• #30 - Tobias Baur: From tropical Singapore to Europe - the "ABC Waters" of sponge cities and climate adaptive design
    Jun 3 2024

    Tobias Baur, Professor in Landscape Architecture at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST), Rapperswil and former partner at Studio Ramboll-Dreiseitl, sheds some light on Singapore's Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters Program, the country's journey in water management, and how sponge cities have evolved from stormwater to climate adaptation in recent years in Asia and Europe. We discuss the important role that interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral collaboration played in ensuring a successful renaturalisation of an urban stream in the flagship Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park project and the challenges going forward.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and Reflections on Singapore
    5:04 Early inspiration for water in landscape design
    9:00 Singapore's early water management leadership
    12:15 The ABC Waters Programme
    15:46 The Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park Project
    27:20 Tobias' other projects around Singapore
    31:58 Back in Europe and comparisons with the tropics
    36:14 Sponge Cities in Switzerland
    40:06 The role of the landscape architect and designer
    42:34 Q&A Start
    42:54 What inspires you?
    44:10 Key event, person, book
    44:40 If you had a magic wand?
    46:16 Biggest challenge in career to date
    48:20 Time management
    50:00 Advice for young researchers
    51:05 Where can people reach you?
    51:36 Final Message
    52:02 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
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    53 mins
  • #29 - Katrin Pakizer: Grassroots movements, policy instruments and timing for transforming water, biodiversity and underground management
    May 27 2024

    Katrin Pakizer, Research Associate from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & Technology (Eawag) joins us to discuss how to create transformative change and to transition cities towards more sustainable natural resources management from the lenses of water infrastructure, biodiversity and all the many infrastructures and resources beneath our feet. We look at the challenges that we are likely to face in future in these areas due to climate change and what changes have to happen in institutions if we want to succeed in being more sustainable.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and fascination with Lichen
    5:58 What came first, social sciences or nature
    7:55 Katrin's journey to decentralized water systems
    14:42 Creating transformative change 1: Grassroots movements
    20:28 A 101 on housing cooperatives in Switzerland
    23:17 Creating transformative change 2: Policy instrument mixes
    28:41 Creating transformative change 3: Timing and sequencing
    40:39 Katrin's current endeavours in biodiversity
    45:16 Underground resources governance
    52:35 The road ahead for Katrin
    54:10 Q&A Start
    54:30 What inspires you
    56:55 If you had a magic wand
    59:22 Key moment, book, person
    1:01:24 Biggest challenge to date
    1:07:23 Time management
    1:12:10 Advice for young researchers
    1:14;32 Where can people find you
    1:15:00 Final message
    1:15:22 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • #28 - Alexa Delbosc: A social psychology toolkit for changing transport planning, built environment and future mobility
    Apr 30 2024

    Alexa Delbosc, Associate Professor at the Monash University Institute of Transport Studies, Australia demonstrates how social psychology concepts and thinking can be applied to transport planning. We explore a variety of topics including dehumanization of cyclists, changing lifestyles of millennials, the impact of the pandemic on transport, work from home culture, the built environment considerations, egocentric anchoring in planning and new ways of thinking about the city, especially with the uptake of micromobility.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    00:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and Ornithology
    4:53 From animal behaviour to human behaviour
    7:56 Cars vs. Cyclists
    10:03 The Dehumanization Scale
    12:00 Addressing the contested road space
    16:25 Millennials and changing perceptions of the city
    23:54 The pandemic and its impact
    26:53 Work from home culture and transport
    29:46 Impact of the built environment and the third space
    31:32 Egocentric anchoring and other key social psychology concepts
    35:07 New ways of thinking about cities
    36:42 Is collective design the solution?
    40:00 New challenges in micromobility
    43:39 Where is transport planning heading to?
    46:47 Diversification of transport
    50:26 Q&A Start
    50:43 What inspires you?
    52:52 Key event, person, book
    53:31 If you had a magic wand?
    55:42 Biggest challenge in career to date
    57:30 Time management
    1:00:21 Advice for young researchers
    1:01:50 Easter Egg: Alexa’s D&D Campaign
    1:03:28 Where can people find you?
    1:04:06 Final Message
    1:04:30 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
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    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • #27 - Darcy Molnar: A personal journey, from Africa to Switzerland - insights on education, nature-based solutions and women scientists
    Apr 9 2024

    Darcy Molnar, Senior Program Coordinator at the Leopold-Bachmann Foundation and the Masters in Advanced Studies (MAS) in Water Resources Program Coordinator at ETH Zurich reflects on three major initiatives she has undertaken to foster better knowledge exchange on solving global crises, bridging global north and south and providing more opportunities for women in STEM. Having grown up in West Africa herself, we learn a bit about how we can use some African culture can and "joie de vivre" to tinker with our own daily lives and personal missions.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and her Egyptian Experience
    7:29 From Physics to Engineering and Development
    14:12 The Sanaga River
    17:15 Getting to Switzerland
    20:39 How to teach nature-based solutions?
    35:07 Network for Water and Life (NEWAL)
    44:42 500 Women Scientists
    48:30 The Kangaroo Math Competition
    1:00:30 Darcy’s New Adventure
    1:01:51 Q&A Start
    1:02:17 Key event, book person
    1:04:33 If you had a magic wand?
    1:05:23 Biggest challenge in career to date
    1:08:27 Time Management
    1:11:19 Advice for young scientists
    1:12:02 Where can people find you?
    1:12:20 Final Message
    1:13:24 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • #26 - Manuel Fischer: The Good, the Bad, and the Socio-Political - can science really support collaborative policymaking?
    Mar 18 2024

    Manuel Fischer, Professor at the Institute of Political Science, University of Bern, group leader in Policy Analysis and Environmental Governance and head of the Environmental Social Sciences Institute at the Eawag, Switzerland shares some insights on the social dynamics between major actors in the political arena during times of stability and times of crisis and the importance of delving deeper into these dynamics for better social-ecological systems. We also discuss the harsh reality of whether science can impact policy.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro, Interview Skills and Social Processes
    7:01 Manuel for President!
    9:14 A 101 on Swiss Politics
    13:03 Manuel’s academic journey to date
    17:14 Actors, the social scientist and the theatre piece
    19:27 The good guys, the bad guys and the ‘devil shift’
    28:18 The ‘devil’s advocate’?
    31:06 Decision-making in times of crises - Fukushima
    36:09 Social networks
    40:27 Social-Ecological Networks for Biodiversity
    48:02 The role of scientists going forward
    49:39 Manuel’s approach to the future
    50:45 Q&A Start
    51:08 Key event, person, book
    53:20 If you had a magic wand?
    54:04 Biggest challenge to date
    55:59 Time management
    58:14 Advice to young social scientists
    1:00:44 The ivory tower of academia
    1:02:10 Where can people find you?
    1:02:49 Final message
    1:03:05 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • #25 - Shubber Ali: Your garden, the 'field of dreams' for tackling the twin crises of climate change and artificial intelligence
    Mar 5 2024

    Shubber Ali, CEO of Garden for Wildlife, a spin-out from the National Wildlife Federation in the US, reflects on the journey from helping companies improve their innovation to how people can contribute to improving biodiversity in their own gardens through the use of native plants. We also discuss the twin crises of climate change and artificial intelligence (in particular, Generative AI) and look at both the positives and negatives around major societal changes we are likely to experience in future.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro and Gardening
    6:48 Innovation a love-hate relationship
    13:43 Shubber's Origin Story
    16:16 Nature's best hope
    18:46 Founding Garden for Wildlife
    24:35 Nature and human health
    27:10 Native vs. Non-native
    30:30 Green justice the Field of Dreams Hypothesis
    34:10 American fascination with lawns
    36:36 Reducing friction for change
    39:08 The IKEA for Biodiversity?
    41:26 Deal with it at source - cost of poor quality problem
    43:15 Current successes of Garden for Wildlife
    45:18 What's next for Garden for Wildlife
    50:51 Coming to Europe?
    52:08 Climate Conference COP27
    55:04 We have too much information
    58:01 Artificial Intelligence and the dawn of Generative AI
    1:02:09 Potential downsides of AI
    1:08:55 Crisis breeds action
    1:10:53 What is the root cause problem?
    1:13:59 Q&A Start
    1:14:17 If you had a magic wand?
    1:18:25 What inspires you?
    1:22:55 Key book event person
    1:30:55 Biggest challenge to date
    1:34:55 Time Management
    1:40:50 Where can people find you?
    1:41:37 Final Message
    1:41:59 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 43 mins
  • #24 - Jon Hathaway: The ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of green infrastructure, opening a ‘can of worms’ and gaining control of watersheds
    Feb 19 2024

    Jon Hathaway, Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee Knoxville sheds light on the origins and practice of green infrastructure for stormwater management in the US, the impact climate change will have, needs for better asset management and maintenance and how we can operate these systems in a smarter way. We also compare notes and terminology in this field across the globe and discuss the challenges of academics working at the interface with practice.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest Intro, US Travel and Mountainbiking
    5:33 Jon’s interest in natural systems
    8:18 Exposure to green stormwater infrastructure
    12:04 Green infrastructure terminology
    17:11 Early work on swine lagoon seepage treatment
    19:50 Bioretention - the “Swiss Army Knife”
    22:19 Indicator bacteria, pathogens and other pollutants
    27:14 Interdisciplinary collaboration
    30:26 Backyard GI and stormwater asset maintenance
    36:39 Origins of GI? and implications for other places
    39:37 Bioretention, rain gardens, or biofiltration
    42:00 Regulations in the US around stormwater
    48:05 Impact of climate change on GI
    54:53 Monitoring and control of GI
    1:03:28 Q&A Start
    1:03:43 What inspires you?
    1:06:18 Key event, person, book
    1:07:36 Biggest challenge in career to date
    1:10:47 If you had a magic wand?
    1:13:15 Time management
    1:14:44 Advice for young researchers
    1:16:58 Where can people reach you?
    1:17:35 Final Message
    1:19:01 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • #23 - Markus Vogl: To give 'space' - from a library to collaborative urban transformation and rethinking the architect's role
    Feb 5 2024

    Markus Vogl, Professor at the University of Stuttgart, senior partner at Studio Urban Strategies and former "Walter Gropius Chair" at the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina reflects on the power of social collaboration for urban transformation by retelling the story of perhaps the most impactful project in his career to date, the Biblioteca Popular La Carcova and Parque Educativo. We also discuss what the role of architecture and urbanism should look like to tackle the grand challenges that we face.

    Podcast Intro/Outro Song: Starsky by Alex Keren (Check out more of his tunes over on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5vZ3lENfDLjkln8scBJ8mW)

    Chapters:
    0:00 Intro
    1:59 Guest introduction and AM radio signals
    3:36 Buenos Aires, stereotypes and Tango
    8:20 The Clubes de Barrio
    11:54 Early interest in Architecture and Urbanism
    15:27 “Städtebau” or citymaking as interdisciplinarity
    21:00 From TU Munich to TU Delft
    24:11 Getting to Buenos Aires
    28:07 Society, globalization and confronting reality
    34:13 Biblioteca La Carcova: Prologue: The Walter Gropius Chair
    39: 49 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 1 - The Canvas
    42:23 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 2 - A book means freedom
    45:14 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 3 - Building a place of encounter
    47:11 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 4 - Gauchito Gil
    49:00 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 5 - Enter Markus
    51:18 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 6 - Parque Educativo
    53:17 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 7 - 3000 Euros and the Pandemic
    56:38 Biblioteca La Carcova: Part 8 - The Obelisco
    1:01:30 The role of the architect
    1:02:41 The next steps for the Parque Educativo
    1:07:05 Q&A Start
    1:07:33 What inspires you?
    1:08:28 Key event, person, book
    1:10:24 If you had a magic wand?
    1:12:18 Biggest challenge in career to date
    1:17:30 Time management
    1:19:22 Advice for young architects
    1:20:42 Where can people reach you?
    1:21:50 Final Message
    1:22:31 Outro

    Detailed shownotes over at: petermbach.com/podcast for more in-depth information about each episode.
    Join the community over at: linkedin.com/company/tgcpodcast and let's connect across the world!

    Subscribe and listen to the podcast (and do please leave a review/rating) on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from.
    Your subscription/follow will greatly help the show grow and reach a wider audience.

    Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach (www.petermbach.com), follow me on:

    • X (fomerly Twitter): @petermbach
    • Instagram: @petermbach87
    • Subscribe to my channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/PeterMarcusBach/
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 24 mins