Common Ground

The 'metaverse' and its so-called 'virtual worlds' have somewhat fallen short of the hype, but that doesn't mean everyone has lost out. Urban planners across the globe have started to combine the vision of the metaverse with smart cities and the internet of things, to create immersive 'digital twins' of our cities and buildings that are changing how we think about urban planning. In this episode w...

What can the everyday person teach an expert when it comes to the places we live? How can something as simple as the design of a webpage lead to more constructive collaboration? And what does it take to have a truly participatory way of governing? In this episode, we talk to Robert Bjanarson, the CEO of Citizens Foundation and the man behind "Your Priorities", a platform that has helped cities acr...

How can culture become a driving force behind a neighbourhood's social and urban renewal? How can a place steer clear from commercialising what makes it unique? And what can a city do to safeguard its artists in times of crisis? In this episode, Jen Hughes, a Senior Advisor at the National Endowment of Arts, explains how their Our Town grant is helping villages, towns and cities across the US revi...

How can urban spaces support the mental wellbeing of a community? What might a morning spent gardening do for someone's happiness? And how can the simple concept of a shed bring people together? In this episode, Robin Hewings – Programme Director at Campaign to End Loneliness UK – breaks down how the built environment impacts our wellbeing, author and academic Barry Golding chats to us about the p...

What can a videogame teach us about the way we plan our cities? How might developing a play park help make for safer spaces for both children and adults? And do grown-ups really know best? In this episode, we speak to former Commissioner of Parks and Rec of Philadelphia — Kathryn Ott Lovell, about the iconic playstreets programme that has been happening in the city for half a century, and James De...

Why are so many late night venues across the UK and Europe shutting down? How can cities and local councils draw the fine line between residents and revelers? What role do developers have in keeping culture alive? In this episode we're looking into the pros and cons of the night time economy. We'll be speaking to Mark Davyd – CEO of the Music Venue Trust in the UK - to hear about the pioneering po...

How are the neighborhoods, towns and cities of the future prioritising proximity in their planning? In this episode we're looking at the concept that has captivated urbanists and city-planners across the globe: the fifteen minute city. First, we talk to Carlos Moreno, the architect of the model, who is driving change in the French capital of Paris, before best-selling author and urbanist Jeff Spec...

How are the ways we produce, distribute and consume food changing for good? In this episode we journey from farm to fork, to hear how waste can be eliminated at every step of the food process. We speak to Pete Pearson, Senior Director of Food Loss and Waste at WWF, to hear how getting smart about waste is vital when combatting food insecurity, before talking to David Rosenberg, CEO of vertical far...

Are our cities ready for an ageing population? In this episode, we look at what this demographic shift means for our homes, towns, and cities, and see how countries across the globe are preparing for this change. We speak to David Stewart, photographer and founder of Ageist, who introduces the concept of a Life 2.0 before turning to writer and activist Ashton  Applewhite, who tackles our misconcep...

How are businesses banding together to improve their neighbourhoods? On this episode we discover what BIDs can offer, from improving baseline services like street sweeping and safety to hosting festivals that celebrate an area's history and culture. We speak to John Lambeth, CEO of Civitas, to help unpack how exactly BIDs work, before visiting London where Gianluca Rizzo - Managing Director of the...

How are companies and entire cities changing to accommodate the rise of remote work? On this episode, we take a closer look at how buildings are combining work, play and stay, with a new breed of hybrid spaces embraced by remote workers and digital nomads alike. We speak to Finland-based professor of Knowledge Management Kirsimarja Blomqvist to hear what makes for the ideal remote-working environm...

How can we leave the places we visit better off than we found them? On this episode, we tackle the tricky term 'regenerative tourism' and the responsibility we all have as travelers. We hear from the growing group of travel professionals touting regeneration as the next step in travel: Aukje Van Gerven, Tourism manager of Rewilding Europe reveals how she's helping endangered species across Europe,...

In this episode we're separating fact from fiction when it comes to living in rural towns today: we ask why people are leaving at such an alarming rate, and meet the people bucking the trend. We head to Italy to meet Danny McCubbin - the community chef who's set up shop in a small village in Sicily thanks to the one-euro-house project, conductor Martim Sousa Tavares whose orchestra is bringing fre...

How can we deal with cities getting.. too popular? From Amsterdam and Dubrovnik to Venice, in this episode we head to the European cities whose intense footfall is tangibly affecting the quality of their tourism - and the lives of residents. We meet Geerte Udo from amsterdam&partners, deputy mayor of Dubrovnik Jelka Tepsic and Valeria Duflot who heads up Venezia Autentica: three women tackling ove...

How do we build resilience in today's disaster-prone cities? In this episode we're looking at what happens after the initial shock of a natural disaster. How do people and governments come together to help rebuild from the ground up? We're heading to New York to see how a design competition helped governments and citizens collaborate to rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. On the other side of...

To build or not to build? In today's episode we're finding out how we can reuse our architectural heritage to keep up with the needs of our changing world, while still honouring the past. We head to Japan to hear how the city of Kyoto is finally getting serious about preserving its iconic Machiya townhouses. Anna Keay from The Landmark Trust is rescuing old castles and medieval halls all over the...

We've all heard that food brings people together - but how can it help heal the deeper social problems in our communities? Our guests today are four pioneers of the food movement: Italian chef Massimo Bottura and his business partner and wife Lara Gilmore share how their project Food for Soul is redefining traditional soup kitchens to help those in need, food activist Kamal Mouzawak reveals how th...

This is a pre-launch episode of Common Ground by Toposophy! To get us in the mood for our official podcast launch on March 29th and in light of World Water Day, we sat down with two titans of the global conversation about water: Henk Ovink, 'Ambassador for Water' and The Netherlands' Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, and Mami Mizutori, Special Representative of the Secretary-General f...

Common Ground is launching soon! Urbanism meets food, travel, business, tech and the environment in a podcast that journeys across the globe and takes a fresh look at the future of our cities - and the people redefining it.  Brought to you by place making & marketing agency Toposophy .