Claudia López: How Bogotá Turned Care into a Global Innovation
The Century of Cities welcomes Claudia López, former Mayor of Bogotá and the city's first female leader, who shares how her administration redefined inclusion, productivity, and progress through one bold idea, the care blocks. From her childhood in a working-class neighbourhood in southern Bogotá to leading one of Latin America's largest capitals, Claudia traces a journey of transformation rooted in equity and imagination. She discusses how Bogotá evolved from disorganized transit and insecurity to a city of electric buses, social innovation, and global recognition for its "care economy." She reflects on the power of collaboration between cities, nations, and citizens to confront violence, empower women, and shape a future where care is not a favour, but a foundation for prosperity.
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33:05
Anna König Jerlmyr: How Cities Became the Engines of Global Change
Anna König Jerlmyr, former Mayor of Stockholm, joins The Century of Cities to explore how cities have evolved from regulation-heavy, risk-averse places to global engines of climate action, innovation, and design. She reflects on Stockholm's shift from a tightly controlled urban environment to a vibrant, outward-looking city shaped by global culture, cleaner energy systems, and a stronger public realm. Anna highlights how cities worldwide have become more agile, more collaborative, and far more willing to test new ideas. Looking ahead, she imagines cities operating more like living organisms, regenerative, circular, and supported by AI systems that resolve issues before they surface. Yet she also warns of risks, including lifestyle shifts that reduce physical activity and weaken social connections. Her message is clear: the strongest cities will be those that rebuild community, embrace innovation, and protect the human connections that keep urban life resilient.
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21:38
Susan Aitken: Glasgow's Reinvention and the Future of City Leadership
In this episode of The Century of Cities, we are joined by Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council. Susan reflects on the dramatic shift in how cities are perceived. Once viewed as distressed places marked by deindustrialization, population loss, and narratives of decline, cities are now recognized as hubs of innovation, diversity, and economic resilience, and as the places best positioned to solve society's biggest challenges. She highlights Glasgow's remarkable renaissance, from its cultural revival to its leadership on climate action, equity, and just transition. Susan points to the city's resilience and the grit of its people as the driving forces behind its reinvention. Looking ahead, she envisions a Glasgow built on clean industries, inclusivity, and improved health, while cautioning that global pressures like climate shocks and mass migration will continue to land hardest in urban areas. Her message is clear: cities hold the solutions, but they need the powers, resources, and collective voice to deliver them.
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27:12
Felipe Correa: Density, Design, and the Cities of the Future
The Century of Cities welcomes Felipe Correa, architect, author, and founder of Somatic Collaborative. Felipe reflects on why 1980 marked a pivotal shift in urbanization, as the explosive post-war expansion of cities gave way to slower growth, new planning logics, and a more diverse design toolkit. From Latin America to Asia, he illustrates how procedural planning, emerging urban scales, and a renewed focus on inner-city form reshaped the trajectory of cities entering the 21st century. Today, he argues, two forces define the urban landscape: the rapid rise of intermediate-scale cities and the widening pressures of environmental uncertainty. Migration, climate-driven risk, and even the influence of the insurance industry are quietly but profoundly reshaping the built environment. Felipe remains optimistic about cities' remarkable ability to bring people together, yet he emphasizes that the future depends on rethinking density, reinvesting in shared infrastructure, and training a new generation of architects who can visualize and communicate transformative change.
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22:50
Carlo Ratti: Rethinking Urban Life Through Nature, Technology, and AI
In this episode of The Century of the Cities, Carlo Ratti, Architect, Engineer, MIT professor, and Director of the Senseable City Lab, joins us to explore how data, design, and emerging technologies are reshaping urban life. Carlo reflects on the rise of the "big boom cities" and discusses how urbanization has evolved, from the moment global population tipped into majority-urban to today's era of shrinking populations, climate pressure, and the need for smarter, more adaptive cities. Carlo explains how real-time data, AI, and interdisciplinary research are transforming how we understand cities. He argues that the greatest breakthroughs will come from forging a new alliance between the natural and the artificial, and from embracing open, iterative, trial-and-error innovation.
Welcome to The Century of Cities, a captivating journey fueled by curiosity into humanity's most profound transformation: urban evolution. By 2100, 10 billion people will live in over 10,000 cities. What shape will that world take? This 100-episode series explores the forces driving this shift through illuminating interviews and compelling stories, revealing how cities can lead us toward a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient world.
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