The Future City

Louka and Eyal reminisce about the first 50 conversation of The Future City Podcast.

We've all heard about affordable housing, but what is affordable retail? Charlie and Anthony say that entrepeneurial start ups are creating immense value by creating businesses and organisations that are focussed on affordable retail, leading to fulfilled sustainable communities. Charlie has over 30 years’ experience of advising on commercial property investment development and asset management. Clients include owner-managed property companies, international trustees/private offices and prominent UK institutions including charities and livery companies. Charlie’s practice particularly covers equity-share investment leases in the City/West End, community developments and capital projects for charities and institutions. Anthony is a Senior Associate in the Planning and Environmental team. Anthony focuses on compulsory purchase order (CPO) and development planning work as well as advising parties affected by major and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. His clients include private individuals, institutions and companies looking to develop land or those affected by CPO proposals, Development Consent Order (DCO) applications and those affected by the proposed Hybrid Bill for Crossrail.

Are green gardens allowed, or encouraged on rooftops in most metropolitan areas? In a high-density low-parkland environment; are there really no spaces for greenery and plant-life? Elizaveta Fakirova says that parks, natures, and green spaces can be on walls, rooftops, inside, and designed into other creative areas. Ingenuity and policy can enable a city of smart gardens, and will hopefully increase as we have more free-time. Elizaveta is the 2020/21 German Chancellor Fellow with the Humboldt Foundation, where she is conducting a research-based project about green roof and facade policy implementation in Europe, aimed at transferring and applying that knowledge to a Russian context. Originally from Saint-Petersburg, Russia, she is also an interdisciplinary project manager with experience developing urban, cultural and educational projects. Practical working experience in two Russian urban consultancies, Strelka KB and Citymakers, as a project manager has established her as a professional who is able to take care of the full project circle - from initial idea to project implementation and further maintenance. Elizaveta has experience living, studying and working in Saint-Petersburg, Moscow and Berlin. She speaks fluent English, advanced German and native Russian. She has traveled around 26 Russian cities in three months from Saint-Petersburg to Vladivostok. Elizaveta was among 15 national participants (out of 200+) in the UNESCO Young Professionals Programme in 2018. Elizaveta has a degree in architectural environmental design (Saint-Petersburg) and a master's degree in urban management from Technical University (Berlin). Biography from World Urban Parks.

How valuable is the purpose of a space? What happens when you combine a meditation trainer and an engineer? Nitin Govila says that the importance and design of spaces for reflection, meditation, and just to unwind are extremely important human-centred considerations in design, capable of being achieved efficiently by being a part of practical planned construction and supply. Nitin is a management leader, entrepreneur, engineer, and meditation trainer. He is the APAC MENA MD for the French manufacturing group Serge Ferrari, a leader in the flexible composite material sector. His scope of operations covers: Japan, Korea, China, Hongkong, India, ASEAN, Australia-NZ, Middle-East & Africa. Nitin was born in India, educated and worked in France, and is currently based in Singapore. In addition to overseeing business operations and management of 7 Legal distribution entities (and a newly acquired Taiwanese company) across the Asia Pacific, Middle East & African regions. Nitin is a member of the Group Executive Committee helping define the company’s long-term strategy and key decisions for the future growth of the organisation. Nitin manages a 175-member global team. Part of Nitin's accomplishments include his first Asian expansion, with the acquisition of a Taiwanese manufacturing plant; completed within 9 months during the beginning of the global pandemic. He was instrumental in managing a smooth transition and integration of a newly acquired company in the MEA region with a multinational team, into the existing organisational infrastructure. Also Nitin significantly increased APAC + MEA region’s worldwide contribution through multiplication of revenue, volume and profitability.

Architect and public art strategist Samuel Mayze says every city needs an Artist-in-Residence. Mayze says public art is another piece of infrastructure which brings people together and cities are in dire need of creative curation of their public spaces. On this episode of The Future City Podcast we speak with Samuel Mayze, Director of Strategic Projects at Urban Art Projects (UAP) where he has led multi-million dollar public art, cultural master planning and complex fabrication projects in Australia and the Middle East. Samuel shares knowledge about the public art curation process, why cities are caring more about this, and the afterlife of public art.