We reconnect with Jasmine Palardy almost eighteen months after our very first conversation to reflect on what has changed in how we think and talk about cities, and what hasn’t.

Exploring why real progress in cities comes not from imposing control but from embracing uncertainty, loosening the grip of over-planning and letting “accidental urbanists” and informal city builders shape change on the ground.

Jasmine reframes urbanism as a messy, lived practice rather than a rigid discipline, and highlights how everyday friction and irritation are often the beginning of meaningful change.

This episode reframes control, imagination and experimentation in the design of cities.

Ruchita Bansal discusses what happens when modern infrastructure projects are built at speed but don’t connect with the deep, informal systems that make cities work.

Drawing on her experience across Indian urban planning and large-scale delivery, we explore how cities in India are being transformed rapidly with metros, highways and ambitious timelines, yet often miss the connective tissue of everyday life such as first-mile/last-mile walking, informal transport, street life and safety.

We dig into whether building faster actually deepens resilience or erodes memory, how imported models can misfit local context, and what it means to design infrastructure that truly serves people rather than object-centric headlines.

Chris Fair, CEO of Resonance and publisher of "World's Best Cities" talks about what really separates the world’s cities.

As Chris explains, obsessively measured performance isn’t enough to explain why some cities feel magnetic and others feel interchangeable.

We unpack the World’s Best Cities framework and how liveability, prosperity, and a often-overlooked dimension of lovability shape both the experience of place and its global perception.

We explore the gap between performance and perception, why most cities lack resonance on the world stage, and how the interplay between infrastructure and experience may determine the future of urban success

https://www.worldsbestcities.com/

Researcher and strategist David Akermanis talks about how young people are navigating a world where traditional financial stability has eroded and cities themselves shape economic life.

We explore why the familiar narratives about youth finance, savvy versus reckless, miss the deeper tension underneath. Across stories of early career precarity, the blending of gambling and investing, the limitations of traditional banking advice, and how mobility and access matter as much as income, we dig into how young people are improvising within a system that no longer feels trustworthy.

The conversation reframes stability, money, and the urban experience, and challenges cities and institutions to rethink how they build opportunity and trust for future generations.

https://www.fasterhorses.ca/blog/young-people-amp-money

Evan Snow, co-founder of Zero Empty Spaces talks about why vacancy in cities isn’t a neutral pause but an active force shaping how we feel, move and connect in urban places.

We explore how empty storefronts, abandoned commercial spaces and obsolete interiors drain confidence and disrupt movement, and how creative, low-risk activation can turn them into meaningful places without waiting for the “perfect tenant” or a grant.

Evan’s work reframes empty space as opportunity, showing how activation builds momentum, restores “muscle memory” on streets, and creates social and economic life where there was none. This episode reframes how we think about vacancy, placemaking and the everyday infrastructure of cities.

In this episode of Challenger Cities, Iain Montgomery talks with journalist and author Simon Kuper about his book Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century and what modern Paris really is beneath its postcard reputation.

We start with Simon’s accidental arrival in the city and the surprising affordability and vibrancy Paris once had, and then explore how it has changed into a global powerhouse of luxury and culture while still maintaining a remarkable commitment to social housing and dense urban life.

Paris’s paradoxes become a lens for thinking about cities more broadly: its suburbs are Europe’s largest urban agglomeration, massive infrastructure projects like the Grand Paris Express shape new futures, and everyday urban rituals, from playgrounds to meals, reveal a collective culture that defies typical Anglo planning assumptions. Along the way we touch on politics, identity and what it means to belong to a city that so many outsiders try to perform as insiders.

In this episode of Challenger Cities, Iain Montgomery is joined by economist and commentator Peter Ryan for a wide-ranging conversation about Ireland, a country that is often talked about but rarely understood.

We dig into why Ireland’s global reputation, from tax haven clichés to headline GDP figures, obscures the lived reality on the ground. Peter unpacks how the country’s early post-independence history shaped a cautious institutional culture, why Ireland’s real constraints are political and regulatory rather than natural or financial, and how GDP growth has failed to translate into housing, infrastructure, and everyday quality of life.

The conversation ranges across energy, industry, transport, housing finance, and party politics, exploring how Ireland became wealthy without becoming fully equipped, and what that tells us about the gap between economic success and civic capacity.

It’s a discussion about national myths, institutional inertia, and the challenge of turning prosperity into places that actually work for people.

Iain Montgomery and Marcus Mayers discuss the complexities of transport systems, focusing on the balance between passenger experience and operational efficiency. They explore the impact of government regulations, the role of technology, and the need for a mindset shift in transport management.

The discussion emphasises the importance of understanding passenger needs, improving accessibility and rethinking marketing strategies in the transport sector. The conversations leads to a call for a more human-centred approach to transport innovation that prioritises quality of life and effective communication.

Takeaways

• Passenger experience is often overlooked in transport operations.
• Operational efficiency is prioritized over passenger needs.
• Government regulations can complicate transport management.
• Technology can enhance the passenger experience.
• Quality of life should be a key focus in transport planning.
• Transport systems need to adapt to changing commuting patterns post-COVID.
• Accessibility is crucial for improving public transport usage.
• Marketing strategies in transport should focus on consumer needs.
• Innovative solutions are needed for better station navigation.
• Cultural challenges within transport organisations hinder progress.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction to Railway Innovation and Urbanism
• 03:39 Passenger Needs vs. Operational Efficiency
• 06:31 The Impact of Government Decisions on Train Operations
• 09:12 Reforming Transportation Governance
• 12:01 The Role of Digital Infrastructure in Transportation
• 14:28 Quality of Life and Transportation Efficiency
• 17:16 Addressing Anxiety in Public Transport
• 20:03 The Future of Public Transport Management
• 25:18 The Disconnect Between Governance and Transport
• 27:14 Consumer-Centric Marketing in Transport
• 29:37 Navigating Station Environments: The User Experience
• 31:37 Innovative Signage Solutions for Accessibility
• 36:27 The Impact of Historical Design on Modern Transport
• 40:45 Rethinking Transport: A Customer-Centric Approach
• 44:31 The Need for Bureaucratic Reform in Transport