The Urban, Gecina’s podcast on urban lifestyles and the city, is back

Five new talk shows with leading guests to reflect on tomorrow’s city

For this new season, Gecina invites you to discover five episodes of 30 to 40 minutes each, in English or French, built around an in-depth interview and illustrated with chronicles and reports from the heart of urban life. 

The sociologists Jean Viard and Saskia Sassen, the economist Pierre Veltz, the professor of urban studies Richard Florida and the geographer Magali Reghezza-Zitt link up with the journalist Nathalie Tourret to explore the big questions facing our cities.

From the challenges with new forms of solidarity to the appeal and role of public spaces, resilience, the low-carbon transition, and the position of businesses within urban innovation, The Urban is the podcast that delves into our relationship with the city and the urban lifestyle. A discussion that is even more urgent in the new landscape brought about by the Covid-19 crisis.

Episode 1, in french - "Le défi des nouvelles solidarités”, with:

• Jean Viard, sociologist and research director with the CNRS and the Political Science and Research Center (CEVIPOF)
• Denis Hameau, vice-president in charge of the social and solidarity economy for the Bourgogne Franche-Comté Region and head of the On Dijon smart city project
• When a private company helps the most vulnerable communities, report from the premises of the non-profit association France Horizon

Episode 2, in french - "Les métropoles et la fabrique de l'innovation”, with:

• Pierre Veltz, engineer, sociologist and economist, regional business and business organization specialist, notably chairman and CEO of Établissement Public Paris-Saclay from 2010 to 2015
• Luc Gwiazdzinski, geographer
• Report from Nantes, the city where everything is possible?

Episode 3 - “The battle for public space”, with:

• Saskia Sassen, Dutch-American sociologist and economist, specialist in globalization and the sociology of very large cities around the world
• Alexandre Labasse, director of Pavillon de l’Arsenal, Paris, France
• Report from San Francisco and its slow streets, or the sidewalk revolution

Episode 4 - “Are cities still rising stars?”, with:

• Richard Florida, American, urban studies professor, head of the Martin Prosperity Institute (Toronto) and author of the bestseller The Rise of the Creative Class (2002)
• Francis Pisani, journalist, author and city expert
• Report on the emergence of “smart” tourism in Venice

Episode 5, in french - “Penser la ville bas carbone”, with:

• Magali Reghezza-Zitt, geographer, assistant professor at École Normale Supérieure, and member of the French High Council on Climate (HCC), her research is focused in particular on natural risks
• Geoffrey Brian West, complexity and theoretical physics specialist
• Report on Philadelphia’s urban canopy

Being able to welcome such fascinating guests as Richard Florida, Saskia Sassen, Magali Reghezza-Zitt, Pierre Veltz or Jean Viard is a great honor for The Urban, and for Gecina. This second season is a new opportunity for us to ask ourselves the questions that our listeners are interested in. The resilience of cities, new forms of solidarity, local innovation models, building low-carbon cities, issues surrounding public space: these are issues that concern all of us, and that structure our lives and our future economy. All the more reason to talk about them and listen! What better format than a podcast to take time to reflect on this together?” explains Julien Landfried, Executive Director Communications and Public Affairs.

“The Urban” is available on all podcast platforms, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer and on theurban.gecina.fr.

Editor-in-chief: Gecina

Production: HRCL

Journalist: Nathalie Tourret

Consulting and coordination: Havas Paris