Welcome to Seeding the Future, a podcast from the Charter Cities Institute, where we explore how giving and philanthropy are changing as wealth is created in new industries, at younger ages, and by more diverse demographics. In this inaugural epode, we hear from John Arnold, American philanthropist, former Enron executive, and Founder of Arnold Ventures, about philanthropy for policy change. John hit it big trading natural gas in the 1990s and 2000s, going on to found one of the most successful energy trading hedge funds, Centaurus Energy, after leaving Enron. He now ranks as one of the world's richest people, with a net worth well over a billion dollars, and runs Arnold Ventures (formerly the Laura and John Arnold Foundation) with his wife, an organization doing groundbreaking work in criminal justice reform. Today, John shares how education reform, system design, and public policy inform his giving and some of the challenges he has encountered in advocating for policy. We discuss political polarization, crypto wealth, and their impact on philanthropy and John shares his interesting perspective on nonprofits as third parties that can solve problems in areas that governments and the private sector can’t, plus so much more! Make sure not to miss this conversation with the billionaire philanthropist taking on criminal justice reform, John Arnold.Key Points From This Episode:•   How education reform, system design, and public policy have informed John’s philanthropy.•   What his strategy for impact entails when it comes to advocating for policy.•   Major changes John has witnessed in philanthropy, including a shift to ‘giving while living’.•   Bridging the gap between founders and the nonprofit world with patience and commitment.•   Why John believes nonprofits need to be more direct with donors.•   Challenges that come with advocating for policy, particularly in the criminal justice space.•   Political polarization and philanthropy; what role nonprofits can play in voting reform.•   How decentralized crypto wealth will impact the philanthropy of the future.•   Global conflict resolution efforts and why organizations have lost momentum in this area.•   Finding problems that philanthropy can solve by looking in areas that are too politically or financially risky for the government or the private sector.•   John’s thoughts on the disconnect between philanthropic intent and philanthropic action.•   The inherent flaws of donor-advised funds that the ACE Act seeks to solve.•   Why John is impressed by philanthropic efforts in the climate change space.•   Why he encourages founders, philanthropists, and nonprofits not to wait until tomorrow.•   How to address the issue of connecting nonprofits with donors and vice versa. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:John D. Arnold on TwitterArnold Ventures‘Against Big Bets’Charter Cities InstituteSkye Lawrence on LinkedIn

Across the global south, cities are growing outwards instead of upwards. Talking to us today about why this is a bad thing for commuters, is urban planning researcher Heba Elhanafy. We dive into the episode with an overview of what the newly released planning guidelines cover, and how new city making has evolved. We hear about the three topics the planning guidelines tackle (how the global south builds, what works, and what doesn't work), and why a single developer working on a city is less effective than multiple developers and shareholders. Heba breaks down the benefits of building bottom-up, instead of top-down, and describes what developers can expect to learn from the planning guidelines. We also hear about two examples of urban planning done right: the Manhattan example, and the much smaller scale Ethiopian Urban Expansion initiative. Tune in to learn how communities help the expansion and growth of a development, and how planning a city can help lift people out of poverty. We wrap up the episode with some of Heba's personal experiences of traffic living in cities across the global south, and why she believes a new model needs to be implemented. So, for all this and so much more, press “Play” now! Key Points From This Episode: •   Welcome to today’s guest, urban researcher Heba Elhanafy.•   What the newly released planning guidelines cover.•   How new city-making has changed over time.•   The three topics the planning guide looks at: how the global south builds, what works, and what doesn’t work.•   Why one developer building a city is a bad idea.•   The benefits of building bottom-up, instead of top-down.•   How planning can assist chartering cities that lift people out of poverty.•   Why the planning guidelines will help developers.•   An example of the Ethiopian Urban Expansion Initiative.•   Understanding that communities will help with the expansion and growth of a development.•   The Manhattan example, as a large-scale example.•   Enhancing mobility within a city, and the benefits to workers.•   Why building up is better than building out. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Heba Elhanafy on LinkedInCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

In January 2020, the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission published ‘Living with beauty’, a report that has led to a new national design guide and model design code with changes to the national policy. The policy changes replaced the word ‘good design’ with ‘beauty’, but is there more to beauty than just appearance? Joining us to discuss the beautification of urban spaces today is Dr. Samuel Hughes, a Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange, a Research Fellow in Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at Oxford University, and a frequent commentator on issues ranging from architecture and urbanism to aesthetics. He was also Sir Roger Scruton's researcher on the Building Beautiful Commission. His focus at Policy Exchange is on understanding why the quantity and quality of new homes and neighborhoods is so inadequate in the UK and developing policy instruments to improve them. In this episode, we discuss the consideration of aesthetics in the urban planning process, the concept of beauty as a benchmark that all new developments should meet, and how empowering residents to design their own streets can help solve the housing crisis that the UK is currently facing. We also touch on survivorship bias; data, technology, and aesthetics; and the cost of suburbia, as well as the positive and negative aspects of path dependency, and more! Make sure to join us today for a fascination conversation about the ‘new’ urban aesthetic with Dr. Samuel Hughes.Key Points From This Episode:•   How Samuel’s philosophy studies have influenced his views on urbanism and architecture.•   His reflections on the role that aesthetics or ‘beauty’ plays in UK urban planning debates.•   How the win-win model for ‘street votes’ impacts the future of UK cities.•   Samuel describes what he calls a bobtailed version of street votes in Houston, Texas.•   Why he believes we find older buildings more attractive than contemporary architecture.•   Survivorship bias versus loss of skills necessary to replicate ‘more beautiful’ architecture.•   The appetite that fueled the dramatic shift in architectural style post WWI, and gave birth to Brutalism, for example.•   Samuel shares why he believes that architects tend to make bad urban planners.•   How modern simulation and design technology have changed the built environment.•   The role empirical data plays in influencing the aesthetics of the built environment.•   While he doesn’t share the contempt for suburbia that many of his peers have, Samuel acknowledges that it imposes enormous costs.•   What the west can learn about architecture and urban form from places like Japan.•   German architecture as an example of path dependency as a positive and negative force.•   Samuel’s advice for building a new city: design institutional structures in cities that will allow those cities to evolve over time.•   Learn more about Samuel’s book on philosophical approaches to artistic modernism. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dr. Samuel HughesDr. Samuel Hughes on LinkedInDr. Samuel Hughes on TwitterPolicy Exchange‘Living with beauty’‘Against the survival of the prettiest’Charter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

Joining us in conversation today is Scott Beyer, the Founder and CEO of the Market Urbanism Report, a media company dedicated to advancing the free market’s classically liberal approach to urban issues. Tune in to hear Scott’s definition of market urbanism and how it relates to the traditional free market. He describes how his audience varies drastically from a partisan and ideological perspective and tells us why this happens, before highlighting cities across the world that embody aspects of his vision for market urbanism and talking about how private cities around the world implement liberalization. We touch on how market urbanism’s approach to zoning differs from the Euclidean model, speak about MTRs, and delve into the history of transportation with a focus on the railway. Scott points us toward an article he penned with the hypothesis that introducing open access competition can serve to benefit inner city rail, before getting into other areas of infrastructure and why smaller governments often get it right. You’ll also hear about construction, quasi-public housing, and Scott’s predictions for how crypto will impact how cities are run. Join us to hear all this and more today!Key Points From This Episode: •   An introduction to today’s guest, Scott Beyer.•   What market urbanism is and what the Market Urbanism Report involves.•   The relationship between the market urbanist and the traditional free market communities.•   How Scott’s audience varies drastically from a partisan and ideological perspective.•   Why this happens: people who like the urbanism aspect tend to be on the left, and then the people who like the market aspect tend to be on the right.•   His opinion that no city in the US perfectly embodies market urbanism.•   Free market oriented transit in Mexico City: Peseros or Jitneys.•   The incentive that the Singaporean government has put in place to build housing.•   How private cities around the world implement liberalization, for example, Gurgaon, India.•   How market urbanism zoning differs from the kind of zoning we have now.•   The differentiation that the Euclidean model necessitates in comparison to the market urbanism model.•   Shoup-piling and how Scott would go about this as someone who writes for the public.•   MTRs relationship with zoning regulations.•   The history of transportation and how the railway began to really struggle.•   “Open Access” Competition Can Improve Intercity Rail, the article he recently co-authored.•   His views on what is possible in terms of creating open access competition for intercity rail.•   How the private sector creates a barrier to entry in terms of infrastructure.•   Why the smaller government spend on infrastructure is usually wiser than the federal government.•   What cross laminated timber is and how it is useful for the future of construction.•   Why he isn’t completely opposed to the idea of public or quasi-public housing.•   His predictions for the impact of cryptocurrency on how cities are operated in the future.•   What Municipal Utility Districts are and how they impact housing and urban development.•   Scott weighs in on what needs to be in place within a state for market urbanism to take off.•   The world tour he is doing for research purposes to assess the future of urbanization globally.•   We discuss the concept of cyperpunk, green punk and solar punk cities, with Tapei as an example. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Scott Beyer on LinkedInSlow Boring“Open Access” Competition Can Improve Intercity RailMarket Urbanism ReportCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

Today’s guest is Ed Glaeser, a Professor of Economics at Harvard University, and he joins us to talk about urbanization and urban planning. Ed has written, or co-authored several books, including The Triumph of The City, and more recently, Survival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation, published this year with David Cutler. Our conversation begins on the subject of the rapid urbanization of parts of the developing world such as India and Sub-Saharan Africa. We explore what lessons can be learned in this regard from the urbanization of Latin America in the 1960s. Our exchange moves to touch on ways of urbanizing without industrialization or via services rather than manufacturing. Shifting onto the topic of urban governance, we hear Ed’s thoughts on the 15-minute city concept, how to overcome political constraints to construction such as vetocracy, and how to push back against cars when they stand as status symbols to the newly rich. We also get into why the schools in big US cities are failing and how to deal with the rising carbon emissions that come as developing countries urbanize. We then talk about COVID-related challenges to productivity and the supply chain, before wrapping up on the subject of whether charter cities are a way of experimenting with pro-entrepreneurship institutions.Key Points From This Episode:•   The lessons to be learned from Latin America’s urbanization regarding transport and more.•   Countries that have become urbanized without being industrialized.•   The connection between urbanization and moving out of poverty.•   Perspectives on manufacturing versus service-led paths toward transformation.•   Whether there is a distinction between urban migrants who arrive due to ‘pull’ versus ‘push’ factors.•   Ed’s thoughts on whether secondary cities can be as productive as primary ones.•   The contrast between entrepreneurship and poor living conditions in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum.•   Under which conditions private provision (PPP) works best and worst.•   What we can learn from large urban infrastructure projects built in the 1970s.•   Whether there are examples of cities that are good at combatting vetocracy.•   The leaders behind cities that have experienced massive urbanization.•   Why Ed thinks the 15-minute city is a dead-end concept but agrees with some aspects of it.•   How to push back against environmentally damaging status symbols for the newly rich as a planner.•   The factors that contribute to suburbanization and whether China is headed that way.•   How to deal with the rising carbon emissions that come as developing countries urbanize.•   Why large cities in the US are failing on the schooling front and Ed’s thoughts on a solution.•   Ed’s thoughts on a land-grant university model in developing countries.•   How to grapple with current COVID-related supply chain challenges.•   Productivity after social distancing in light of the connection between density and productivity.•   Why London and New York are still the only truly global cities.•   Whether charter cities are a way of experimenting with pro-entrepreneurship institutions. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Ed GlaeserNational Bureau of Economic ResearchTriumph of The CitySurvival of the City: Living and Thriving in an Age of IsolationDavid CutlerCities in The Developing WorldCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

“The North American development pattern, the way we build our cities, creates a lot of liabilities and not enough wealth, financially, to actually take care of those liabilities.” These are the words of today’s guest Charles “Chuck” Marohn. Chuck is the founder and president of Strong Towns, as well as a professional engineer and land use planner with decades of experience. He is also the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity and Confessions of a Recovering Engineer. In this episode, Chuck sheds light on how the way in which we build our cities has drastically changed since before the Great Depression and how the current North American development pattern creates towns and cities that lack the wealth to be able to maintain their critical infrastructure and take care of their own futures. Tuning in you’ll hear how the problems of Ferguson, Missouri can be attributed to this pattern, how northeastern cities compare with southwestern cities based on their development since World War II, and why Chuck has more hope for the future of Detroit than the future of Phoenix. For an eye-opening conversation on how we need to adapt in order to build strong towns, tune in today!Key Points From This Episode:•   Charles “Chuck” Marohn explains how Strong Towns is both an organization and a movement.•   How the North American development pattern creates towns and cities that are unable to take care of their own futures.•   Why Chuck believes that the way cities grow today has a Ponzi scheme-like aspect to it.•   Thoughts on what percentage of the liabilities are covered by Wall Street capital versus state and federal.•   How northeastern cities compare with southwestern cities based on their development since World War II.•   Ferguson, Missouri as an example of a once affluent area that has aged and is experiencing this distress.•   How the way in which we build our cities has drastically changed since the pre-Great Depression.•   Why Chuck is excited about the neighborhoods in Detroit where they are reusing old buildings instead of tearing them down.•   The concept of the Paris 15-minute city and what Chuck likes about it.•   Thoughts on other countries that have copied the North American development pattern.•   A comparison between the development styles of cities in the Netherlands versus those of Belgium and why the cities in the Netherlands are doing better.•   What we can learn from Amsterdam transitioning from a car-centric environment to a pedestrian and bicycle-centric environment.•   What we should expect southwestern American cities like Phoenix to look like in 30 years.•   What Chuck would do if building a new town or a new city from scratch.•   The lesson we can learn from the shift from the 20th century to the 21st century. •   Thoughts on Manhattan’s framework for development.•   The concept of a “good party” and why the ratio of private to public investment is more important than the density ratio.•   Chuck’s thoughts on the YIMBY movement.•   Insight into what became of civil engineering.•   Thoughts on why the local Government has become so ineffective and so overburdened.•   What it means to build a Strong Towns movement and what we can expect from it over the next 5 to 10 years. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Charles Marohn on LinkedInCharles Marohn on TwitterStrong TownsStrong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American ProsperityConfessions of a Recovering EngineerCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

Because of the pervasive media coverage of Trumpism, Brexit, and the like, it is easy to assume that the dominant sentiment around the world is that mass migration is a new and terrifying phenomenon that could upend the world as we know it. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, and we’ve brought Parag Khanna, founder of FutureMap, to explain why. Not only has most of the world remained pragmatic about the topic, but mass migration has been occurring for decades, and although there are some exceptions, in the majority of cases, societies have absorbed the newcomers and the newcomers have assimilated remarkably well. Parag is an Asian-American who has also lived in Europe, and his personal perspective combined with the in-depth research that he has conducted around migration, sustainability, community, governance, citizenship and more, reveals a lot about what drives us to do the things we do, and offers a glimpse of what our future could look like. Key Points From This Episode: •   Parag shares his thoughts on why the US should (hypothetically) buy Greenland.•   The premise of Parag’s new book, Move.•   Two megatrends that are currently shaping the world.•   Four potential futures that Parag thinks we are heading for.•   Immigration policies in the UK, US, and Canada, and what these indicate about the future.•   Changes in migration dynamics since Parag’s school days, and what is driving those changes.•   The sentiment amongst European politicians about migrants that Parag has picked up through his research.•   How societies have historically dealt with mass migration.•   High volumes of migration that take place in East and South-East Asia.•   Value that lies in having civilizational confidence.•   Parag explains how Germany is breaking open the definition of what German-ness is.•   A brief analysis of the migration situation in the UAE.•   Primary factors which motivate the migration of Western expats.•   The nuanced nature of citizenship.•   Sustainability, mobility, and connectivity from the perspective of the youth of today, and Parag’s opinion on where these ideas emerged from.•   How definitions of community have changed, and how they are changing now.•   The important role that cities are going to play in coming migrations.•   Parag explains what the mobile real estate phenomenon is, and what is driving it.•   Why Parag does not think de-urbanization is a major trend, although it is being talked about as if it is.•   Plans that Parag has for the future. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Parag KhannaFuture MapCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

At the beginning of 2021 Lauri Haav altered his career path from the world of tech startups to the realm of government. This might sound like an incongruous move, but the Estonian government is more advanced than most countries in terms of its level of digitization and its embracing of technology, and Lauri is currently running a program which is the first of its kind. Almost 7 years ago Estonia launched their e-Residency program; this means that almost anyone, almost anywhere in the world, can become an e-resident of Estonia. Currently, if e-residents were a city, they would be the third biggest city in Estonia! If you’re wondering why obtaining an Estonian e-ID card is an appealing option, you’ll get all the answers in today’s episode. We also discuss the various reasons why the Estonian government is so ahead of the curve in terms of digitization, how they have assisted their population in making the transition to digital platforms as seamless as possible, challenges that they have experienced, and what they hope to achieve in the coming years. Key Points From This Episode:•   Estonia’s advanced level of digitization, and what their e-Residency program is.•   Lauri shares what his professional background in the tech space consisted of.•   Similarities and differences between working in technology companies and working for government organizations.•   Factors that resulted in the Estonian government’s early embrace of the internet.•   How Estonia’s approach to electronic ID cards differs to most other European countries.•   Lauri explains the mechanics of an E-ID card.•   Estimated percentages of the Estonian population who make use of Estonia’s various E-platforms.•   Ways that Estonia ensures their e-Platforms are secure and their approach to privacy.•   How the Estonian government attracts talent to its technology department.•   Some examples which highlight the constraints of some traditional procurement processes.•   The value of working in different types of organizations.•   Challenges that come with the growth of an organization or department.•   An e-Government program that was drastically accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.•   Two main reasons that people will sign up for the Estonian e-Residency program.•   The percentage of new businesses in Estonia over the past 3 years that are owned by e-Residents.•   How the government is going to determine whether or not the e-Residency program is beneficial to Estonia.•   Technology that underpins key public infrastructure in Estonia.•   Countries which are following in Estonia’s footsteps, and how Lauri feels about this.•   Lauri shares his opinion on the work being done by Propsera.•   How being an EU member affects Estonia’s e-Residency program. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Lauri Haav on LinkedInCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

For the past 270 years, The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) has been the U. K's national improvement agency. If this sounds difficult to wrap your head around, it's because it is hard to pin down exactly what a national improvement agency does. Today's guest, Anton Howes, is a historian of innovation, and his first book is Arts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a Nation, where he unpacks this organizations. In today's episode, Anton offers insights into the RSA and how it has evolved over time. At different moments in history, it has played significant roles in influencing the social landscape. We hear about where the organization finds itself today and where some of the opportunities lie moving into the future. As a historical hub for innovation and invention, the RSA drew some formidable forces into its ranks. Our conversation also touches on the social status of inventors and how this can change, what we know about the nature of inventions, and whether you have to be an expert to be an inventor. Tune in to hear it all! Key Points From This Episode:•   What The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce is.•   Understanding a national improvement agency and the role it plays.•   Hear about what the draw of joining the RSA was.•   Precursors to the RSA and some of the problems with these organizations.•   Some of the changes the RSA undergoes in the 19th century.•   How the Great Exhibition of 1851 changed the landscape.•   How the 1800 utilitarian movement in the UK was similar to the progressive movement in the late 19th Century in the U.S.•   The influence that the utilitarian idea had on examinations and the long-lasting impact.•   The RSA’s work in conservationism and what the springboard for this was.•   Prince Phillip’s interest in conservation and how he influenced the RSA.•   What the RSA does today and what the future has in store for the organization.•   Opportunities Anton believes are being missed with the current structure of the RSA.•   How Anton would structure the new world fair and the sectors he would include.•   The importance of being able to showcase competing interests in public.•   Suggestions for how we can raise the social status of inventors.•   We should encourage innovation across all sectors of society.•   What Anton would do if he had 100 million dollars to change the status of the sciences.•   Which inventions were invented after their time and the consequence of this.•   What separates inventors from everyone else in society.•   How to build a culture of innovation and invention in a city or country.•   The reason that Anton left conventional academia.•   Unpacking the link between expertise and invention. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Anton HowesArts and Minds: How the Royal Society of Arts Changed a NationThe RSASilent SpringCharter Cities InstituteCharter Cities Institute on FacebookCharter Cities Institute on Twitter

Today’s guest is Dror Poleg, an economic historian who explores how physical and digital systems affect human behavior, well-being, and dignity. Dror joins us on the show to talk about how technology is undermining the basic foundations of real estate’s value and how this is scrambling a lot of what we know about buildings as well as cities. Dror’s thesis is that because of the way technology has enabled remote work and access, people no longer make their choices about where to live for reasons of work and access. Therefore, if you want to attract people to a building, city, or neighborhood, it's less about the location or the physical characteristics of your asset and more about how are you meeting the lifestyle needs of that specific group of people that you're targeting. Dror sketches out different ways in which we could see cities and suburbs changing due to the emergence of residential and office brands that cater to multitudes of customers with specific and idiosyncratic needs. Dror also speaks to how entrepreneurs could take advantage of these changes, how the structure of corporations might change, and how remote work will impact things like innovation and productivity. Tune in today. Key Points From This Episode: •   Dror’s thesis that technology is undermining the basic foundations of real estate’s value.•   How technology has influenced the reasons behind people’s choices of where to live.•   New factors that are driving value in real estate and shifting it toward being a consumer good.•   How these new forces driving peoples’ decisions about where to live are influencing human settlement patterns or the structure of cities.•   The widening gap between creative high earners and service workers.•   How superstar and second-tier cities will change as a result of these new patterns.•   What suburbs around cities will have to do to remain attractive and accommodate new residents.•   Whether it will be possible to make an economic case for urbanization in suburbs to suit the lifestyle needs of new residents.•   Which historical analogies are most applicable to the current changes in real estate.•   How entrepreneurs can take advantage of these up-and-coming trends.•   Ways in which remote work will change the importance of time zones.•   How WeWork exemplifies capitalizing on these shifting consumer needs for all its faults.•   Different ways that cloud kitchens are changing the urban landscape.•   How these changes will impact productivity over the next 20 years and the tensions it will create.•   The evolution of corporations and how remote work will affect firm formation.•   How remote work will impact innovation and productivity.•   Whether Dror agrees that everybody will be Western-educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic in the next two decades.•   Whether the changes Dror predicts will happen in low-income countries as well.•   How Mayor Saurez has apprehended these movements and could change Miami.•   What the tech diaspora would need to do to keep the places they move to attractive.•   Mark’s thoughts on what remote work will mean for the future of charter cities. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Dror PolegDror Poleg on TwitterMayor Saurez