings, neighborhoods, districts — showing us options we didn’t even know were possible? And, in the future, could this new emerging field even empower urban development teams to create better, more human citie...
Oct 16, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast To save our planet, we’ll need to reduce emissions — fast. And if we’re serious about addressing climate change, we’ll need to address one of our biggest carbon emitters: buildings. That doesn’t just go for the new, shiny skyscrapers with access to lots of resources, but all buildings: old and new, big and small. We’re kicking off season 3 with an episode exploring an idea that could make our cities more sustainable and even more just. Energy-efficient buildings. In this episode: [0:02 - 2:58] A...
Oct 02, 2020•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi City of the Future listeners! We've been hard at work behind the scenes, and we're so excited to share a little sneak peek of season three. Stay tuned — and you'll hear more from us in the fall!
Aug 31, 2020•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi, City of the Future listeners! Remember when we asked if anyone would like to listen to a pilot of a new podcast? Well good news — that podcast launches today! It’s called the Sidewalk Weekly, and it's a light-hearted chat show that provides your weekly dose of urban tech news. We’ll do interviews, we’ll play games, we’ll make some bad jokes, and hopefully set you off into your weekend smiling. This is our pilot episode from last week. If you like what you hear, then you can head to the Sidew...
Mar 06, 2020•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi City of the Future listeners! In between seasons, we've been working on a new podcast idea. (Don't worry, CotF isn't going anywhere!) We'd love to know what you think about this potential new show. If you're interested in listening to the 20-minute pilot and providing your feedback, please fill out this form: http://bit.ly/2U7PScp
Jan 27, 2020•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the last century, we started to design our buildings in a way that was divorced from the environment. We made sealed, hermetic structures that never moved and never changed. But now, technologies and materials are allowing our buildings to move, evolve, and even respond — not only to their environments, but to us, too. In this episode, hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk discuss the past, present, and future of responsive architecture with Sidewalk Labs' director of public realm Jesse Shapins,...
Nov 08, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast For a sustainable future, we need to turn away from fossil fuels and turn towards electricity. But to electrify everything — our cars, our buildings, our entire neighborhoods — we'll need to make some big changes first. In this episode, hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk explore the future of electrification with Gretchen Bakke, author of The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future , and Sidewalk Labs' director of sustainability Charlotte Matthews. For a link-rich transcr...
Oct 25, 2019•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Getting around cities today can be challenging. Streets are congested and chaotic, and new modes seem to be popping up daily, adding to the confusion. Cities won't just need physical infrastructure to prepare for these growing mobility options, but the digital infrastructure to help coordinate them all. In this episode, hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk explore the future of mobility: author Horace Dediu talks about micro-mobility; TriMet's Bibiana McHugh tells the story behind GTFS and the Ope...
Oct 11, 2019•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Vacant storefronts have become pervasive on our city streets. How did we get here? And how can we help retailers, and community spaces, thrive? In this episode, we explore innovations that could help address the retail crisis — and embed flexibility and vibrancy into our cities' ground floors. Special thanks to Abigail Ellman, Isaiah Michael, Parul Patel, Mark Pilkington, Mark Bauernhuber, Sarah Filley, Chase Clark, Regina Evans, and Carrie Denning Jackson. For a link-rich transcript of this epi...
Sep 27, 2019•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast We're in a housing crisis. Could affordability by design be part of the solution? In this episode hosts Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk look at trends in housing — from unit design to co-living — and ask how the private sector can do more to support the public sector in creating more choice and affordability in cities. Special thanks to Ori CEO Hasier Larrea, nArchitects' Eric Bunge, Starcity CEO Jon Dishotsky , Sidewalk Labs' Associate Director of Development Annie Koo, Don Row, and Johanna Greenb...
Sep 13, 2019•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, Sidewalk Labs’ proposal for Toronto, the Master Innovation and Development Plan (MIDP), will be released to the public. And because a lot of the innovations in the MIDP are episode topics that we’ll be exploring in Season 2, we figured we’d drop a bonus episode with a special guest: Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff.
Jun 24, 2019•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our first live show, co-host Vanessa Quirk moderates a discussion with some of the familiar voices from season 1: Director of Buildings Innovation Karim Khalifa; Director of Mobility for Streets Willa Ng; and Associate Director of Sustainability Emily Kildow. We talk about everything from fire testing timber to congestion pricing to pneumatic tubes. Thanks to City Farm Presents for having City of the Future at the Brooklyn Podcast festival.
Jan 25, 2019•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Simple as it may seem, recycling properly is really hard — and our misguided attempts are actually harming the planet more than helping. But what if we could know, instantly, if we're recycling correctly? What if we were "nudged" to recycle better? Or reuse more? In this episode, we explore how behavioral science — and computer vision — could help us help our planet. City of the Future is produced by Benjamen Walker and Andrew Callaway. Our hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Eric Jaffe. This episode wa...
Nov 30, 2018•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Every day, truck drivers are out battling rush hour traffic, maneuvering through narrow city streets, circling for parking, emitting exhaust — all to get you your package as fast as possible. For the sake of our cities, and our planet, things have to change. The future of delivery will be smaller, less loud, and more sustainable. In fact, in the future, you package might just find its way to you. City of the Future is produced by Benjamen Walker and Andrew Callaway. Our hosts are Vanessa Quirk a...
Nov 16, 2018•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast Traffic lights were invented to improve pedestrian safety, but they also created streets that put cars first. But what if traffic lights could respond to the actual conditions at the intersection — perhaps stay red for an elderly walker or turn green for a crowded bus? In this episode, we explore an innovation that could change the hierarchy of the street: adaptive traffic lights. City of the Future is produced by Benjamen Walker and Andrew Callaway. Our hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Eric Jaffe. M...
Nov 02, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our second episode, we explore how modular pavement — which would allow us to embed technologies into our streets — could transform our cities. We talk to Tim Allen, co-founder of a start-up working to make pavement warm up and melt snow (Arctic Heat Technologies); Thierry Sedran, the father of "removable urban pavement"; and Chris Sitzenstock and Cara Eckholm of Sidewalk Labs. City of the Future is produced by Benjamen Walker and Andrew Callaway. Our hosts are Vanessa Quirk and Eric Jaffe. M...
Oct 19, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our first episode of City of the Future , our new bi-weekly podcast, we explore how mass timber could transform our cities — by making wooden skyscrapers possible. We talk to the world’s leading expert on tall wooden buildings, Michael Green, and Sidewalk’s Director of Buildings Innovation, Karim Khalifa. This episode was produced by Kara Oehler. Our hosts are Eric Jaffe and Vanessa Quirk. Mix by Sharif Youssef. Our music is by Adaam James Levine-Areddy (check out his band at amsterdamlost.co...
Oct 05, 2018•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast City of the Future is a podcast from Sidewalk Labs — coming soon!
Mar 04, 2018•39 sec•Transcript available on Metacast 
