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What is The Future for Cities?: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Fanni Melles
WTF for Cities? is a platform to introduce and connect people who are actively and consciously working on the future of cities and to introduce research about the future of cities.
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- Today1h 2m
450P_The future of urban governance - Panel conversation with Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, and Balamurugan Soundararaj
Are you interested in the future of urban governance? What do you think is the role of AI in urban governance? How can we utilise the localised feedback loops for the better future of cities? This episode is a panel discussion about the future of urban governance. The panellists, Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, and Balamurugan Soundararaj talk about their vision for the future of cities, urban governance, localised solutions, AI, transparency, and many more. Micah Gaudet is a Deputy City Manager who helps local governments understand and apply AI in practical, operational ways grounded in the realities of municipal leadership. He focuses on how AI reshapes workflows, decision-making, service delivery, and organizational capacity across public safety, budgeting, HR, permitting, community development, and emergency response. Micah speaks, writes, and trains governments to adopt AI responsibly while preserving context, culture, and people-first public service.Find out more about Micah through these links:Micah Gaudet on LinkedInMicah Gaudet websiteFragile Systems: An Ecological Approach to AI in Government - book by Micah GaudetAna Maria Bustamante Duarte is a passionate architect and urban researcher dedicated to creating just, responsible, and open cities through collaborative and community-based strategies. Her work critically examines the design, use, and impacts of (geo)technologies and data-driven approaches in diverse urban contexts. She contributed to the Dialogical Spaces Podcast as part of the "Dialogical Spaces for a Diverse University" project.Find out more about Ana through these links:Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte on LinkedInAna Maria Bustamante Duarte on Google ScholarBalamurugan Soundararaj is a Senior Lecturer at the City Futures Research Centre, UNSW Sydney, and CTO of MapAI, where he leverages Generative AI for GIS and spatial analysis. His expertise combines Artificial Intelligence, data analytics, and visualisation to advance urban planning and quantitative human geography. His research focuses on integrating innovative technologies into urban studies, delivering data-driven insights and solutions for complex spatial problems to support smarter decision-making in cities.Find out more about Bala through these links:Balamurugan Soundararaj on LinkedInBalamurugan Soundararaj at UNSWBalamurugan Soundararaj on Google ScholarBalamurugan Soundararaj talks on YoutubeUNSW City Futures Research Centre websiteMapAI websiteMapAI on LinkedInConnected episodes you might be interested in:No.294 - Interview with Erick A. Brimen about the minimal role of governance No.296 - Interview with Sally Capp about public-private partnerships <a href="https://wtf4cities.com/2025/02/13/298i_carina-gormley-senio
- Yesterday1 min
From the age of ideas to age of building - Balamurugan Soundararaj (450P trailer 3)
Are you interested in the future of urban governance? What do you think is the role of AI in urban governance? How can we utilise the localised feedback loops for the better future of cities? Trailer with Balamurugan Soundararaj for episode 450 - panel discussion about the future of urban governance. The panellists, Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, and Balamurugan Soundararaj talk about their vision for the future of cities, urban governance, localised solutions, AI, transparency, and many more.Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
- 2 days ago15 min
449R_Cities aren’t rocket engines: The maturity of digital twins in human-centred urban planning
Are you interested in how to utilise digital twins in human-centred urban planning? Debate of the article titled Cities aren’t rocket engines: The maturity of digital twins in human-centred urban planning from 2025, by Lucas van der Meer, Lukas Esterle, Mario Cools, and Martin Loidl, published in the International Journal of Digital Earth.This is a great preparation to our next panel conversation with Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Durante and Balamurugan Soundararaj in episode 450 talking about the challenges of data and digital twin use in urban governance. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how the urban mechanism of data and urban vitalism of human experiences can be connected. This article advocates for a human-centred approach where digital tools serve as a lens to explore possibilities rather than an objective truth to dictate outcomes.Find the article through this link.Abstract: In this article we provide a critical perspective on the role of urban digital twins in human-centred urban planning. We discuss the underlying philosophical views of these two concepts and argue that urban digital twins can only have real value if we facilitate a dialogue between those views. This means that we should move beyond purely technological approaches focused on automated optimization and control. Rather than as an objective source of truth, urban digital twins should be treated as a lens through which we can explore urban issues, while acknowledging the assumptions and oversights of computational models. We propose a revised conceptual structure of a mature urban digital twin, in which active human involvement is an asset rather than a limitation, and define seven additional characteristics of maturity besides being technologically advanced: adaptive, constructive, diverse, honest, humble, responsible, and transparent. Ultimately, we call for a shift from ‘data-driven’ to ‘data-informed’ urban planning, arguing that the true value of digital technologies lies not in replacing human agency, but in supporting it.Connected episodes you might be interested in:No.140R - Creating digital twins to save our citiesNo.141 - Interview with Soheil Sabri about urban digital twinsYou can find the transcript through this link.What was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also availableI hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning inEpisode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link)Music by Lesfm from
- 3 days ago2 min
How to use data to create a pluralistic way? Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte (450P trailer 2)
Are you interested in the future of urban governance? What do you think is the role of AI in urban governance? How can we utilise the localised feedback loops for the better future of cities? Trailer with Micah Gaudet for episode 450 - panel discussion about the future of urban governance. The panellists, Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, and Balamurugan Soundararaj talk about their vision for the future of cities, urban governance, localised solutions, AI, transparency, and many more.Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
- 4 days ago1 min
Building for the upcoming native AI generations - Micah Gaudet (450P trailer 1)
Are you interested in the future of urban governance? What do you think is the role of AI in urban governance? How can we utilise the localised feedback loops for the better future of cities? Trailer with Micah Gaudet for episode 450 - panel discussion about the future of urban governance. The panellists, Micah Gaudet, Ana Maria Bustamante Duarte, and Balamurugan Soundararaj talk about their vision for the future of cities, urban governance, localised solutions, AI, transparency, and many more.Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
- 1 weeks ago1h 21m
448I_Jasen Johns, urban forester and municipal arborist
"We're anticipating these massive climate change impacts and incorporating resiliency into our built environment to stand against that."Are you interested in urban forestry? What do you think about the tension between the need for development and green spaces? How can we bring out the best from climate change through climate ruggedisation and green jobs?Interview with Jasen Johns, urban forester and municipal arborist. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban forestry, ecodistrics, 3-30-300 model, canopy cover, climate change and ruggedisation, and many more. Jasen Johns is an urban forester and municipal arborist with 26 years of experience in urban forestry and arboriculture. Passionate about integrating plants into built environments, he champions effective stewardship of urban forests to create happily habitable cities that address 21st-century challenges like climate resilience, livability, and sustainability. Jasen looks forward to collaborating on innovative solutions that enhance urban life for all.Find out more about Jasen through this link:Jasen Johns on LinkedInConnected episodes you might be interested in:No.392 - Interview with Sebastian Pfautsch about being climate smartNo.411R - Is coastal climate adaptation infrastructure worth public investment? No.412 - Interview with Louis de Jaeger about climate mitigation strategies and urban food forests447R - Facilitating adaptive forest management under climate change: A spatially specific synthesis of 125 species for habitat changes and assisted migration over the Eastern United StatesWhat was the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available.I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
- 1 weeks ago2 min
Climate ruggedisation and green jobs as opportunities - Jasen Johns (448I trailer 3)
Are you interested in urban forestry? What do you think about the tension between the need for development and green spaces? How can we bring out the best from climate change through climate ruggedisation and green jobs?Trailer for episode 448 - interview with Jasen Johns, urban forester and municipal arborist. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban forestry, ecodistrics, 3-30-300 model, canopy cover, climate change and ruggedisation, and many more.Find out more in the episode.Episode generated with Descript assistance (affiliate link).Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
- 1 weeks ago13 min
447R_Facilitating adaptive forest management under climate change: A spatially specific synthesis of 125 species for habitat changes and assisted migration over the eastern United States
Are you interested in how to adapt our natural systems to climate change? Debate of the article titled Facilitating adaptive forest management under climate change: A spatially specific synthesis of 125 species for habitat changes and assisted migration over the eastern United States from 2019, by Louis R. Iverson, Anantha M. Prasad, Matthew P. Peters, and Stephen N. Matthews, published in the MDPI Forests journal.This is a great preparation to our next interview with Jasen Johns in episode 448 talking about urban and community forestry. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how our natural systems, specifically forests in this case, can be prepared for climate change. This article synthesises two decades of research to provide a comprehensive framework for managing species under the changing climate.Find the article through this link.Abstract: We modeled and combined outputs for 125 tree species for the eastern United States, using habitat suitability and colonization potential models along with an evaluation of adaptation traits. These outputs allowed, for the first time, the compilation of tree species’ current and future potential for each unit of 55 national forests and grasslands and 469 1 × 1 degree grids across the eastern United States. A habitat suitability model, a migration simulation model, and an assessment based on biological and disturbance factors were used with United States Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data to evaluate species potential to migrate or infill naturally into suitable habitats over the next 100 years. We describe a suite of variables, by species, for each unique geographic unit, packaged as summary tables describing current abundance, potential future change in suitable habitat, adaptability, and capability to cope with the changing climate, and colonization likelihood over 100 years. This resulting synthesis and summation effort, culminating over two decades of work, provides a detailed data set that incorporates habitat quality, land cover, and dispersal potential, spatially constrained, for nearly all the tree species of the eastern United States. These tables and maps provide an estimate of potential species trends out 100 years, intended to deliver managers and publics with practical tools to reduce the vast set of decisions before them as they proactively manage tree species in the face of climate change.Connected episodes you might be interested in:No.392 - Interview with Sebastian Pfautsch about being climate smartNo.411R - Is coastal climate adaptation infrastructure worth public investment? No.412 - Interview with Louis de Jaeger about climate mitigation strategies and urban food forests
About What is The Future for Cities?
WTF for Cities? is a platform to introduce and connect people who are actively and consciously working on the future of cities and to introduce research about the future of cities.
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