In the last episode we heard about the arrival of the Quaker settlers and the emergence of Philadelphia between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. We heard why the US Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, the role of the city in the Civil War, the rise and fall of industry, and how all of this has shaped the Philadelphia of today. Amongst all of this fascinating history are, of course, human stories of bold individuals and groups of people who have shaped and been shaped by the city. We know for example that Philadelphia’s Quaker society was deliberately premised on an relatively egalitarian, tolerant and liberal philosophy, without deference to Kings and Queens. Understanding more about where that quintessentially Philadelphian mindset has come from, our task in this episode is to understand the unique ways this manifests itself in the modern city. In this episode, we hear from Professor David Brownlee, Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Eleanor Sharpe and Lauren Swartz. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

It’s hard to say anything about Philadelphia without talking about the founding of America or the fact that this city is home to the first library, hospital, university, art gallery, stock exchange, and of course, the Philly Cheese Steak, Rocky and Sound of Philadelphia. In this episode we explore the long history behind this Quaker city that emerged between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. It is important to take a historic perspective in Philadelphia because its most recent chapter has not been as prosperous as the previous 350 years or so. Philadelphians often ask themselves how they can reconcile the story of Philadelphia as a great social innovator with its present. In this episode, we hear from Professor David Brownlee, Sylvie Gallier-Howard, Eleanor Sharpe and Lauren Swartz.  To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.  

In part II of our visit to London we explore how the city’s enormous size gives it the ability to regenerate in the face of shock. We ask how London's diversity creates and contributes to the city's strength, resilience and innovation. We discover the London of freedom - a city that respects individual privacy, encourages freedom of thought and honours freedom of expression. While London’s social contract may be one of live and let live, we ask how these organising ideas about London continue to materially shape the city. Our guests in this episode are Laura Citron, Professor Vanessa Harding, Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Professor Tony Travers. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

London sits in the south-east corner of a temperate and fertile island on the easterly flowing, tidal River Thames. In this episode we discover how London’s endowed assets of island location, river, winds and temperate climate have combined with its inherited and acquired traits of global trade, wealth creation, civic freedom, innovation, creativity, diversity and connectivity. All of this has produced a resilient and diverse metropolis of large scale, high productivity, soft power, self-confidence and reinvention. Many cities compete with London in lots of areas, but very few cities compete with London in everything. We ask why is that? Why London? Our guests in this episode are Laura Citron, Professor Vanessa Harding, Rt Hon David Lammy MP and Professor Tony Travers. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

This is the second part of our exploration of the DNA of Glasgow. If part one was an economic history of Glasgow, this episode is focused on Glasgow’s social, cultural and civic history. We hear about what it means to be a Glaswegian, the attitudes and sensibilities that are valued and shared right across the city, and we discover Glasgow’s greatest inventions (from TV to tikka). We hear from Councillor Susan Aitken, Professor Rebecca Madgin, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Michael Meighan, Dr Susie Mitchell and Stuart Patrick CBE. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com. Long Road Ahead B by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100588 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Glasgow is an ambitious, entrepreneurial and people-centred city that’s been built on centuries of hard work, migration and humour. The city tells a compelling and sometimes turbulent story of invention and re-invention: first as a Mediaeval religious and knowledge centre; then as a dominant tobacco and sugar entrepôt; then as the world’s leading shipbuilding and locomotive engineering hub. Most recently, as a post-industrial city, Glasgow has galvanised its entrepreneurial spirit and determination to re-assert itself on the world stage as an innovation economy. In our first episode exploring the DNA of Glasgow, we ask local experts what DNA has Glasgow acquired along the way? We hear from the Leader of Glasgow City Council, Cllr Susan Aitken, Professor Rebecca Madgin, Professor Sir Jim McDonald, Michael Meighan, Dr Susie Mitchell and Stuart Patrick CBE. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com. Long Road Ahead B by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100588 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

In our second episode on Vienna we explore the acquired traits in the city’s DNA. We’ll hear the stories of Viennese citizens, and explore enduring cultural highlights that have taken on new forms as the city has evolved. And we ask how and why Vienna’s social democratic model of governance has proved so resilient and effective. We continue our conversation with Eugen (Zenja) Antalovsky, Shams Asadi, Prof Matti Bunzl and Maria Vassilakou on gloriousness and tradition, religion and empire, creativity and intellectual world leadership, war and wounding, social democracy and human rights. If you’re interested in finding out more about Vienna’s history, we recommend Carl Emil Schorske’s book Fin de Siècle Vienna and Simon Sebag Montifiore’s BBC documentary “Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream”. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

Vienna has been one of the Western Roman Empire’s most easterly strategic strongholds, an imperial capital of the Habsburg Empire, and a melting pot for thinkers and creators from across Europe and the rest of the world. But Vienna was also altered, almost beyond recognition, by the First and Second World Wars. Today, the city’s pendulum is swinging back towards some elements of the Vienna of old: the city is becoming increasingly multicultural, international in outlook and recognised for its unrivalled liveability.  In this episode, we hear from Eugen (Zenja) Antalovsky, Shams Asadi, Prof Matti Bunzl and Maria Vassilakou. We discover that the return of these characteristics, which were so prominent in Vienna’s past, suggest that the city is re-aligning with key components of its DNA. If you’re interested in finding out more about Vienna’s history, we recommend Carl Emil Schorske’s book "Fin de Siècle Vienna" and Simon Sebag Montifiore’s BBC documentary “Vienna: Empire, Dynasty and Dream”. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

In this second episode on Barcelona we hear why the city is the place for life’s great ventures. Over the course of history, artists from all over the world have created some of their most influential work in Barcelona. Take Picasso, Miro and Dali for example; they came to Barcelona during the formative years of their careers and in this city they were able to do something extraordinary. But how, and why Barcelona? Well, as we discover, this is more than a city. Creation and creativity run so deeply through its DNA that some even consider the greatest invention of Barcelona to be Barcelona itself. Special thanks to Consol Vancells Casanovas, Aleix Gabarre, Mateu Hernandez Maluquer, Michelle Barrios and Miquel Molina Muntané. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.

We begin our time in Barcelona by exploring its self-determining “do it yourself” approach to governance, the muse effect the city has in an individual’s life, and its relationships to its region and beyond; all understood, of course, through its identity as a Catalan city in the northern-most point of Southern Europe and the southern-most point of Northern Europe. Part of what makes modern Barcelona such an interesting city from a 'DNA' perspective is the fact that city branding and place marketing have played such a strong part in its post-industrial recovery. The experts we meet have been working for many years to uncover what makes the city unique. Join us as we ask Mateu Hernández, Consol Vancells-Casanovas, Aleix Gabarre, Miquel Molina and Michelle Barrios what makes Barcelona, Barcelona. To learn more about the DNA of Cities and sign up for our latest updates visit www.thednaofcities.com.