Karl Dickinson

Does history affect our relationship with cities? According to Young Leader Aleksandr Vlasov, the Soviet era has left a modernist mark on social attitudes and the physical makeup of Russia’s urban spaces. Thankfully, up-and-coming designers and planners like him are taking on the challenge and championing transitions that create...

Spend less and save the environment: these are the benefits of repairing durable household electrical appliances over buying cheap replacements every few years. The fact we even can give products a second lease of life is largely down to Right to Repair hero, Sepp Eisenriegler. He tells us what’s...

Trying to understand the food-water-energy (FWE) nexus has a lot of us scratching our heads. Trying to get anywhere with it is like unravelling a knotted ball of wool: you can tug at the threads, but they don’t come loosely because it is so intrinsically intertwined. Getting to the bottom...

If you want a say in what happens within your city, the food-water-energy nexus is a perfect opportunity. It impacts almost every aspect of our lives and every function of our cities. Involving as many stakeholders as possible, via cross-societal and multidisciplinary engagement, we can make improvements to food,...

Water, food, energy: in terms of creating sustainable cities, they are virtually impossible to separate. Optimising outputs for one relies on efficient resource management for all three, intrinsically locked as they are in the FWE nexus. So why don’t we design urban systems holistically to capitalise on this? If...

There's a lot to the food-water-energy nexus. From too little to too much, and how we manage these extremes and everything in between - it can be difficult to keep up with it all. So, we've put together a helpful list for some of the trickier technical terms used...

The food-water-energy nexus is complex. People and organisations are funnels for the details that allow us to unravel the puzzle. This information they give sheds light on the interconnected domains and how we can use them to create more resilient cities. But how can FWE data and digital interfaces...

CityChangers have the know-how, stress-tested projects, and innovative policy ideas worth shouting about, but it takes more than being an expert to influence our peers. Captivating presentations take practice – and it’s a different discipline whether presenting in-person or online. Drawing from an illustrious career in corporate sponsorship and...

If we seriously intend to limit global warming, we need more people like Heinrich Strößenreuther. This cycling and climate activist and serial NGO founder specialises in street-level change, and he’s using the political system to do it. The beauty of Heinrich’s methods – cycling referendums and mobilising civil society...

As in business, real success in sustainable city transformations largely hinges on sound and equitable leadership. This requires elevating more women to positions of influence. Social entrepreneur Fabian Dattner is a die-hard advocate and activist creating a seismic shift in the landscape of leadership. We jumped at the chance...

When Luca Ballarini came up with the idea of ‘city imaging’, he didn’t yet know the impact it could have. Within less than a decade, the concept has become a powerful tool that anyone can use to drive change in their city. Read on to discover how the creative...

When Lan Marie Berg was thrust into the public eye as Oslo’s vice mayor, the constant scrutiny became an unexpected challenge. Her climate budget and car-free zones transformed the city, but the backlash ranged from media lies to threats. What she learnt from dealing with the aftermath is a...

SPL Lyon Confluence is carrying out a stand-out urban renewal project in a once-deprived district of central Lyon. Project Manager Etienne Vignali describes how this offers a significantly chance to undertake a large-scale decarbonisation masterplan in an area packed full of social, private, and public properties, and how they...

What does a city of the future look like? For Alice Haugh, it is a regenerative and inclusive built environment that supports wellbeing and equality. In her work with the global philanthropic institution, Laudes Foundation, she explores new economic models and how changing the way we live, work, and...

Stakeholder engagement can be challenging at any time but initiating open, constructive dialogue with socially deprived neighbourhoods has its own set of obstacles. Urban Designer Mikaela Åberg has a decade of experience in creating such collaboration and has share with CityChangers.org some top tips for bringing both the residents...

Frances Bean joined the Carbon Trust, a mission-led sustainability consultancy in the UK, in 2018. As Manager in the Cities and Regions team, she supports municipalities and public bodies to understand and achieve their net zero commitments. The question cities often have is “where do we start?” By talking...

Technology and greenery will be more synergetic in cities of the future. Leading the charge for melding nature and the artificial is Professor Carlo Ratti, who is pushing the frontiers of innovation in urban design at a fast pace. He tells us why data is the gateway to integrating...

As heatwaves become more frequent, we grow reliant on cities taking measures to provide relief. From fountains to pools to games, there are plenty of ways water offers comfort from rising temperatures. There is even an app to help us find the options in our city: EXTREMA Global. We...