Designing Our Future: Sustainable Cities & Urban Planning

The Connector

The Connector
Designing Our Future: Sustainable Cities & Urban Planning
Jun 24, 2025 Season 2 Episode 10
Institute for Emerging Issues

How can we empower the next generation to shape sustainable cities? In this special episode of “The Connector,” IEI’s 2024-2025 Hunt Intern Katherine Helms speaks with three urban planning experts: NC State University Joseph D. Moore Distinguished Professor and Faculty Scholar Dr. Kofi Boone, City of Raleigh Senior Energy & Sustainability Strategist James Hardin and McAdams Principal and Vice President of Urban Planning Mitchell Silver. They explore the crucial role education and community engagement plays in fostering sustainable urban living, discuss how students can get involved, and share emerging trends and technologies in sustainable urban design. This episode also features questions about urban planning from NC State students shared by IEI interns Jenny Browne, Crystal Leung and Nathan Yilma.

This discussion is part of IEI’s ongoing series related to the 2025-2027 Emerging Issues Forums exploring North Carolina’s future-forward infrastructure, with particular focus on energy, water and housing.

The Connector podcast explores connections being made across sectors, regions and perspectives resulting in a more vibrant and prosperous North Carolina. To learn more about the Institute for Emerging Issues, visit emergingissues.org.

Episode Artwork Designing Our Future: Sustainable Cities & Urban Planning 36:39 Episode Artwork The Pappas Effect: Building Resilient Communities 21:47 Episode Artwork The ALICE Report: Unpacking Financial Need in North Carolina 15:57 Episode Artwork NC Tri-Share: Accessible Childcare for Working Families 27:10 Episode Artwork Building Raleigh's Sustainable Future 19:17 Episode Artwork Closing the Gap: Educational Attainment in North Carolina 21:56 Episode Artwork Preparing North Carolina’s Workforce Leaders 26:35 Episode Artwork Watt’s It Going to Take: How Does NC Reach Its Energy Goals 41:38 Episode Artwork Watt’s Up?: Energy 101 and Preparing Students 18:22 Episode Artwork Population, Industry and Energy: The Future of North Carolina 17:37 Episode Artwork From Unbanked to Banked 39:08 Episode Artwork How Benefits Fuel Financial Resilience 25:42 Episode Artwork Connecting the 2022-2024 Emerging Issues Forums 28:32 Episode Artwork Getting a Personal Finance Education 23:03 Episode Artwork What Gives You Hope? 25:04 Episode Artwork Navigating Conflict at the Holidays 32:53 Episode Artwork Previewing the 2024 Emerging Issues Forum 15:10 Episode Artwork Checking in with Wake Forest University Pre-College Programs 15:12 Episode Artwork Expanding Digital Access in Western NC 30:06 Episode Artwork The Role of Libraries in Digital Inclusion 26:39 Episode Artwork National Support for Bridging North Carolina’s Digital Divide 26:27 Episode Artwork Checking in with Wilson Education Partnership 28:44 Episode Artwork Checking in with Isothermal Community College 25:59 Episode Artwork Checking in with Communities Supporting Schools of Wayne County 22:30 Episode Artwork Pathways to the Workforce 21:58