Cities
Greater Manchester mayor on 13 years of a city deal
Regional deals are coming to New Zealand, but Manchester city has had one for years - Kathryn speaks with the mayor of Greater Manchester about how it all works Audio
What are some practical flood solutions for towns and cities?
Urban issues commentator Bill McKay joins Kathryn to talk about what recent weather events might mean for city planning into the future. Which parts of the infrastructure network held up well and… Audio
Green data storage, green walls
Claire Concannon investigates how luminescence and specialised materials could be key to our growing data storage needs, and visits a test site for native vertical gardens that could cloak the walls… Audio
Our Changing World - Our cities' green future
PhD candidate Maggie McKinnon reckons the future of city buildings is green – literally. She's investigating the optimal native vertical garden for Wellington's wind-blasted walls. Claire Concannon… Audio
David Groves takes us on a journey from Xanadu to Venice
Author David Groves invites us to travel the Silk Road from fabled Asian capital Xanadu to Venice, with adventurer Marco Polo and the Emperor Kublai Khan as our guides, in his novel 7 Intelligible… Audio
Why big cities are getting smaller
Kathryn talks with Massey University migration expert Paul Spoonley about the decline in population of cities around the world. London's population is expected to fall by 300,000 this year, and… Audio
How will Covid 19 change the nature of our cities
Matt Lowrie from the Greater Auckland website looks at how Covid 19 will change the nature of our cities. Audio
NZ cities ranked according to their affordability
Property council chief executive Leonie Freeman talks about the affordability rankings of New Zealand cities and which ones are the most unaffordable, which might not be where many think of. Audio
Designing cities with 'sustainable mobility'
Expat urban designer Skye Duncan landed a top job in New York working for Michael Bloomberg on one of his philanthropic projects. As Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative at the National… Audio
Tim Ross: Finding humour in architecture and design
He's best known for his work on TV and radio but Australian comedian Tim Ross has always had a passion for architecture and design. The self-proclaimed "designer nerd" is in the country for the… Audio
Green cities of the future - what we can expect in 2050
Better solar panels and efficient carbon capture technology will help shape the impact and look of cities in the future, say MacDiarmid Institute scientists. Audio
Our Changing World for 12 September 2019
MacDiarmid Institute scientists talk about how their work improving solar panel efficiency and developing carbon capture and storage techniques might shape cities of the future. Audio
A history of cities and how they've evolved
More than half the world's population live in urban areas and cities around the globe are getting larger and more congested. Through an archaeological lens, UCLA professor of anthropology and… Audio
Architects, ditch the big fancy houses
Bill McKay argues that architects and builders need to stop promoting themselves with big fancy houses and make their professions more relevant by helping the wider public house themselves. Bill McKay… Audio
Scientists warn indoor carbon dioxide levels could be a health hazard
A new report suggests that indoor levels of carbon dioxide could be clouding our thinking and may even pose a wider danger to human health. Audio
New Zealand's cold old housing stock
It’s mid-winter and time for our annual reminder about the miserable quality of much of New Zealand’s housing stock, says Bill McKay. Audio
Three Minutes Max: Rhonda Itaoui
Three Minutes Max: short, sharp opinions from commentators around New Zealand. This week we've gone across to Australia to hear from Rhonda Itaoui who's been studying Islamophobia and its impact on… Audio
John Mathers: Changing made in China to designed in China
John Mathers has spent nearly four decades in the brand and design industry. He's a visiting professor of design strategy at Shanghai's Tongji University and says there's a shift in China from… Audio
Our relationship with urban green spaces
Otago University science communication student Karthic Sivanandham investigates urban nature and how we relate to it. Audio
Louise O.Fresco: future-proofing food production
A visiting expert on the science of agriculture and food says we need to take action now to ensure the planet's growing population can be fed. Professor Louise O.Fresco says science needs to work hard… Audio
