The Urbanist: Planning the Cities of the Future at the Smart City Expo World Congress

Podcast: The Urbanist (Monocle)
Host: Andrew Tuck
Date: November 13, 2025
Episode Theme:
Exploring innovation in city planning at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, this episode gathers insights from global urban leaders—mayors, futurists, architects, and transportation directors—to discuss how technology and collaboration drive the evolution toward smarter, more livable and lovable cities.

Episode Overview

In this special edition, The Urbanist takes listeners into the heart of the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s preeminent gathering for urban innovation. The show features conversations with Ugo Valenti (Managing Director, Smart City Expo), Maimouna Binti Mode Sharif (former Kuala Lumpur mayor & UN Habitat leader), futurist Nikki Greenberg, and Tina Backstrom (Los Angeles Director of Transportation). Through their stories and strategies, the episode unpacks major shifts in urban planning: technology integration, citizen-centered development, urban renewal, generational change, and public-private collaboration.

Key Discussions & Insights

1. Why Barcelona? A Platform for Global Urban Exchange

Guest: Ugo Valenti, Smart City Expo Managing Director
Timestamps: 01:53–06:52

• Barcelona as a Model City

  • Barcelona’s city size and diverse initiatives make it a relatable example for cities worldwide—"whatever you do in Barcelona, it's easier to translate it to a city like New York or Shanghai, or also...Delhi or Medellin." (03:01)
  • Past projects, like the "superillas" (superblocks), have directly inspired transformations elsewhere (e.g., Times Square).
    • "On some streets of Barcelona...we have these grids of three by three streets...the center...is for pedestrian use or bicycle use." (04:51)

• Event as a Global Urban Laboratory

  • The expo bridges language and regulatory barriers between public and private sectors, fostering best-practice sharing.
  • Recognizes varying cultural approaches, such as AI implementation in China vs. Europe, and the importance of showcasing every city's unique solutions.
  • Pushes leaders to put citizens at the center and to see technology as a means, not an end.

• Collaboration & Competition

  • Urban innovation thrives when cities both compete and collaborate, raising the bar while sharing best practices.
  • "It's completely possible to compete and at the same time to collaborate. But competition usually raises the bar." (06:25)
  • The Expo is portrayed as a must-attend platform "creating the future of our cities...and the future of the world." (06:38)

2. Reimagining the City: Urban Renewal in Kuala Lumpur

Guest: Maimouna Binti Mode Sharif, former Mayor of Kuala Lumpur & ex-Executive Director, UN Habitat
Timestamps: 07:20–14:58

• Repurposing for the Next Generation

  • Addressing the "hollowing out" of inner cities by revitalizing heritage buildings with new uses—example: converting a vacant 17-storey office tower into micro-housing for youth and new families (09:01).
  • Emphasizes dynamic, adaptable planning: "Planning is very dynamic, it's not static." (08:44)

• Integrated Partnerships & Public Participation

  • Championing comprehensive stakeholder engagement through 4P (Public-Private-People Partnership) and monthly SPEED committee meetings combining surveyors, planners, engineers, architects, and developers.
  • "We work together with private sector, with the people and also with the community...we really listen to them. Not just to fulfill the legality of the process." (12:17)

• Balancing Needs for All

  • Urban renewal without displacement; ensuring dignity, quality housing, livability and aiming for "lovable cities."
  • Considers multigenerational needs: youth spaces, elderly needs, seamless connectivity.
  • Food as a unifying element in a diverse society: "Food actually blends us together." (13:23)
  • "To me the quality of life is...giving the individual a dignity...And then as we move on now we are talking about innovation...But we shouldn't forget about the dignity. It's the human right." (13:46)

• Lovable Cities

  • Going beyond livable cities: "When you love your city, you will do everything to protect your city." (14:47)

3. Embracing the Future: Generational Change and New Technologies

Guest: Nikki Greenberg, Futurist & Strategic Advisor
Timestamps: 15:24–21:59

• Historical & Forward-Thinking Urban Design

  • Cites Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City as early recognition of planning for technological shifts—even anticipating flying cars.
  • "That's what it means to be a futurist, is understanding the technologies of today are going to change...and also understanding that new technologies are going to come out and we can't even fathom what they're going to mean..." (16:22)

• Cities for Multiple Generations

  • Cities must be ready for Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and even the incoming Gen Beta, who grow up surrounded by ubiquitous tech.
  • "Gen Alpha, they've never known a world without iPads...for us as leaders, it's so important...the places and organizations that we create are ready for this generation and the next generations..." (16:56, 17:28)

• Everyone Feels ‘Behind’ & The Importance of Sharing

  • Around the globe, cities feel others are ahead in innovation—but collaboration accelerates everyone.
  • Specific examples:
    • Riyadh's Vision 2030: "investing in the technology of tomorrow."
    • Dallas-Fort Worth’s innovations in aerial mobility and drone delivery.
    • Helsinki lauded for its order and quietude; New York for vibrant uniqueness.

• Public and Private Collaboration

  • Advanced technologies like flying taxis made rapid progress due to global sharing and training data.
  • "What they're doing is they're using training data that's come out of places like the Middle East, where they've been testing out these UAVs for quite some time to be able to train their local technology and get that head start." (19:59)

• Celebrating Diversity Between Cities

  • The contrasts — e.g., Helsinki’s peace vs. New York’s energy — are the source of urban greatness.

4. Transportation for Opportunity and Equity in Los Angeles

Guest: Tina Backstrom, LA Director of Transportation, Mayor's Office of Infrastructure
Timestamps: 22:21–25:14

• Expansion of Transportation Options

  • History as a bikeways engineer: focus on protected lanes, bike signals, and infrastructure supporting cycling as an equal choice, not an imposition.
  • "It's about giving people choices on how they want to move around the city, how they choose to move around the city, not how I tell you to move..." (22:27)
  • Encouragement of first/last-mile solutions and building amenities (showers in offices for cyclists).

• Integrating Autonomous Vehicles

  • Formation of an autonomous vehicle working group to foster regular dialogue with the ~39 AV companies operating in LA.
  • Early deployment focused on a few neighborhoods—now, effort to ensure equity city-wide access.

• Transportation as Access to Opportunity

  • "Transportation gives you access to opportunity. If you have access to opportunity, you can go fulfill your dreams. But if you have no way to get there, then you...have no ability to get to that point." (24:03)

• Technology After Crisis

  • Post-wildfire, using AI to streamline the building permitting process—balancing innovation with the human impact.
  • Focus on minimizing unintended consequences of technological change.

Notable Quotes

• Ugo Valenti (on Barcelona & collaboration):

  • “Barcelona has the right mix of potential to showcase things basically to the whole world.” (03:08)
  • “Competition usually raises the bar. So it's always good. In my opinion, if you are into urban innovation, this is a must attend event...” (06:25)

• Maimouna Binti Mode Sharif (on urban renewal and public engagement):

  • "We have to be really sincere. Yes, we go to the ground, we really listen to them. Not just to fulfill the legality of the process, planning process." (12:17)
  • “We are now going towards lovable cities. We already achieved livability, but I want to go to another level, lovable. Because when you love someone, when you love your city, you will do everything to protect your city.” (14:47)

• Nikki Greenberg (on the future):

  • "That's what it means to be a futurist, is understanding that the technologies of today are going to change the way that the built environment operates and also understanding that new technologies are going to come out and we can't even fathom what they're going to mean..." (16:22)
  • "The best thing that we can do is come to conferences like Smart City Expo and meet people who are working on the same kind of problems and learn from the things that they're doing..." (19:08)

• Tina Backstrom (on mobility and access):

  • “Transportation gives you access to opportunity. If you have access to opportunity, you can go fulfill your dreams. But if you have no way to get there, then you...have no ability to get to that point.” (24:03)
  • “Finding that balance between innovation as well as the human factor...you just have to think things through to make that better decision.” (25:07)

Key Takeaways (By Segment)

• Global Innovation Hubs:
  Barcelona exemplifies the power of living laboratories, platforms for cities to import and export best practice.
• Citizen-Centric Development:
  Trust, sincerity, and direct engagement are critical in renewing and revitalizing urban spaces that serve all—and create a sense of love and protection in their residents.
• Technology’s Generational Impact:
  Futureproofing cities means planning for rapidly evolving tech and the shifting expectations of coming generations.
• Collaboration Over Competition:
  Worldwide, urban leaders glean as much from one another’s victories and failures as they do from new gadgets.
• Evolving Urban Mobility:
  Expanding choices and ensuring equitable access to transport are foundational for social mobility, opportunity, and resilience against future shocks.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [01:53] Ugo Valenti on Barcelona & global network
• [07:20] Maimouna Binti Mode Sharif on heritage, youth, and lovable cities
• [15:24] Nikki Greenberg on technology, generational change, and global smart city trends
• [22:21] Tina Backstrom on LA transportation and AI in post-crisis management

This episode of The Urbanist offers a rich, on-the-ground view of how the world’s cities are learning from one another to shape a smarter, more inclusive, and more passionate urban future.