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INCLUSIVE URBAN FUTURES
Inclusive Urban Futures explores one of the defining questions of our time: how do we build inclusive urban futures in a world shaped by rapid urbanisation, technological disruption, demographic change, climate transition, and shifting patterns of investment and power?
Hosted by Dr. Orna Rosenfeld, global advisor on housing systems, investment and inclusion, the podcast brings together leaders, policymakers, researchers, investors, practitioners and innovators from around the world to examine the forces shaping the future of cities and societies.
Through conversations, reflections and thought leadership, Inclusive Urban Futures explores topics including housing affordability, urban development, social cohesion, migration, climate adaptation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI), governance, and the evolving geography of urban growth. Episodes draw on perspectives from across disciplines, sectors and global regions, connecting global trends with practical experience and implementation.
Produced by the Inclusive Urban Futures Association, the podcast creates a space for dialogue across boundaries and borders — linking ideas with action, policy with practice, and ambition with delivery. It is a platform for exploring how inclusion can be embedded in the systems, institutions and investments that will shape the future of urban life.
Learn more: www.inclusiveurbanfutures.org
Contact: hello@inclusiveurbanfutures.org
INCLUSIVE URBAN FUTURES
Season 2. Episode 1: Pietro Elisei
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In this episode of Inclusive Urban Futures, recorded live at the World Urban Forum, we had the pleasure of speaking with Pietro Elisei, urban and regional planner, founder of URBASOFIA, and former President of ISOCARP.
As cities around the world face growing pressures from housing shortages, climate change, social fragmentation, and economic uncertainty, Pietro invites us to look beyond individual challenges and consider the city as a complex and interconnected system. While housing remains one of the most pressing urban issues of our time, he argues that sustainability is the fundamental challenge that underpins them all. Creating cities that can thrive socially, environmentally, and economically requires a more integrated and long-term perspective on urban development.
Throughout the conversation, Pietro reflects on the importance of building more inclusive and less segmented cities. He highlights the need to move beyond siloed approaches and embrace systemic thinking, recognising how housing, mobility, public space, governance, and social inclusion are deeply interconnected. For him, the future of cities depends on our ability to understand these relationships and develop solutions that respond to the complexity of urban life.
Recorded amidst the energy and global conversations of the World Urban Forum, this episode offers thoughtful reflections on the challenges and opportunities facing cities today, and why collaboration, integration, and inclusion must remain at the heart of urban futures.
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More About Pietro Elisei
Pietro Elisei is an urban and regional planner with more than 25 years of international professional and academic experience working at the intersection of urban geography, spatial planning, and European urban policy. His work focuses on urban policy design, urban regeneration, strategic planning, sustainable urban development, governance models, and participatory planning processes.
He is the founder and owner of URBASOFIA and served as President of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) between 2021 and 2024. Pietro is currently President of the Global Design Association and a founding member of the International Urban Professionals Forum (IUPF).
Throughout his career, he has supported cities and regions across Europe and beyond in developing integrated urban strategies, contributing to EU Cohesion Policy, the Urban Agenda for the EU, Horizon Europe, URBACT, and Urban Innovative Actions programmes. He has also worked as an expert for the European Commission, UN-Habitat, and UNECE.
Alongside his professional practice, Pietro is a lecturer, researcher, and academic specialising in urban and regional planning, urban geography, strategic spatial planning, sustainable urban development, and the governance of territorial systems.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-elisei-a1a2071b/
Host: Orna Rosenfeld
www.ornarosenfeld.com