Share

cover art for CITIES OF OPPORTUNITY

THE GRIMSHAW PODCAST

CITIES OF OPPORTUNITY

Ep. 1
•

Visionary American developer Jonathan Rose, author of The Well-Tempered City, offers us his vision for the ‘City of Opportunity’ in the wake of Covid-19 and the practical approach he applies to creating developments which embody that vision. Full of wit and wisdom, Jonathan describes the inclusive values he seeks to promote in the affordable housing communities from The Rose Companies, where good homes are located near to mass transit and close to jobs – often comprising educational and health facilities. One such project is Via Verde, his first collaboration with Grimshaw, on a brownfield site in the Bronx. When it opened, NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg described it as “one of the most environmentally advanced affordable housing developments in the nation”. The famous architectural critic, Michael Kimmelman chose Via Verde as the subject of his front page New York Times debut, writing that the development “makes as good an argument as any new building in the City for the cultural and civic value of architecture”. Jonathan’s enlightening conversation with Tim Williams ends with an excerpt from “Summertime” by Jog Blues, Rose’s excellent band that fuses Jazz, Blues and Indian Classical Music, a rare treat. 

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 20. REPAIRING FRAGILE NEIGHBOURHOODS

    01:03:52||Season 5, Ep. 20
    Urbanist Richard Florida called Seth Kaplan’s book "essential and engaging ". Tim Williams talks about the book with Seth and also his latest initiative. Flourishing Neighborhoods. We learn what makes places ‘fragile’ and what practical steps local community leaders and social entrepreneurs have taken to fix, repair and restore them to health. Find out about some really powerful exemplars and people across the States and beyond who have succeeded in turning their communities around. Of interest and inspiration to anyone seeking to achieve urban transformation, anywhere.

  • 19. URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE: TRANSFORMING PERFORMANCE

    56:30||Season 5, Ep. 19
    Mark Coates is a recognised leader in infrastructure policy and digital transformation. In his role, Mark, with over three decades of experience in construction and global project delivery, collaborates with governments, policymakers, and industry leaders globally to champion the adoption of cutting-edge digital solutions, driving efficiency and innovation in infrastructure development. In this episode Mark talks about the work of IPA and the influential Transforming Infrastructure Performance (TIP) Summits he oversees, which bring together leaders in business and government across the globe to tackle shared challenges through innovation, sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity in infrastructure.

  • 18. PROTECTING RENTERS AND TENANTS: A GLOBAL DISCOURSE

    01:08:21||Season 5, Ep. 18
    The housing crisis is an international one, though it can take different forms in different countries. What is shared is the need to protect and promote the interests of renters, tenants and others who may be vulnerable in our various housing systems. Two people doing great work in their own neck of the woods that is also, we believe, of international significance are the two leaders brought together for the first time for this Grimshaw Cities podcast: Richard Blakeway, England's Housing Ombudsman and Trina Jones, Rental Commissioner for New South Wales. It's an engaging but important global dialogue.

  • 17. THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD: CHALLENGE AND RENEWAL

    01:02:10||Season 5, Ep. 17
    People acquire houses but they live in and come from neighbourhoods. In this timely conversation Andrew talks with Grimshaw's Head of Cities, Tim, about the state of British neighbourhoods and the interventions his Commission, chaired by the well-respected former minister Hillary Armstrong, recommends renewing them. Although the Commission has been focussed on neighbourhoods in the UK, the interventions it recommends are relevant well beyond the UK. 

  • 16. GIMME SHELTER: THE HOUSING HIJACK

    01:07:09||Season 5, Ep. 16
    Everyone talks about the housing crisis.Few talk about the systems producing it.In this special edition of the Grimshaw Podcast, Tim Williams sits down with economist Cameron Murray, author of The Great Housing Hijack, to unpack the political, economic, and urban forces reshaping housing in Australia and beyond.Not just a conversation about property.A conversation about how cities work, who they serve, and what happens when housing becomes detached from civic purpose.

  • 15. THE CITY AND AI

    58:08||Season 5, Ep. 15
    AI will transform how we work in the built environment, yet there are still more questions than answers, and many feel unprepared for what comes next. In this episode, Dr Tim Williams speaks with Tom Sanchez, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University, and author of Artificial Intelligence for Urban Planning. He offers a clear and practical roadmap for urbanists navigating this shift.

  • 14. DOWNTOWN RENEWAL - SAN FRANCISCO

    56:37||Season 5, Ep. 14
    City centres everywhere are seeking renewal. In this episode Robbie Silver, President and CEO of Downtown SF Partnership, tells us what’s creating San Francisco’s new momentum at the city’s heart. Joining us in the conversation is Andrew Byrne, Grimshaw’s Managing Partner for our LA studio.

  • 13. REBEL URBANIST

    54:47||Season 5, Ep. 13
    Journalist, author and activist Elizabeth Farrelly, is the best known urbanist in Australia, with an international reputation. The title of her recent best-selling book, Killing Sydney: the Fight for a City’s Soul, speaks eloquently of her concerns but also of her independent spirit and determination to change the direction of the city she loves. A feisty and characterful conversation full of insights not just about Australia’s global city but cities in general and how communities need to be galvanised to ensure they still provide opportunities for all.  

  • 12. HOUSING: PLACE MATTERS

    38:33||Season 5, Ep. 12
    The international drive to increase housing supply is an opportunity to improve existing communities but also to design and deliver new high-amenity, higher density, low carbon, mixed use settlements. In this episode Tim Williams talks with Sara Waller – title, of Sovereign Network Group/SNG and Kirsten Lees, architect, masterplanner and Managing Partner, Paris for Grimshaw, about meeting this dual challenge. Though, much of the discussion focusses on the UK, where the government is targeting 1.5 million new homes over the next 5 years, many of them in next-generation New Towns, the discussion will be of interest to all those working internationally to make better, more sustainable and inclusive places.