In our final episode of Season 1, we ask our urban experts ‘what does The DNA of Cities not yet explain about how cities evolve?’ We debate the limits of The DNA of Cities and what it is that cannot be explained using this way of exploring, conceptualising and understanding urban identity.  Thank you to Professor Michele Acuto, A/Professor Ellie Cosgrave, Gabriella Gómez-Mont, Professor Edgar Pieterse, Dr Jaana Remes, Dr Karissa Sanbonmatsu and Geerte Udo for joining us in this episode. We also hear from Abha Joshi-Ghani, who we dedicate this season to with great respect and affection. Whether this is the first episode you have listened to this season, or you have been with us from the beginning, thank you for tuning in.  We will be back soon!  To learn more about The DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com

This is the first of two concluding episodes to our bumper first season of The DNA of Cities. We return to the urban experts we spoke to at the very beginning of this season to understand how, and why, The DNA of Cities might be used. With special thanks to Professor Michele Acuto, Professor Ricky Burdett CBE, Alice Charles, Gabriella Gómez-Mont, Dr Shi Nan, Professor Edgar Pieterse, Dr Jaana Remes, Professor Pete Tyler, Geerte Udo, Natalia Uribe and Dr Alfonso Vergara for joining us in this episode. We also hear from Abha Joshi-Ghani, who we dedicate this season to with great respect and affection. To learn more about The DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

In this episode, we hear from even more of our wonderful listeners. They tell us about the DNA of a city that they love or find meaningful or inspiring, transporting us to fascinating cities of all sizes around the world. We also begin to crowdsource ideas about the cities we should visit in Season 2 of the podcast. We’d love to hear your thoughts too! Huge thanks to Andrew Boraine, Jessica Bowles, Scott Cain, Carlo Castelli, Billy Cobbett, Jane Cunningham, Angelica Figueroa, Nuala Gallagher, Sadhana Manthapuri and Natalia Uribe for being listeners and for joining us in this second special episode. To learn more about The DNA of Cities, suggest your ideas for our next season and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com

In this episode, we give the microphone to some of our listeners from around the world who tell us what they have been enjoying from the series so far. How does the idea of the DNA of Cities resonate with the varied work that they do in and with cities around the world? And how might this way of understanding cities be used or applied in practice? We thank Andrew Boraine, Jessica Bowles, Lael Bethlehem, Scott Cain, Carlo Castelli, Jane Cunningham, Gabriella Gómez-Mont and Magali Thompson for being listeners and for joining us in this episode! To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

In our second episode on The DNA of Shanghai we discover more about the social and cultural factors that make Shanghai, Shanghai. We ask how many Shanghai’s are there? What is the city’s role within China and what is its relationship to other Chinese cities? And we find out how Shanghai’s unique history led it to become the birthplace of the Chinese adaptation of communism.  With special thanks to Stella Dong, Dr Hou Li and Professor Jenny Lin. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.  

When we think about The DNA of Shanghai, we almost have to almost think in quantum ideas. This is, of course, the place where one of the longest rivers in the world and one of the world’s largest oceans meet, producing a city of over 26 million people. Shanghai is the largest city in China and the anchor of the Yangtze River Delta; a region that includes over 20 cities and a population of over 235 million people.  In this episode, we take a historical perspective to discover how Shanghai has emerged and why it has become almost an icon of modern China. We hear from Stella Dong, Dr Hou Li and Professor Jenny Lin. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com If you would like to share your feedback with us by voice message, you can email an MP3 recording to hello@thednaofcities.com. 

In this second episode on the DNA of Dubai we explore the distinctiveness of Dubai’s urban form and fabric by asking local experts “How many Dubai’s are there?” We spend time exploring the everyday spaces and rhythms of Dubai. What can the more ordinary, mundane, vernacular aspects of life here tell us about a city often characterised by its iconic urban infrastructure and its globally showcased buildings. We hear from Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Her Excellency Hala Badri and Professor Yasser Elseshtawy. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

Dubai is a city that has witnessed a profound transformation over the past century, from a sleepy fishing and pearling village to a globally connected metropolis that showcases boundary-pushing urban development. In this episode, we discover The DNA of Dubai by tracing the influence of water, climate, geography and society on the processes of urbanisation that have moulded it into a distinctive and vivid city. We learn about the different groups that make up Emirati society and we meet the people from all corners of the world who contribute to Dubai’s cosmopolitanism and cultural richness. In this episode, we hear from Abdulaziz AlJaziri, Her Excellency Hala Badri and Professor Yasser Elseshtawy. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.  

This coastal location at the meeting point of the Mediterranean sea and the Middle East has experienced rapid change over the past 100 years or so. In our second episode on Tel Aviv, we discover how The DNA of the city manifests itself today. Local experts take us on a journey through Tel Avivian cultures, societies, mythographies, geographies, economies and into the hearts and minds of the leaders who have profoundly shaped the city. In this episode, we hear from Professor Maoz Azaryahu, Professor Rassem Khamaisi, Eytan Schwartz and Sharon Landes-Fischer. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

In just over 100 years, Tel Aviv has become home to a stock exchange, major global businesses and the highest concentration of start-ups per capita of any city in the world. We explore how this location actually has two genetic structures; one strand beginning with the old city of Jaffa, the second strand comprising the more recent story of Tel Aviv itself. It is a story of how the Jewish diaspora, inspired by the dream of a Jewish, Hebrew-speaking city, established a neighbourhood on the sand dunes next to Jaffa. It was this new neighbourhood which became the city of Tel Aviv. In this episode, we hear from Professor Maoz Azaryahu, Professor Rassem Khamaisi, Eytan Schwartz and Sharon Landes-Fischer. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com