
Urbanistica Podcast - Cities for People
A podcast about how we plan and design cities for people. Tune in and join listeners from 140 countries.
I am Mustafa Sherif, an Urbanist and Studio Manager based in Sweden. In this podcast, I talk to people working in urban planning and design about projects, processes, methods, handbooks, challenges, leadership, and their passions in life. It's not only about the projects but also about the people behind them.
In collaboration with AFRY (Urban Planning and Design Section in Stockholm)
Latest episodes

Mar 1, 2024 • 20min
428. The Place Man movie (The power of Placemaking) - Fred Kent
The Place Man (2024) is a documentary produced and directed by Guillermo Bernal that explores the roots of the placemaking movement through the life of Fred Kent. You can watch the movie (19 minutes) on YouTube here https://youtu.be/LBf_I-sB5ZM?si=au8Vd79mxcODPKSP
You can listen to the movie in audio format in this episode.
Ps: Episode 395. The Place Man movie - Guillermo Bernal, you can listen to the movie Director talking about the making of the movie and behind the scenes.
More about the movie:Fred Kent devoted his life to creating public spaces for people. The film begins with Fred sharing his passion for understanding why people feel good and how that can be translated into designing public spaces that foster a sense of social connection and community.The documentary takes us on a journey through Fred's life and work, starting in New York City during the urban crisis of the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, Fred started a street academy for high school dropouts and worked on environmental issues, coordinating the first Earth Day in New York City in 1970. Fred was part of a group of people exploring bigger city ideas during what he calls the Golden Age of public space research, including Jane Jacobs and William Whyte. His collaboration with Holly Whyte studying public spaces laid the foundation for his future work in Placemaking.The film follows Fred's journey with the Project for Public Spaces he founded in 1975. The organization studies people's behavior in public spaces and recommends creating more engaging, lively places. Fred's philosophy is simple: public spaces should be designed for people, open, inclusive, and full of life. We see examples of Fred's work transforming public spaces, including Bryant Park in New York City and Campus Martius in Downtown Detroit, and his belief in the power of Placemaking to bring people together.What makes this documentary so engaging is Fred himself. He is not some larger-than-life character but a humble and compassionate person who believes in creating spaces that foster community. Throughout the film, we witness Fred's enthusiasm for public spaces and his deep conviction that planning cities for people and places is essential for taking on the bigger challenges we face today.Enjoy listening and watching.

Feb 28, 2024 • 4min
427. Urbanistica Podcast on TikTok - Mustafa Sherif
We are going to create short videos from interviews and publish them on:
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@urbanisticapodcast
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@urbanistica.podcast
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/urbanistica.podcast/
Keep up the good work
Keep loving cities

Feb 25, 2024 • 2h 4min
426.SWE Vems röst hörs i en stad för alla? - Jennie Björstad
Jennie Björstad (Sociolog, strateg social hållbarhet, AFRY)
Vi pratar om:
- Varför är det viktigt med dialoger och delaktighet när vi planerar städer?
- Risker med generaliseringar och planeringsideal
- Varför ska vi vara kritiska till vår kunskap?
- Vems röster hörs? Måste vi prata med alla?
- Vad finns det för olika nivåer av delaktighet – vad har vi för nytta av att reflektera kring det?
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.

Feb 18, 2024 • 47min
400. The 15-Minute City book - Carlos Moreno
Urbanistica podcast is celebrating 400 episodes with our special guest Professor Carlos Moreno (Co-Founder & Scientific Director “Entrepreneurship, Territory, Innovation” Chair chez Paris1 - Pantheon Sorbonne University, France)
We are talking about:
- The 15-minute city book
- Attacks from conspiracy theorists and death threats
- Learnings from Anne Hidalgo's leadership
- The "15 min city 2.0"
Book release on May 7th, 2024Foreword Jan Gehl and Afterword Martha Thorne. Read more about the book here
https://www.moreno-web.net/new-book-the-15-minute-city-a-solution-to-saving-our-time-and-our-planet/
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.

Feb 11, 2024 • 1h 47min
425.SWE Theory Into Practice - Anna Sundman
Anna Sundman (Partner, VD, Arkitekt SAR/MSA, på Theory Into Practice AB)
Vi pratar om:
- Theory Into Practice
- Vad är affärsmodellen?
- Vidga arkitektensroll, till vad?
- Vad är innovation inom arkitektur?
- Vad är kopplingen till Svenska Arkitekturinstitutet?
- Vad ska arkitekter sluta göra? varför?
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.

Feb 4, 2024 • 1h 26min
424. Smart in the City - Tamlyn Shimizu
Tamlyn Shimizu (Global Partnerships & Communications Lead at BABLE Smart Cities, Germany).
We are talking about:
-Smart City and the podcast
-What is a smart city?
-Based on Tamlyn and what she hears from her guests: what should urban planners stop doing when they plan smart cities? why?
-What skills should urban planners learn? why?
Everyone is invited to explore the BABLE Use Case database and join the community here.
Join BABLE Academy here.
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.

Jan 28, 2024 • 2h 28min
423.SWE Arkitektens roll, resan från Neapel till Stockholm - Alessandro M. Lucca
Alessandro M. Lucca (Arkitekt och Partner, Brunnberg & Forshed Arkitektkontor AB)
Vi pratar om:
- Vilka kompetens behöver arkitekter idag för att möta dagens utmaningar?
-Hur skiljer det sig mellan att jobba som arkitekt i Italien och i Sverige?
- Vad kan arkitekter i Sverige lära sig från arkitekter i Italien?
- Vad är Sandros filosofi om arkitektur och stadsutveckling? hur skapas en levande stad?
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.

Jan 21, 2024 • 40min
422. How a difficult childhood developed a passion for cities - Mustafa Sherif
After many requests from listeners, I am sharing some parts of my story. In this episode you will hear about me, my childhood, and how I was moving from one city to another because of war. Moreover, how did this develop a passion in me for making cities for people?
This is the first episode of the new season (4th) of the Urbanistica podcast. Keep Up the Good Work. Keep Loving Cities ❤️️
You can also listen to the episode 99. EN. Dream City - Mustafa Sherif. There I talk about my top favorite cities.
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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, Facebook & Youtube channel.

Dec 24, 2023 • 43min
421. Toyota Woven City - Giulia Frittoli
Giulia Frittoli (Partner and Landscape Architect at BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group)
We are talking about Toyota Woven City. Read more about the project here.
Together with Toyota Motor Corporation, BIG unveils Toyota Woven City as the world’s first urban incubator dedicated to the advancement of all aspects of mobility at the foothills of Mt. Fuji in Japan. Envisioned as a living laboratory to test and advance mobility, autonomy, connectivity, hydrogen-powered infrastructure and industry collaboration, Toyota Woven City aims to bring people and communities together in a future enabled by technology yet grounded in history and nature. Located at a 175-acre former factory site in the city of Susono in Shizuoka, Toyota Woven City creates a new equality among vehicles, alternate forms of movement, people and nature, streamlined by the promise of a connected, clean and shared mobility. The city will utilize solar energy, geothermal energy, and hydrogen fuel cell technology to strive towards a carbon neutral society, with plans to break ground in phases beginning in 2021.
The three street types are woven into 3×3 city blocks, each framing a courtyard accessible only via the promenade or linear park. The urban fabric of the woven grid expands and contracts to accommodate a variety of scales, programs and outdoor areas. In one instance, a courtyard balloons to the scale of a large plaza, and in another, to become a central park providing a city-wide amenity. Hidden from view in an underground network lies the infrastructure of the city, including hydrogen power, stormwater filtration and a goods delivery network dubbed the ‘matternet’.
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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

Dec 18, 2023 • 1h 50min
420. Solar power and renewable energy - Glenn Karlsson
Glenn Karlsson (Market Area Manager Civil at AFRY, Inspirational Indoor Cycling Instructor, Environmentalist).
We are talking about:
-What is renewable energy? How do we produce it?
- How does solar power work?- The latest and the largest solar power park with AFRY.- How can cities start scaling up their work with solar parks? - What should cities stop doing when working with renewable energy?- What skills should we engineers learn within the renewable energy area?
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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.com
Follow Urbanistica on Instagram, 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.