Urbanistica Podcast - Cities for People
Mustafa Sherif
A podcast about how we plan and design cities for people. Tune in and join listeners from over 145 countries.
I'm Mustafa Sherif, an Urbanist, Placemaker and studio manager based in Sweden. In this podcast, I interview people working in architecture, Palcemaking, urban planning and design about their projects, processes, methods, handbooks, challenges, leadership, and passions in life.
It’s not just about projects, it’s about the people behind projects.
In collaboration with AFRY (Urban Planning and Design section in Stockholm).
I'm Mustafa Sherif, an Urbanist, Placemaker and studio manager based in Sweden. In this podcast, I interview people working in architecture, Palcemaking, urban planning and design about their projects, processes, methods, handbooks, challenges, leadership, and passions in life.
It’s not just about projects, it’s about the people behind projects.
In collaboration with AFRY (Urban Planning and Design section in Stockholm).
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 26, 2025 • 33min
566. The art of conversation - Johannes Riegler, Robin Cox and Mustafa Sherif
Johannes Riegler, Host of Cities Reimagined Podcast, Robin Cox, Host of Good Place Podcast,Mustafa Sherif, Host of Urbanistica Podcast.We turn the microphone on ourselves to explore the craft behind podcasting about place, people, and projects. What makes a story stick—and what skills should placemakers develop to tell stories that move hearts and minds? Together, we’ll create a “recipe” for powerful place-based storytelling, mixing empathy, curiosity, and local knowledge.We’ll reflect on how podcasting can make us more aware of our surroundings, deepen our connection to where we live, and inspire care through understanding. And for those dreaming of starting their own show, we’ll share tips on how to make your podcast truly unique—one that not only speaks, but listens.Is storytelling just talk and marketing, or does it genuinely shape our cities? Join us for a deep, spontaneous conversation about the power of voice, belonging, and the stories that build community.Listen to Cities Reimagined https://www.anthropocene.city/podcast/Listen to Good Place podcasthttps://www.goodplace.cc/homepage___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica on Instagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 25, 2025 • 14min
565. How local economies can thrive in a globalized world - Giulio Buciuni
Giulio Buciuni, Trinity College Dublin, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Innovator; Associate Professor in Entrepreneurship & Innovation.Giulio explores how local economies can thrive in a globalized world. As Associate Professor and Associate Director of the M. Sc. in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, he has guided the next generation of innovators while shaping the study of entrepreneurial ecosystems, clusters, and global value chains. His research—published in top international journals—bridges theory and practice, helping communities, policymakers, and entrepreneurs co-create sustainable growth.___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 25, 2025 • 15min
564. Mental health, cultural identity, and place-based healing - Ronke Oluwadare
Ronke Oluwadare: Social, organizational, and communication psychologist and psychotherapist.Ronke represents the crucial intersection of mental health, cultural identity, and place-based healing. Her dual expertise as a clinician specializing in minority stress and racial trauma, combined with her groundbreaking cultural work building bridges between Italy and Africa, offers profound insights into creating truly inclusive spaces. Through Black History Month Milan, she's not just preserving history—she's actively shaping a more interconnected future.LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronke-oluwadare-20bbb730 ___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 24, 2025 • 25min
563. Music, Placemaking and cities - Luciana Renner
Luciana Renner, Architect, radio host, and music selector. She combines her work in placemaking with sound projects that explore the relationship between city, memory, and music, such as Ciudades Sonoras on Radio Nopal and Daydream on Radio Escondido. She has performed at venues in Mexico City like Drama and Parker & Lenox.Instagram: @lucyrennerDaydream x Radio Escondido: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5J2_nAAXyJhEWoBIaZmRK7Ah9bCg_Pd9___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 24, 2025 • 19min
562. Kolarec: Rural Placemaking and the Power of Community - Ivana Šatrak
Ivana Šatrak, mag.paed/PM & co-founder of NGO 'KORAK'. While cities often take the spotlight in placemaking, Ivana brings us a fresh perspective — from a small Croatian village called Kolarec, where she’s “cooking” a sequence of rural placemaking projects.In this heartfelt conversation, Ivana shares how Kolarec — once nearly destroyed by fire in 1938 and rebuilt through collective effort — now faces the challenges of depopulation and disconnection. Through her vision for a memorial garden and a regenerative educational park, she hopes to reignite community bonds and remind us that placemaking belongs everywhere, not just in urban centers.Join us for a story about memory, resilience, and reimagining rural life — one shared space at a time. 🌱Connect with Ivana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ivana-%C5%A1atrak/ Website: www.ukorak.hr___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 24, 2025 • 22min
561. Placemaking research project Plovdiv, Bulgaria - Mariya Badeva
Architect and PhD researcher Mariya Badeva joins Mustafa Sherif live from Placemaking Week Europe in Reggio Emilia, Italy. She shares insights from her research on placemaking, urban regeneration, and how cities like Plovdiv, Bulgaria can evolve through community participation and cultural heritage. A thoughtful look at how local action shapes global urban change.Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/mariabadeva___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 23, 2025 • 24min
560. Global Cultural Districts Network - Gregorio Lucena Scarpella
Gregorio Lucena Scarpella (Director of Global Cultural Districts Network) .The Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN) is committed to improving the quality of urban life through the contribution of the arts, culture, and the creative industries.GCDN members represent policymakers, planners, and executives from widely diverse international contexts, all working at the intersection of culture and sustainable urban development.GCDN is an initiative of AEA Consulting.Links to Gregorio:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorio-lucena-scarpella-34a435161/ GCDN’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/global-cultural-districts-network/ ___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 23, 2025 • 15min
559. DearNeighbour Romania - Sabina Mihailescu
Sabina Mihailescu (Co-founder & GM, DearNeighbour and IntreVecini)At DearNeighbour (RO name: IntreVecini), they focus on placemaking and community-driven initiatives, creating spaces and opportunities where neighbors can collaborate and shape the future of their cities together. Up until now, they have created over 100 communities in 32 cities in Romania, helping 15,000 neighbours create over 250 community projects (urban gardens, festivals, composting spaces, intergenerational events, etc). LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabina-mihailescu/___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 22, 2025 • 24min
557. Rural placemaking - Elena Giunta , Sven Kohlschmidt and Emilia Pardi
We meet Emilia Pardi (PUSH), Sven Kohlschmidt (urbanista / Simeri Laboratorio Urbano), and Elena Giunta (SHIFT) to explore how placemaking can strengthen small towns and interconnected settlements, the “distributed city” model typical of the Reggio Emilia region.This conversation dives into the opportunities and challenges of rural placemaking, highlighting communities facing demographic decline, infrastructure gaps, and urban decay. Together, the guests discuss real project cases and share ideas for forming the first Rural Placemaking Network, a step toward a future consortium and new funding opportunities for revitalizing rural territories.___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
Oct 21, 2025 • 20min
556. Playful Placemaking - Giorgia Floro and Lorenza Salati
We meet Giorgia Floro and Lorenza Salati to talk about “Pensare con i Piedi – Playful Placemaking”, a project funded by the Bosch Alumni Network. Inspired by Osvaldo Soriano’s work and rooted in the radical placemaking legacy of Gibellina (Sicily), they reflect on how fun and playfulness can become powerful tools for reimagining public spaces.They share insights from their recent workshop at the Centro Loris Malaguzzi, discuss preparations for the upcoming Gibellina Fest-val, and explore questions like:What does “thinking with your feet” really mean?Why Gibellina, and why now?How can play reshape the way we make places together?A conversation about creativity, community, and rediscovering joy in placemaking.___In collaboration with Placemaking Week Europe 2025 in Reggio Emilia. Read more: https://placemaking-europe.eu/pwe/reggio-emilia-2025/__Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️__All opinions expressed in each episode are personal to the guest and do not represent the Host of Urbanistica Podcast unless otherwise stated.__Let's connect and talk further about this episode Mustafa Sherif Linkedin.Visit Mustafasherif.com for collaborations and nominations or email me at info@mustafasherif.comFollow Urbanistica onInstagram , TikTok, Facebook & Youtube channel.Thanks to Urbanistica Podcast partner AFRY (Urban Planning and Design)AFRY is an international engineering and design company providing sustainable solutions in the fields of energy, industry, and infrastructure.
