The #CitiesFirst Podcast

Transit. Places. People.: Building Communities Around Transit with Nick SaponaraHow can public agencies leverage transit investment to shape housing, land use, urban design, and more connected communities?In Episode 40, we are joined by Nick Saponara, Joint Development Executive Director at LA Metro, for a conversation about the public-sector perspective on transit-oriented development and the challenge of turning planning ambitions into real projects.We discuss:🚇 Connecting transit investment with land-use planning 🏘️ Housing and transit-oriented communities 🏙️ Urban design, placemaking, and first/last-mile connectivity 🤝 Public-private partnerships and joint development 🏗️ Moving from planning to implementation 🌎 Lessons from Los Angeles for cities everywhereThe central question: How do we make transit investment work harder for the communities around it?Thank you to Nick and the LA Metro communications team for making this conversation possible.Cities. People. A Brighter Tomorrow.#CitiesFirst #LAMetro #TransitOrientedDevelopment #UrbanPlanning #PublicTransit #UrbanDesign #Transportation #Placemaking

We were joined by Helle Søholt, Board Chair & Founding Partner at Gehl - Making Cities for People, for a conversation about what it means to design the next generation of cities around people. We explored how human-centred urbanism is evolving in the post-COVID city, including:🏙️ Designing cities at the human scale🚶 Mobility, streets and public life🌍 Climate resilience and healthier cities🤝 Turning urban vision into implementation💡 The role of technology, AI and data in people-centred planningThese are also central themes in my forthcoming book, CitiesFirst: Urbanism & Mobility in the Post-COVID City, coming in Q1 2027.

As the mobility sector looks beyond innovation and pilot projects, a bigger question is emerging:How do we move toward real-world deployment, integration, and measurable impact?Following the momentum of ITS European Congress 2026 in Istanbul, CitiesFirst Webinar #4 brings together leading city and mobility voices for a focused discussion on what Birmingham 2027 must deliver.📍 From Istanbul to Birmingham: Turning Mobility Innovation into Deployment📅 Thursday, 28 May 2026🕛 13:00 PM CET🎙️ Live WebinarFeatured Speakers:• Scott Shepard, AICP, LEED®AP, PMP — Founder, CitiesFirst (Moderator)• Peter Staelens — Eurocities• Berfin Sönmez — Istanbul Metropolitan MunicipalityDiscussion themes include:• Why pilots still fail to scale• Cities as orchestrators of mobility ecosystems• Governance, interoperability, and collaboration• What Birmingham 2027 must demonstrate for the sectorThis conversation continues the CitiesFirst dialogue around implementation, collaboration, and the future of intelligent mobility systems across Europe and beyond.We look forward to welcoming mobility leaders, city stakeholders, ITS professionals, and ecosystem partners to the discussion.

🚨 Cities don’t just pilot innovation — they need to scale it.Listen to Webinar 3 in The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast × ERTICO - ITS Europe × ITS Congresses series:🎯 From Pilot to Scale: Deploying Integrated Mobility Systems – Insights from IstanbulAs cities move beyond pilots, the real challenge begins: deployment at scale.This session brings together senior city leaders and mobility experts from Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and İSBAK to share how Istanbul is delivering integrated mobility systems in one of the world’s most complex urban environments.What you’ll learn:✔ Why scaling mobility solutions is so difficult — and how to overcome it✔ What “integration” really looks like in practice (data, modes, operations)✔ Governance, procurement, and coordination challenges✔ Real deployment insights from Istanbul✔ What cities should prioritise over the next 3 yearsFeaturing:Scott Shepard, AICP, LEED®AP, PMP (Moderator)Joost VANTOMME (LL.M)Pelin AlpkökinBarbaros BÜYÜKSAĞNAKErdem Samut, This webinar also sets the stage for the ITS European Congress 2026 — where these conversations continue with deeper technical insights and real-world case studies.👉 Register for the ITS European Congress 2026 in Istanbul (27–29 April): https://lnkd.in/eGi5ZvTF

🚨 Cities are shaping the future of intelligent mobility — from strategy to real implementation!Listen to Webinar 2 in the The #CitiesFirst Advisors + Podcast × ERTICO - ITS Europe x ITS Congresses series:🎯 Cities Shaping Intelligent Mobility: From Strategy to Integrated and Seamless Systems This session brought together leading experts to explore how cities are integrating digital infrastructure, multi-modal transport systems, and governance frameworks to deliver smarter, more sustainable mobility solutions.What you’ll learn: ✔ How cities move from strategy to integrated, operational systems ✔ Role of data, AI, and digital platforms in seamless mobility ✔ Barriers to scaling beyond pilot projects ✔ Practical lessons from city-level deployment ✔ Preview of key ITS European Congress 2026 technical themesFeaturing:Scott Shepard, AICP, LEED®AP, PMP – Founder, CitiesFirst (Moderator)María Alonso Raposo – ERTICO – ITS EuropeMarta Campos Ferreira, PhD – Universidade do PortoSandra Witzel – SkedGo Pty Ltd👉 Register for the ITS European Congress 2026 in Istanbul (27–29 April) using promo code CitiesFirst): https://lnkd.in/eGi5ZvTF