YOUNG LEADERS PROGRAMME .
Be part of it !
Due to Covid-19 and the live event not taking place this year, our batch of Young Leaders is automatically offered a spot for the Young Leaders Programme at Urban Future Virtual 2021.
We will also open applications for a limited number of additional Young Leaders! Sign up for our Young-Leaders-Newsletter group on the bottom of this page to stay tuned for & follow us on our Social Media Channels. For any specific questions, contact programme coordinator Cornelia at cornelia@urban-future.org.
Please meet the Young Leaders cohort of 2020:
The Young Leaders 2020 come from 45 cities in 31 countries and are passionate about urban mobility, liveable districts, tactical urbanism, water, youth empowerment, policy, and so much more.
See what their #1 actions as mayors of their cities would be:
All
Best Of
City Officials
Topic Districts
Topic Leadership
Topic Mobility
UF Graz
UF Oslo
UF Vienna
Marina Klanjčić
Junior Data Science Researcher at ISI Foundation | Zagreb/Turin | Croatia/Italy
My first action as the mayor of my city is…transforming the big avenues currently oriented to cars into bicycle friendly (and safe) avenues.
Lina Oliveira
Architect at Campo Grande City Hall | Campo Grande | Brazil
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to make public transport free. Of course, it would also require a mobility plan, articulating all modes: on foot, by car, by bicycle, by bus – but prioritizing active mobility. Keeping in mind that the modal "walk" takes people to all other types of displacement, so it has to be well contemplated.
Ekaterina Solovova
Founder of Elderberry Café | Budapest | Hungary
My first action as the mayor of my city is…establishing a policy towards becoming a Sharing City and towards supporting community-led collaborative practices. To help that - also to introduce a digital participatory platform to learn from the citizens and collaborate with them more efficiently.
Seble Samuel
East Africa Communications and Knowledge Management Officer at CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security | Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create green mixed-income housing (including social housing) and run the city on a circular economy model.
Brittany Quale
Associate II at EnviroIssues | Portland | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…increase programs that incorporate public art and community storytelling into all infrastructure projects.
Peter Kraus
Member of Parliament at the City of Vienna | Vienna | Austria
My first action as the mayor of my city is…planting one tree for every resident in Vienna.
Lauren Craik
Research Assistant at MIT | Cambridge | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…so many to choose from! Would probably start by consolidating transportation adjacent entities into a more collaborative organization like London's Transport for London and then draft a sustainable mobility plan which included: congestion pricing, immediate BRT and bike pilot lanes, car- free days and a plan to repurpose the parking spots that would hopefully become obsolete. Secondary actions include removing exclusionary zoning, including single family restrictions and then working with local schools to use resources after hours- ensuring communities have access to gyms, libraries and playgrounds.
Gianella Chinchilla
Policy Associate at Gladstein, Neandross, and Associates (GNA) | Los Angeles | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to host town halls in different neighborhoods across the city to hear firsthand what the community would like to see improved. Moreover, this would be a great opportunity to develop relationships with the faces that make up my diverse city of Los Angeles.
David Klepej
Junior Researcher at Biotechnical Faculty at University of Ljubljana | Ljubljana | Slovenia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…introducing a comprehensive housing policy that will focus on urban density, connectivity and mixed use. Policy would work on three pillars: new development of apartments, redevelopment/renovations and regulation on the accessibility to the current housing fond (especially short term tourist renting, which is overtaking apartments in city centres). In parallel I would start projects to improve connectivity to the public transportation services and promote active mobility.
Jessica Watts
Engineer at Arup | Sydney | Australia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create a holistically sustainable ecosystem driven by empathy, I would nurture a cultivation of behavioural change by educating all members of society to be more empathetic towards each other and the environment. As a first action, to educate the public on the human consequences of climate change, I would support organisations to host training as well as a clever advertisement campaign focusing on the climate refugee crisis.
Lauren Ieiden
Urban Planner at Troy Planning + Design | Amsterdam | The Netherlands
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to reshape all local governing bodies to ensure the senior leadership team consists of a representative group of individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds.
Justine Tytgat
Business Consultant at Möbius Business Redesign | Ghent | Belgium
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to make it smarter, more resource efficient and self-sustaining.
José Roberto Lagunes Trejo
Supervisor Community Development at Fundación Hogares | Mexico City | Mexico
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to invest in massive public transportation to connect communities that live in the outskirts of Mexico City.
Marthe van Gils
Researcher / Designer at Veldacademie | Rotterdam | The Netherlands
My first action as the mayor of my city is…making all the flat roofs green and accessible. Some roofs will be public spaces, others private gardens or community gardens. There will also be roof villages and farms. Once a year, I will switch off all the lights in the city. Through this ritual citizens share a special moment together on the roof watching the sky full of stars. It is a moment for reflection and beauty, to feel connected to each other, and to remind ourselves that we are all astronauts on planet earth.
Olga Mnishko
Project Producer at Open Urban Lab (OUL) | Saint Petersburg | Russia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to reduce car traffic: speed limits in the city max 30 km/h, develop cycling infrastructure and a successful public transport system.
Ivan Tamayo Ramos
Founder of Tierradura | Culiacán | México
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to optimize public transport to integrate the whole society and tackle inequality while improving street life and reducing carbon emissions.
Kristen Zupancic
Trend & Innovation Analyst at The Class of 2020 | Amsterdam | The Netherlands
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to green all the rooftops! #2 action: Change outdated policy and planning regulations that restrict new co-living models.
Rotem Carmi
Creative Urban Producer at Hareshet (The Network) | Be'er Sheva | Israel
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create opportunities for people to shape and form their own surroundings. I want them to feel that the city is their sandbox for experiences, ideas and passions, and my role is to define the boundaries of the sandbox and make sure no one destroys the sandcastle that a fellow citizen toiled to build.
Martinho Augusto
Geographer at GIPP | Porto | Portugal
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to speak with the stakeholders of the city, creating a vision of the future.
Miguel González Vaz
Project Assistant at EUROCITIES | Brussels | Belgium
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to allocate a meaningful part of the city council budget to set up a participation system together with my citizens, social organizations and stakeholders. Subsequently incorporating this participation in the design of the strategic development of the city.
Jaffer Muljiani
Sustainability Consultant at BDP | London | United Kingdom
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to launch a city development vehicle, that primarily exists to serve the communities of the city and employs sustainable procurement strategies with long term finance. This would involve for instance, borrowing […]
Ellen Ryan
Graduate Planner at Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (Victorian State Government) | Geelong | Australia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to prioritize being an outstanding, self-sustaining, inward looking city, and employ the most outlandish people to make it happen. Setting an example that a truly sustainable citing is achievable... Not a big task at all...
Agustina Apud
Architect at Udelar | Montevideo | Uruguay
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create an urban forest in the central part of the city. Cars are banned, nature and biodiversity are restored within the central urban area. Healthier habits such as running, walking, biking and others are encouraged.
Lydia Oehlwein
Urban Designer at Cityfoerster Architecture + Urbanism | Hannover | Germany
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to implement a free-off charge cargo bike/electronic wheelchair/kid’s bike sharing system.
Deanna Han
Negative Emissions Consultant at Applied Negative Emissions Centre | Toronto | Canada
My first action as the mayor of my city is…a city-wide potluck/picnic day where every family brings a dish and they have picnics together.
Yuval Carny
Big Data Analyst | Tel Aviv | Israel
My first action as the mayor of my city is…creating a combined database of all transportation information the city owns (short time rental of cars, bikes and minibus lines) to better understand the transportation needs of residences to reduce the usage of private cars in the city. After proof of concept, I will promote the use of data in other fields such as education and welfare.
Martha Marisa Wanat
Managing Director of BICICLI Corporate Cycling Solutions | Berlin | Germany
My first action as the mayor of my city is…creating more social places and building lots of bicycle paths and sidewalks.
Ellie Murtagh
Climate Resilience Coordinator at Sniffer | Edinburgh | Scotland
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to ensure how the city is prepared for current and future climate change and climate considerations are incorporated into all investment and planning decisions to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for all.
Mathis Dippon
Project Manager at Act.Now | Vienna | Austria
My first action as the mayor of my city is…ban motorized private transport from city and district centers.
Sofia Barbeiro
Business Developer at Phenix Portugal | Lisbon | Portugal
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to implement industrial composting in Lisbon right away!
Mounir Kabbara
Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers | Dubai | United Arab Emirates
My first action as the mayor of my city is…enhanced regulations to minimize my city's carbon footprint.
Mhlengi Ngcobo
Marketing Director at Corpula Group | Durban | South Africa
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to build a non-profit hub that will act as a business incubator and an accelerator network ecosystem for environmentally friendly tech-associated start-ups.
Narjis Zehra
Playground Researcher at Habib University | Karachi | Pakistan
My first action as the mayor of my city is…accurate data generation and validation to promote transparency in the system.
John Moody
Graduate Research Assistant at MIT | Cambridge | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to make all city buses frequent-service and free of charge!
Andrew Amos
Urban Designer at ClarkeHopkinsClarke Architects | Melbourne | Australia
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to ensure that Melbourne's urban forest tree canopy covers the entire city (roofs and all!).
Liza Farr
Graduate Student at MIT | Cambridge | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to install a mandate for every policy or program implemented by government to include a social equity and climate change impact analysis, and achieve a minimum score in order to proceed.
Yasmina Youssef
Part-Timer Assistant Lecturer at Arab Academy for Science and Technology | Alexandria | Egypt
My first action as the mayor of my city is…a planting day, i will plant a tree. Not only me, but all Alexandria's citizens. Let people feel that they are connected to their city and can change it by their own hands.
Ana Leite
Project Manager at InvestPorto | Porto | Portugal
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create a tax that discourages motor vehicles from entering the city center, to reduce carbon emissions and noise; and, on the other hand, to increase the well-being of citizens who live and work in the city. Use the proceeds of these fees to reduce social inequalities and avoid social segregation. For example, create specific training projects for homeless people, in order to enable them to exercise dignified professions, such as: maintaining public spaces, gardens, cleaning up degraded historical heritage, tourist guides, among others. Develop new ways of covering buildings, especially public ones, turning them into green spaces, in order to mitigate the effects of climate change, specifically the increase in temperature. Overall, I would like to see the city more intergenerational, placing young people living in ageing areas and vice versa, facilitating contact and learning between generations.
Shweta Gandhi
Architect at Sharjah Museums Authority | Sharjah | United Arab Emirates
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to make socially inclusive places and lay out policies for community engagement in a world where connections are virtually driven.
Maral Koohestanian
Researcher at Fraunhofer IAO / Global Shapers | Stuttgart | Germany
My first action as the mayor of my city is…free public transport and 2 car-free weekends per month!
Mariana Marmelada
Architecture Master Student at the University of Lisbon | Lisbon | Portugal
My first action as the mayor of my city is…improving the public transportation network in order to reduce traffic (and CO2 emissions), resulting in less street lines, allowing more space for green areas and public spaces, improving Lisbon's walkability and built environment.
Bárbara Montalva
Youth Cultural Manager at Centro Cultural da Juventude | São Paulo | Brazil
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to work for a better distribution of services, with all citizens receiving a more human and collaborative city, working for collaborative planning for access to housing, access to water, urban mobility and green cities.
Jop Spoelstra
Innovation Program Manager at Technolution | Rotterdam | The Netherlands
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to fully prioritizing active, public and micro-mobility over private vehicles in the Rotterdam city centre mobility plans. Not only will this have concrete benefits for well-known policy goals as accessibility and air quality, but it will also improve a much overlooked benefit (and known issue) within Rotterdam: Equality for all layers of the Rotterdam community to reap the opportunities that the city and region provides, as I am a strong supporter of the famous quote: ‘A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It’s where the rich use public transportation’.
Ana-Maria Enache
Event Administrator at Emerson SRL | Cluj-Napoca | Romania
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to add a car fee to enter the city center, in addition to making the public transport system free for a test period of one year.
Ruben Morgan
Graduate Researcher Assistant at MIT | Cambridge | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to require parking cash outs from all employers.
Darryle Ulama
Graduate Researcher at MIT | Cambridge | United States
My first action as the mayor of my city is…housing for all!
Afua Wilcox
Architect and PhD Candidate at TU Delft & AAC | Johannesburg | South Africa
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to create an inclusive, well designed, sustainable city. I would like to create opportunities for the underprivileged, and to remove corruption from our state in order to give more to people that need it.
Trevelyan Wing
Centre Researcher at Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance, University of Cambridge | Cambridge | United Kingdom
My first action as the mayor of my city is…to reimagine recycling for the 21st century city! Hong Kong is a world leader in many respects, but Hongkongers are far behind when it comes to recycling – vital for achieving the circular economy of the future. Recycling is not yet an instinctive habit, as in many other places, and it should be. Change starts at home, and we can make a real difference - and, in so doing, revolutionize sustainability in our city.
About the programme .
The Young Leaders Programme is a special programme track of the Urban Future Events, taking place annually during the conference days. It is directed at passionate urban changemakers of 30 years or younger that want to change the future of our cities for the better. Up to 50 Young Leaders are chosen to be part of it after running through an online application process.
During the conference, Young Leaders have access to all “regular” conference sessions and workshops – plus exclusive programme and networking options specifically tailored to their needs. The aim of the programme is to get ambitious young CityChangers involved into the discussion about how our cities of the future should and will look like. We’re creating exclusive programme options for you that will push you, inspire you, provide you with a head full of new perspectives, and a strong network to follow whatever career path you have chosen for yourself.
This means that on top of all conference sessions, formats such as the following await you:
Mumble in the Jungle
Mumble in the Jungle
These are discussions in small groups of 6-8 attendees. In very “honest” and personal sessions, community-, business-, and city leaders share very private experiences (eg. of being a politician) and you can bug them with your questions. In these sessions, there’s a strong focus on personal experiences, skills, motivation and how to deal with frustrations along the way.
Skill Workshops
Skill Workshops
During these sessions, we’re connecting you with renowned experts from all over the world – on the topics of leadership, communication or presentation skills, for example. These workshops are focused on fostering skills and knowledge crucial to young leaders, paving their way and getting them involved.
Braincycling Sessions
Braincycling Sessions
This is where you can get together with your fellow Young Leaders and discuss your own projects – to broaden your horizon and channel different approaches and perspectives on topics that are essential to your vision of changing cities for the better.
Networking Options
Networking Options
We’re giving you exclusive networking options at the conference – for example at the official VIP and speakers’ reception, and will make sure that you get enough presence during the conference days: we want all conference participants to know who you are and get to know you! This is your chance to get connected to almost 3.000 CityChangers!
Meet the Young Leaders Alumnis .
47 Young Leaders from all around the world were chosen to join the first edition of the Young Leaders Programme happening during UFGC19 in Oslo.
They…
came from 32 cities in 17 countries
were 51% female and 49% male
engaged in topics like water, energy, built environment & architecture,
urban food, behavioral change, raising awareness, mobility or new work
founded a network for young urban CityChangers:
The Future Urban Leaders Network
Curious to know more? Here’s our Young Leaders Alumni Gallery, featuring all 47 programme participants including their names, cities, topics, quotes and LinkedIn profiles so you can get in touch with them:
All
Best Of
City Officials
Topic Districts
Topic Leadership
Topic Mobility
UF Graz
UF Oslo
UF Vienna
Saara Ilvessalo
Chair for the Urban Environment Committee, City of Turku | Turku | Finland
How do we get "we've always done it like this" politicians on board with making cities more sustainable? Being a politician herself, Saara is working hard on implementing various changes in her city - always seeing the bigger picture and getting the citizens on board.
Fabian Lohmar
Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft, Zentrum für Logistik und Verkehr | Essen | Germany
With his background in physics, Fabian adds valuable technical knowledge when it comes to seeing the city as a whole system and an organism. He specializes in the fields of mobility and energy, wanting to link both fields when it comes to sustainable solutions.
Collin Wagenmakers
Data Science Student / Videographer Wagenmakers Media | Eindhoven | The Netherlands
Ultimately, Collin wants to contribute to the energy transition as a data scientist. As a videographer, he raises awareness so that individuals understand their role in making a change towards sustainability.
Tarek El Azzouzi
European Development Coordinator, Futureproofed | Leuven | Belgium
We can only drive climate action if we as citizens and also cities work together and learn from each other. This is what Tarek promotes with working at Futureproofed: a platform, where citizens and cities are connected and come together as a community to exchange good climate actions and implement them.
Natalia Makovetskaya
Director of participatory planning department, Strelka KB | Moscow | Russia
Having worked in over 50 cities in the past 3 years, Natalia introduced the practice of co-designing and participatory planning to the architectural department of the largest Russian urban consulting company. She's also teaching city governments how to work with local communities.
Jonathan Naraine
Architect & Food system designer, The Foodprint Lab | Gothenburg | Sweden
With his digital matchmaking platform "Grow", Jonathan connects unused land with potential growers to enable more urban farming. Until 2030, he wants to facilitate 1000 new urban farms around Europe and engage 10.000 people to co-create their built environment!
Diana Marcela Diaz Castro
Consultant, Steer | London | United Kingdom
Making cities more sustainable worldwide when it comes to getting from A to B: Diana has carried out projects in research, consultancy and the public sector in Latin America, the US, Europe and the UK to promote sustainable transport systems.
Daniel Borup Jakobsen
Councillor, Aalborg Municipality & Group Marketing Manager, CompanYoung Group | Aalborg | Denmark
As a councillor, Daniel strives to translate the UN SDG's into actions of the daily lives of citizens as well as daily operations of business and industry. He strongly believes in the power of collaboration and a holistic approach.
Håkon Aarseth
Product Manager, NAF | Oslo | Norway
What does the future of micromobility look like in the city center? If you ask Håkon, it's e-bikes and alternative models of ownership, so that we move more people and goods, but with less emissions.
Alexander Yacine
Scrum Master, Lecos GmbH | Leipzig | Germany
How can we develop a city where all beings can thrive? For Alex - bio-inspired systemic futurist - it's all about collaboration, transformative learning and new ways to activate human potential.
Olav Soldal
Student, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) | Ås | Norway
How can we shift the urban metabolism to a sustainable one? With a passion for circular cities, Olav's attention particularly lies in the heavy-impact building sector.
Nour Ghadanfar
Master of City Planning Candidate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge | United States
How can the infrastructure keep up with growing cities? Nour's passion has always been related to working towards development in the Arab world, focusing on the topic of transportation in particular - for example with the social initiative "KuwaitCommute".
Ján Slimák
Department of Strategy and Projects Officer, City of Bratislava | Bratislava | Slovakia
Bratislava as an important hub of innovation and creativity, competing with the international market? This is exactly what Ján wants to achieve - having a variety of stakeholders getting involved in the city's development for everyone's benefit.
Stian Backe
PhD Candidate | Trondheim | Norway
How can we design energy systems for future city development? Stian is currently doing research to understand techno-economic aspects of energy assets in smart cities - in a time where decarbonization, digitalization, democratization and decentralization are increasingly dominating the discourse.
Pietro Rosso
Building Engineer and Architect | Calice Ligure (SV) | Italy
Architecture fosters the integration of cultures - this is what Pietro is convinced of. He researched the links between social housing, integration and sacred architecture and planned a new social housing district in Milan.
Alba Iglesias Clavijo
Project Officer, Fuenlabrada City Hall | Fuenlabrada |Spain
A city without racism or cultural prejudices? This is what Alba dreams of. And works on, with the MILMA project: making Fuenlabrada more sustainable when it comes to employment, work reconversion and the inclusion of migrant people.
Matt Stewart
Founder, Yarra Pools, Melbourne & MetaDada Festival, Berlin | Berlin | Germany
Making Melbourne's river healthy & swimmable - just one of Matts visions that he is currently turning into action! Besides that, he is involved in projects on last-mile delivery, reducing loneliness through built environment, or creating arts festivals.
Jenny Ueland
Civil Architect, Nordic - Office of Architecture | Oslo | Norway
Being an experienced architect and leading the sustainability group of the biggest architectural firm in Norway, Jenny aims for something bigger than just sustainable buildings: changing the entire system towards a circular economy!
Fruzsina Nagy
Intern, Metabolic | Amsterdam | The Netherlands
Co-creating a circular and healthy neighborhood? Fruzsina is on it. Being a part of GreenWURks, she helps design a new landscape for the city of Amsterdam. On top, she's passionate about food resilience and sustainable finance models.
Lisa Gassler
Marketing Manager, Venuzle GmbH | Graz | Austria
Motivating citizens with a holistic offer of community sports and events to live a healthy and communal life - this is the vision driving Lisa at her job at Venuzle.
Matteo De Vos
Ecosystems Campaigner, Greenpeace Belgium | Brussels | Belgium
Reinventing the way cities are run: that's the vision driving Matteo. He's promoting urban farms to make cities more self-sustaining, raises awareness for the overproduction of meat and is all about making cities reactive and resilient.
Emilie Hernes Vereide
MSc Student / Climate pilot, Klimaetaten | Oslo | Norway
As a climate pilot, Emilie raises awareness for climate change by giving lectures about it at schools. Climate strikes show the power and importance of the voice of young people - Emilie does her part in educating them about climate change.
Amanda Lona
Urban planner, Hvaler kommune | Skjærhalden | Norway
The Green Harbor project, active citizen dialogues, and deciding how to handle excess rainwater - as an urban planner at Hvaler kommune, Amanda is actively changing her city for the better.
Aroosha Zahid
Assistant Urban Designer, De Zwarte Hond | Groningen | Netherlands
Sustainable urbanism has many faces: Aroosha contributes as a researcher, innovator, activist and artist, grasping the depth of urban issues and the need for collaboration.
Kelly Delaney
Masters Student, Lund University | Lund | Sweden
How can existing neighbourhoods be sustainably redeveloped? Kelly is researching how policies supporting densification and urban nature-based solutions are integrated, approaching the topic from a very practical perspective.
Valentin Kranz
Student Research Assistant, WZB Berlin Social Science Center | Berlin | Germany
Connecting with inspiring minds and creative actors who stay up at night dreaming of subways and bike lanes - that's what Valentin did at UFGC in Oslo. He's passionate about the fair allocation of street space and advocation for active and healthy mobility.
Siddharth Sareen
Postdoctoral research fellow, Centre for Climate and Energy Transformation, University of Bergen | Bergen | Norway
Siddharth contributes to shaping urban energy futures by working on the governance of energy transitions. Having lived in 20 cities across 4 continents, he has lead various projects - his sectoral focus being the role of solar uptake in ensuring sustainability transitions.
Helen Hepher
Urban Designer and Planner, David Lock Associates | Milton Keynes / London | United Kingdom
Promoting sustainability through good design - this is what Helen is passionate about as an urban designer and planner. She's particularly interested in inclusive cities, with a focus on the developing world (poverty alleviation, slum upgrading).
Ludwig Pannach
Senior Consultant, MHP - A Porsche Company | Berlin | Deutschland
Having worked as a senior consultant on new mobility concepts for leading automotive companies before, Ludwig recently co-founded a corporate startup with the aim of making corporate mobility more efficient. He believes in engaging the individual: Someone always has to begin to make a dent in the universe!
Ole Erik Lunder
Student, Norwegian University of Life Science & Climate pilot, Oslo Municipality | Oslo | Norway
While raising awareness for climate change and educating students about it as a Climate Pilot, Ole Erik is also excited about the role that urban agriculture plays or could play in a green shift of the city.
Cynthia Zurita Véliz
Student/Consultant, Universidade de Lisboa | Lisbon | Portugal
How can we globally develop a sustainable society? Cynthia is building bridges between South America and Europe by focusing her studies on Natural Resources and Climate Change, and using this knowledge in her role as a consultant.
Anastasia Wraa
BREEAM coordinator (Sustainability manager), AF Gruppen | Oslo | Norway
Developing a city sustainably by building sustainably - this is Anastasia's passion, which she lives off in her role as sustainability manager for one of the leading Norwegian construction and industrial groups.
Vanessa Mueggler
Director of New Initiatives, GI Quo Vadis | Montreal | Canada
Working in the real estate sector, Vanessa wants to use her role as city builder to go beyond just the bricks of a building - creating master plans that are inclusively designed, human-centred and carefully crafted with sustainable materials. She believes in the triple bottom line approach (people, planet, profit).
Alessio Sevarin
Founder and CEO, UP-Ride OG | Graz | Austria
What does AI have to do with motorcycles? Ask Alessio. He and his team are working strongly to improve the safety of the powered-two-wheelers rider with artificial intelligence and crowd-sourced data analysis.
Jean Paul Brice Affana
Founder and Coordinator, Vital Actions for Sustainable Development (AVD) | Yaoundé | Cameroon & Bonn | Germany
From starting local projects with his youth-led NGO in Cameroon to a "Green Taxis Campaign" or working as a policy advisor withing the international climate policy team of Germanwatch based in Bonn - Jean Paul Brice contributes to sustainable cities in the most various ways.
Jamie Wylie
Masters student in Environmental Management and Policy. Lund University | Lund | Sweden
How to promote car-free city centers and reduce business opposition? This is what Jamie's master thesis project is all about, using Oslo as a case study. He aims to transform cities from car-dominated, polluted and congested transport systems towards healthy, efficient and sustainable transport.
Marius Ronde
Group manager, ÅF Engineering | Lillestrøm | Norway
As a group leader at ÅF, Marius is ambitious about finding new management philosophies when it comes to leadership - always with an open eye on the use of resources (both human and material).
Ignacio Foyatier
Architect, Edilizia DC | Rosario | Argentina
Ignacio promotes strategic design for cities - cities where people, not cars are the priority. Having worked on a train infrastructure project in Rosario, Argentina, recently, Ignacio is now looking for exciting projects he can contribute to as a freelance architect in Europe.
Isabell Eberlein
Board Member, Changing Cities e.V. | Berlin | Germany
Changing Cities - this the name of Isabell's main project based in Berlin, but also her ambition when it comes to the topic of sustainable mobility and implementing a safe bicycle infrastructure in Berlin. Tranforming the urban mobility behaviour is her #1 priority.
Hauk Are Fjeld
Climate pilot, The city of Oslo, Filmproducer, Haukeblikk Film & Student, University of Oslo | Oslo | Norway
What shapes people's attitudes towards climate and environmental efforts? Both as a climate pilot and a videographer, Hauk Are raises awareness and communicates about climate change and environmental topics to a broader audience.
Eva de Bruijn
City Council Member & Social Designer, GroenLinks Eindhoven | Eindhoven | The Netherlands
As a social designer and local politician, Eva creates new methods to bridge the gap between policy makers and the people affected by these policies. To her, the city of the future is a circular one.
Antonella Amesberger
Architect, ATP Wien Planungs GmbH | Vienna | Austria
Which urban strategies can be provided by architects to achieve a positive impact on public life during urban transformation? This question arose when Antonella studied in Shanghai - and still drives her work as an architect.
Martha Andrea Lund
Landscape architect, Rambøll | Oslo | Norway
How can urban spaces be designed with a focus on climatic factors (wind, sun, rain, temperature)? This is what Martha Andrea asks herself as a landscape architect. She's particularly passionate about the management of floodwater in urban areas.
Samantha Suppiah
Sustainability Specialist, White Arkitekter | Stockholm | Sweden
Currently working on the holistic sustainable design of large neighbourhood schemes in London, for Samantha it's all about actively participating in the ongoing global discourse on the sustainable built environment. She wants to leave a legacy of positive impact - also applying the lessons she learnt to Southeast Asia.
Eva Paola Campos Cantu
Student, Uis | Stavanger | Norway
Much can be done if individuals are concious about their impact on a sustainable future! Eva tackles the challenge of behavioural change regarding carbon emission reductions and sustainable lifestyles and works as a consultant on urban development in her home-city Monterrey, Mexico.
Luisina Perassi
Architect, Humankind & El Desafío Foundation | Rosario | Argentina
Designing cities to be happy and inclusive - this is what Luisina's passion is all about. She has previously been involved with the urban regeneration of a neighbourhood with extreme poverty in Rosario, Argentina. Currently based in Denmark, Luisina wants to contribute to cities focused on people - safe, diverse and healthy.
