City Makers

Cassiano Sala is a partner at creative studio Squint Opera where he has directed and produced a wide range of large-scale film and digital projects for architects, masterplanners and other key stakeholders shaping cities. Cass shares his story of growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan during Soviet control of the country. Born in 1985, he lived through coups d-etat, regime changes and war. Cass reflects on the complex history of this city and country, how its geography has put it at odds with the east and west, and how this devastating history continues with what’s happening today. We are grateful to Cass for sharing this story and join him in thanking Turquoise Mountain and Emergency for their aid in the country. Please follow these links if you would like to make a donation:https://www.turquoisemountain.org/https://emergencyuk.org/

In this episode, co-host Anna Nicholls interviews Michael Cassidy CBE - the lawyer, city politician and acclaimed London city maker whose career has had a profound effect on the shape of the City of London and its dominance in financial services globally. Michael ran the local authority for the City of London following the reform of financial markets in 1986. This extraordinary moment known as Big Bang brought with it radical changes in planning and a new vision for London's square mile. Michael shares his memories of this time and his perspective on what makes great cities today, from tackling the climate crisis to crucial investments in infrastructure and arts and culture. Michael has held board positions at British Land and London's brand new railway, Crossrail. He led the initial planning and development of the UK's newest town as Chairman of The Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and is currently Chairman of New London Architecture. Follow City Makers on Instagram @citymakers.podcast Contact us: citymakers.podcast@gmail.com

Manuel Toledo-Otaegui is an industrial and public space designer and co-founder of the Architecture Film Festival in London and Santiago, Chile. He grew up in Santiago toward the end of the 17-year military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet - a ruler notorious for large-scale torture, killings and abuses of human rights. Manuel talks to Matt Quinn about the long-term effects of the dictatorship on Chilean society, how it affected the use of public space and muralism in Santiago and the events leading up to a recent uprising, spurring an historic re-writing of the constitution. 

Rosa Rogina is director of the London Festival of Architecture and teaches architecture at the University of East London. She grew up in Zagreb, Croatia during the Croatian War of Independence (1991 - 1995). With 20,000 lives lost and many more people displaced, this war is also described as a war on architecture. Rosa talks to Lucie Murray about the the long-lasting impact on cultural identity and the thousands of landmines that still exist in the ground today, leaving a toxic and lethal legacy of the past.  Her story offers a fascinating perspective on the importance of participatory processes in shaping cities today. 

Lara Kinneir is an architect and urban strategist who grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland toward the end of a 30-year period of conflict known as The Troubles. This was a time when car bombings, sniper attacks and violence in the streets were reported in the news almost every week. Lara shares her experience growing up in a city in conflict, the impact of physical barriers on communities in Belfast and reflections on the long term implications of physical distancing during the pandemic.

Jan Bunge is a landscape designer and partner of creative studio Squint/Opera. Jan grew up in West Berlin during the time that the Berlin Wall famously came down. As this re-unification of Germany created the merging of two cites with two distinct cultures, a wave of euphoria transformed Berlin into an epicenter of sub-culture and creativity. Jan recalls his memories of this moment in history and shares a Berliner’s perspective on cities and the future.  

City Makers is a show about the people and ideas that are shaping our cities.