How can we design urban environments that enhance human well-being, promote social connectivity, and meet the needs of diverse generations and socio-economic backgrounds?

This event will delve into the physical transformation of urban spaces, from innovative architectural designs and sustainable materials to resilient infrastructure. We’ll discuss how cutting-edge technologies and smart urban planning can foster eco-friendly, efficient cities while ensuring they are inclusive for all.

Speakers

Moderated by Christian Hernandez is Partner and Co-founder of 2150. He has spent his career incubating, launching and scaling emerging technologies as an operator and investor. He has held leadership roles through the hyper growth phases of some of the world’s largest technology companies, notably as head of international business development at Facebook (Meta) and head of new markets at Google. He started his career developing systems of intelligence in the early days of “big data.” He leverages this experience to partner with and support impactful climate solutions to thrive. Prior to co-founding 2150, Christian launched a transatlantic venture capital firm with over $1 billion in assets under management. He currently supports 2150’s investments into CarbonCure, Nodes & Links, Ampd Energy, Kelvin, Blue Frontier and was previously on the Boards of Hometree and Leko Labs. Christian holds a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA from The Wharton School and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum.

Sue Riddlestone, OBE is an award-winning social entrepreneur. She is Chief Executive of Bioregional which she co-founded in 1994 to find and show the ways in which we can achieve sustainable living in our homes and for the products and services we use.  Sue initiated the iconic BedZED eco-village in 1997, using this experience to develop the One Planet Living® sustainability framework, which has been used in $30bn of real estate development around the world. Sue served as a London Sustainable Development Commissioner from 2002 to 2014 where she helped secure the first city-wide carbon reduction targets. She led Bioregional’s work in the UN SDGs process from 2010 to 2017, with Bioregional having a formal role to champion Sustainable Consumption and Production, which became Goal 12. Today, Sue and the team draw on their know-how to partner with and consult to developers, asset owners, retailers and local authorities to create award-winning sustainable communities, company operations, and products. In 2013 Sue was awarded an OBE for services to Sustainable Business and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Carsten Menke, CFA is the head of Bank Julius Baer’s Next Generation Research team, which strives to provide thought leading insights into the long-term structural trends that are shaping the world around us. He has a special focus on the ‘Future Cities’ theme, analysing the economical, societal and environmental impact of urbanisation and related topics. He furthermore possesses profound expertise in the ‘Energy Transition’ and ‘Feeding the World’ themes. Carsten joined Julius Baer in 2009 as a commodity strategist with a focus on industrial and precious metals. Prior to that, he was with Sal. Oppenheim Jr. & Cie. in Cologne, where he was a member of the Alternative Investments Group and set up the Commodity Research unit. He received his degree in Business Administration at the University of Cologne (Germany) in 2007 and became a CFA charter holder in 2011. 

Jan Kattein, DipArch, MArch, PhD, FIPM, is a writer, lecturer and architect reinventing design as a socially and environmentally regenerative practice. His studio, Jan Kattein Architects is today recognized internationally as a leading placemaking and participatory design practices with award-winning projects that are celebrated for their spatial- and civic accomplishments. Recent awards include the 2023 social Value Architect of the Year Award, Best Build Environment Practice in the TET Education Awards 2023 and a Commendation for a lifetime of Architecture for the Common Good in the 2024 MacEwen Awards. Jan has written ‘The Architecture Chronicle – Diary of an Architectural Practice’ published by Ashgate in 2014, ‘High Street Regeneration’ published by UCL in 2022 and ‘Londoners Making London – Transforming neighbourhoods’ published by Lund Humphries in 2024. His research critically reflects on the role of the architect, advocating the integration between spatial and social practice as the only credible response to the environmental crisis.

Delivered in partnership with Julius Baer.