Better Cities By Design
Better Cities by Design is a podcast from Arcadis, where we explore the world of urban development and the state-of-the-art solutions used to create more sustainable cities. Each episode brings change-makers to the table to discuss how they are making our urban environments better places to live, work, and play. From green infrastructure to smart city technology, we'll dive into innovative projects and the positive impact they're having on communities around the world. Whether you're a city-lover or simply curious about the future of our cities, Better Cities by Design is the show for you. Tune in for a fresh perspective on the stories behind some of the world's most livable cities.
Episodes
May 2, 2025 • 31 mins
In this episode, we head to Bratislava, Slovakia, to explore how a city can be reimagined through the eyes of its youngest residents. As cities worldwide grapple with safety, inclusivity, and accessibility, Bratislava is setting an inspiring example by prioritizing child-friendly urban design. Host Davion Ford speaks with Simon Battisti, Creative Director at the Start with Children Summit, to uncover how child-focused planning can ...
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April 11, 2025 • 25 mins
Cottbus, Germany, is a city with a rich coal-mining history now poised to become a leader in sustainable mobility. In this episode, we explore how Deutsche Bahn, German’s national train operator, is driving this transformation with the construction of its largest and most advanced ICE-4 maintenance depot. Join host Davion Ford as he speaks with Marc Hermann from Deutsche Bahn, who is the Management Representative of the New Cottus ...
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March 28, 2025 • 20 mins
What does it take to reenergize a city’s legacy and prepare it for a greener, more sustainable future? In this episode, we visit St. Thomas, Ontario, a Canadian city that’s turning its transportation heritage into a launch pad for innovation. At the heart of this transformation is Yarmouth Yards, a 1,500-acre industrial park anchored by PowerCo’s electric vehicle battery gigafactory. Join the Mayor of St. Thomas, Joe Preston, Arcad...
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February 21, 2025 • 25 mins
In this special episode, we take you to Berlin, the vibrant capital of Germany, to explore the groundbreaking EUREF Campus—a living laboratory for sustainable urban development. From its historic Gasometer to its cutting-edge energy systems, the EUREF Campus is an important example of how cities can innovate for a greener, smarter future. Join our special correspondent Serafin Dinges as he goes behind the scenes at this unique hub ...
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September 13, 2024 • 32 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, host Davion Ford is joined by a panel of experts to explore the transformative potential of hydrogen technology in creating sustainable cities. Artiom Loginov from Cummins Inc., Brett Ryan from Hydrogen UK, and Paul Aspinall from Arcadis discuss the challenges and opportunities of integrating hydrogen into urban infrastructure. They delve into hydrogen's critical role in achieving net-zer...
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August 9, 2024 • 18 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we venture into the heart of Canada to explore how the City of Red Deer is revolutionizing its parking system. Host Davion Ford talks with Amy Fengstad and Amara Heppell from Red Deer about the city's efforts to upgrade its outdated parking meters to a modern, app-based system. Discover how this transformation is improving convenience and efficiency for residents, the challenges faced alo...
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July 19, 2024 • 37 mins
In this special episode of Better Cities by Design, we have convened a panel of experts to discuss a topic that’s important for all cities: road safety. We’re exploring this persistent challenge in the context of the United States, where traffic accidents are the number one cause of death for people under the age of 55, despite the significant technological advances we’ve seen over the past two decades. To find out what more can be...
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June 28, 2024 • 23 mins
Hop on for a ride through Amsterdam's urban landscape on this episode of Better Cities by Design. Join host Davion Ford as he chats with Sietze Faber, one of the masterminds behind Amsterdam's road safety and cycling ambitions. Explore the city's vision for zero carbon movement and zero traffic accidents by 2050. Unravel the challenges of creating cyclist-friendly spaces and discover how Amsterdam is paving the way for sustainable ...
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June 7, 2024 • 26 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, explore the story of Vancouver's climate disaster that, for many, flew under the radar. Join host Davion Ford as he engages in a captivating conversation with Bryan Crosby, Director of Infrastructure Resilience at the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. Learn about the impact of the 2021 atmospheric river event on British Columbia's transportation network and e...
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May 17, 2024 • 26 mins
Embark on a journey through Dublin's smart city landscape as this episode of Better Cities by Design brings you a conversation with Jamie Cudden, Smart City Program Manager, and Payal Pandya, Project Manager and Business Analyst, both at Dublin City Council. Davion talks to them about innovative solutions to urban challenges, with an emphasis on connectivity, data insights, and collaboration. We learn about transformative projects ...
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April 26, 2024 • 26 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we’re in Victoria, Canada, for a chat with Harsh Rathod, co-founder and CEO of Niricson, a company that is revolutionizing how bridges, dams, and other critical infrastructure are inspected for safety. Niricson uses digital technology in the form of software and drones as well as leveraging artificial intelligence to make infrastructure safety inspections much more reliable and efficient,...
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April 12, 2024 • 19 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, we head to the City of Bath in the UK, for a conversation with James Hooton, Managing Director of the Green Finance Institute (GFI). Bath is an ancient city with many very old buildings. But just like any other city, Bath is also striving to become more sustainable and that means these buildings need to be retrofitted, so they use less energy and therefore contribute less to climate chang...
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March 22, 2024 • 27 mins
Join us in Amsterdam, for a conversation about an important aspect of the city’s phenomenal transportation system: train stations. Davion sits down with Daan Klaase, Manager of Research and Station Development, and John Riepen, Manager of Amsterdam Central Station, both from NS Stations. Daan and John reveal some of the secrets behind Amsterdam's iconic transportation hubs. We explore the role of NS Stations in ensuring well-mainta...
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March 8, 2024 • 21 mins
In this episode of the podcast we travel to Manchester in the UK, a city steeped in history and a rich cultural heritage. We speak with Natasha Rouse, Director of Asset Management at Equitix, a global investor, developer, and fund manager. Equitix has invested in myriad assets in Manchester and is playing a significant role in ensuring essential urban infrastructure is well maintained and delivering value for city residents. In thi...
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February 9, 2024 • 21 mins
We're back in New York. This week we speak with Maggie Hopkins, Vice President Civil Engineering & Environmental Planning at AKRF, a leading company specializing in environmental planning, and engineering services for climate resilience and coastal adaptation. AKRF has been working in conjunction with Arcadis on New York’s East Side Coastal Resiliency project, which is a leading climate adaptation effort started after Superstor...
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January 26, 2024 • 19 mins
This week, we’re headed to Rotterdam and chatting with Harry Verhaar, Head of Global Public & Government Affairs at the global lighting company Signify. We talk with Harry about the outsized impact lighting has on urban electricity use and subsequent emissions. And we learn how proper lighting not only makes cities safer from crime and traffic accidents, but how also how modern light points can be used to collect air quality in...
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January 12, 2024 • 27 mins
In our first episode of 2024, our guest is Anselmo Collins, Senior Assistant General Manager – Water System, at the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP). We speak with Anselmo about LADWP’s efforts to ensure safe and reliable water service to more than 4 million residents, in the face of climate change, a burgeoning population, and the ever-present threat of earthquakes. Join host Davion and Anselmo for this insightf...
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November 25, 2023 • 21 mins
We close out 2023 with a special episode of Better Cities by Design. We are in Amsterdam to hear the story of the decade-long renovation of the National Museum of the Netherlands, the Rijksmuseum. Our special correspondent Richard Walker heads over to the museum to speak with Igor Santhagens, the Rijksmuseum’s Renovation Project Leader, as well as Arcadians Dieneke Grimmeluis, and Gerard van Engelen, to uncover the secrets hidden w...
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November 10, 2023 • 24 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Katherine Drayson, Senior Environment Manager at Transport for London (TfL), is our guest. We speak with Katherine about the vital role TfL plays in managing much of London’s sprawling public transportation system and how climate change is impacting all of this.
London has the world’s oldest underground rail system, and this is only one part of TfL’s portfolio, which also includes the Dock...
London has the world’s oldest underground rail system, and this is only one part of TfL’s portfolio, which also includes the Dock...
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October 27, 2023 • 17 mins
In this episode of Better Cities by Design, Teun Bokhoven, Chairman of the 7 Square Endeavour, is our guest. We talk with Teun about his efforts to make Rotterdam’s Schouwburgplein (Theater Square) climate-neutral by 2030.
The City of Rotterdam is the Netherland’s second largest city with just over one million inhabitants. It’s known for its bold, modern architecture and the plucky nature of its residents. Rotterdam has one of the l...
The City of Rotterdam is the Netherland’s second largest city with just over one million inhabitants. It’s known for its bold, modern architecture and the plucky nature of its residents. Rotterdam has one of the l...
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