Are you interested in how young people change their fields of study? Summary of the article titled Major transitions: how college students interpret the process of changing fields of study from 2023 by Blake R Silver published in the Higher Education journal. This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Amelia Gaskill in episode 177 talking about how and why she changed her major to focus more on the environment. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how and why students change their majors as a key education transition. This article explores the complex experiences of college students changing majors, revealing emotional, logistical, and perceptual challenges during this significant educational transition. As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects: Changing majors significantly impacts a student's identity and future aspirations, involving a deeply personal and emotional journey through phases of endings, exploration, and new beginnings. Each student's experience of changing majors is unique, influenced by a mix of personal values, academic interests, and external factors like family and career considerations. There is a need for holistic support in higher education, emphasizing that academic advising should be complemented with emotional and personal guidance to aid students through this transition. Find the article through this link. Abstract: Selecting a major is one of the most consequential decisions a student will make in college. Though major selection is often conceived of as a discrete choice made at a particular point in time, many students change their majors at least once during college. This article examines the process of changing majors as a key education transition. Drawing from 38 interviews with college students at a public university in the USA who changed their declared major, this study explores the ways they make meaning of transitions between fields of study. Specifically, I ask: How do students describe their experiences navigating the process of switching college majors? Six themes emerged in relation to three phases of transition: endings, neutral zones, and new beginnings. These themes provide new understandings of students’ meaning making about their experiences moving between majors. In doing so, this study (1) demonstrates the value of studying major change as an important educational transition and (2) sheds light on the potential for employing theories of transition to understand non-normative and non-linear transitions in higher education. Implications for higher education research and practice are discussed. Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.112R - Engaging with place; No.113R - Radical collaboration; No.114 - Interview with Kelly Boucher about pedagogy as a learning experience; You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

Trailer for episode 177 - interview with Amelia Gaskell, an environmental science student. We will talk about her vision for the future of cities, sustainability, intergenerational equity, climate anxiety, her origin story, and many more. Find out more in the ⁠⁠⁠⁠episode⁠⁠⁠⁠. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠⁠⁠⁠

Are you interested in how young people choose their careers? Summary of the article titled Whose choice? Young people, career choices and reflexivity re-examined from 2015 by Jacqueline Laughland-Booÿ, Margery Mayall, and Zlatdo Skrbiš, published in the Current Sociology journal. This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Amelia Gaskill in episode 177 talking about the younger generation and their passion regarding the future of cities. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see how the next generation seems to choose their careers. This article presents how reflexivity is connected to choosing one’s career besides individualism and environment. As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects: Individual choice in career paths might not be entirely free as it is deeply influenced by one’s socio-economic background. Reflexivity, the ability to critically assess and adapt one’s choices is often more pronounced among those from less privileged backgrounds. Enhancing reflexivity and critical self-awareness across all socio-economic groups could improve the equity and authenticity of career choices among young people. Find the article through this link. Abstract: Young people making future career choices are doing so in an environment that often highlights the benefits supposedly wrought by individualisation and reflexive choice. It is argued that those who demonstrate reflexivity in their decision-making would have an advantage in the negotiation of future risks. The authors of this article agree with theorists who note that career choices are still strongly influenced by a person’s location in the class structure. However, unlike some writers who suggest youth from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to evaluate risk and demonstrate reflexivity, the authors suggest the opposite. Interviews were conducted with young people aged 16–17 who are participating in an ongoing project designed to follow a cohort of young Australians from adolescence into later life. Our findings suggest that while a more privileged location may afford young people security from many potential risks and problems, this may in fact encourage a non-reflexive perspective and they may choose careers based on social norms rather than ability. Instead, we argue that it is young people from less privileged backgrounds who tend to demonstrate reflexivity in their career planning. Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.112R - Engaging with place; No.113R - Radical collaboration; No.114 - Interview with Kelly Boucher about how to do pedagogy better to create agency You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

Are you interested in sustainable and smart cities? What do you think about the city as the scene of real change? How can we use urban rankings better? Interview with Aapo Huovila, senior scientist at Technical Research Centre of Finland. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, keeping urban specifics, climate change, city as the place of real change, and many more. Aapo Huovila is a Senior scientist at Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd. His research is currently focused on evaluation of climate-neutral, sustainable and smart cities. He works as a project manager and senior researcher in research, innovation and commercial projects (for examples, NetZeroCities, Matchup Project or Sparcs). He is the chair of the “Monitoring & Evaluation” Task group within the EU H2020 Smart cities & communities research & innovation program and acts as subject editor in the journal IET Smart cities. Find out more about Aapo through these links: Aapo Huovila on LinkedIn; @aapo_huovila as Aapo Huovila on Twitter; Aapo Huovila at the Technical Research Centre of Finland; Aapo Huovila on Google Scholar; Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.008R - What are the differences between sustainable and smart cities? No.141 - Interview with Soheil Sabri about prediction and forecasting; No.173R What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Are you interested in indicators for smart sustainable cities? Summary ofh the article titled Comparative analysis of standardized indicators for Smart sustainable cities: What indicators and standards to use and when? from 2019 by Aapo Huovila, Peter Bosch and Miimu Airaksinen published in the Cities journal. This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Dr Aapo Huovila in episode 174 talking about sustainable and smart cities. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what indicators can help, really help cities in their smart and sustainable journey. This article offers guidance for city managers and policy makers to select the indicators and standards that best correspond to their assessment needs and goals. As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects: Smart sustainable cities aim to leverage technological solutions while ensuring they address the genuine multifaceted needs of urban environments, and encompassing economic, social, environmental and cultural dimensions. Urban managers face the intricate challenge of selecting from a vast array of 'indicators' to monitor and track city progress. Balancing the dual aspects of 'smartness' and 'sustainability' is pivotal for cities, requiring a holistic approach that aligns with the city's unique context, and while standardized indicators offer a foundation, customization is essential to resonate with individual city characteristics and objectives. Find the article through this link. Abstract: City managers need indicators for target setting, performance assessment, monitoring, management and decision-making purposes. The choice of the most suitable indicator framework is crucial, but difficult, as it requires expert knowledge. To help cities in their choice, this paper compares seven recently published indicator standards for Smart sustainable cities. A taxonomy was developed to evaluate each of their 413 indicators against five conceptual urban focuses (types of urban sustainability and smartness), ten sectoral application domains (energy, transport, ICT, economy, etc.) and five indicator types (input, process, output, outcome, impact). The results clearly discriminate between indicator standards suited for evaluating the implementation of predominantly smart city approaches versus standards more focused on sustainability assessment. A further distinction is possible in standards almost fully oriented towards impacts reached, and standards that allow for progress evaluation according to steps in the implementation process. Some standards provide a narrow focus on output indicators evaluating the progress in implementing smart urban ICT solutions (e.g. number of smart meters installed). Cities are encouraged to complement such evaluations with impact indicators that demonstrate the effects of those solutions. This paper provides guidance for city managers and policy makers to select the indicators and standard that best correspond to their assessment need and goals, and align with their stage in Smart sustainable city implementation. Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.008R - What are the differences between sustainable and smart cities?; No.071R - Towards intelligently sustainable cities?; You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

Trailer for episode 174 - the interview with Aapo Huovila, senior scientist at Technical Research Centre of Finland. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, keeping urban specifics, climate change, city as the place of real change, and many more. Find out more in the interview! Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Are you interested in carbon-neutral cities? Summary of the article titled Carbon-neutral cities: Critical review of theory and practice from 2022 by Aapo Huovila, Hanne Siikavirta, Carmen Antuña Rozado, Jyri Rökman, Pekka Tuominen, Satu Paiho, Åsa Hedman, and Peter Ylén, published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Dr Aapo Huovila in episode 174 talking about sustainable and smart cities. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see what carbon-neutrality can mean for cities. This article presents the theory and practice of carbon-neutral efforts in the urban context, exploring the gaps between research and practice. As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects: Cities, as major global resource consumers and emission contributors, are central to achieving climate goals through sustainability initiatives. Ambiguities in the carbon-neutral city concept and varied emission scopes challenge consistent implementation and progress measurement. A holistic, systemic approach with collaboration among various stakeholders is essential for effective carbon neutrality transitions. Find the article through this link. Abstract: Carbon neutrality has become central in policy discourse and cities’ climate actions are crucial to achieve this goal. Consequently, many cities have already published ambitious climate neutrality target years and are preparing for transition to climate neutrality. This study presents findings from the first ever literature review on the carbon-neutral city concept, covering definition, assessment approaches, and barriers and drivers for transition to carbon neutrality. These findings are combined with interviews with Finnish cities aiming at carbon neutrality to explore gaps between research and practice. More clarity is needed on the definition of carbon-neutral city concept and especially on the role of offsetting the emissions (a specific feature compared to other urban climate concepts). The lack of consistency in city carbon accounting methods and emission scopes making cities’ carbon neutrality goals incomparable, thus calling for harmonization and guidance on common assessment methods. In addition to research, climate networks play an important role in the transition to carbon neutrality. Cities have set ambitious goals and need support to develop action plans, assess actions, come up with creative and innovative ideas and increase collaboration with various stakeholders. Development of ways to support cities that have taken on ambitious carbon neutrality targets would benefit from more systematic research on transition to carbon neutrality from different contexts capturing the lessons learned. There is a need for methods that are flexible enough to accommodate adjustments to local conditions and needs, but also consider broader system transition. Connecting links you might be interested in: No.088R - The costs and benefits of environmental sustainability; No.119R - Pessimism and optimism in the debate on climate change; You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

Are you interested in circular economy? What do you think about raising the awareness about how we consume things? How can we plan our future based on the principle of longevity? Interview with Nicole Garofano, the Head of Circular Economy Development at Planet Ark Environmental Foundation and the founder of UsePlasticBetter. We talk about her vision for the future of cities, circular economy, knowledge sharing, maker and repair spaces, indigenous connections, and many more. Dr Nicole Garofano is the Head of Circular Economy Development for Planet Ark. In her role, Nicole is leading the ongoing strategic development of the Australian Circular Economy (ACE) Hub, the national reference platform for circular economy knowledge and collaboration in Australia. For more almost 20 years, Nicole has worked in environmental education and action with a focus on waste management and more recently, circular economy. She has designed and managed community-based initiatives to increase sorting, collection and processing of a range of packaging materials, including plastic. Nicole has a PhD from research focused on the plastic food and beverage packaging value chain, identifying both local and global innovation to improve chain activities and outcomes. Nicole is an Associate of the Australian Institute of Packaging. Find out more about Nicole through these links: Nicole Garofano on LinkedIn; Nicole Garofano at Victoria's Big Build; Planet Ark website; Planet Ark on LinkedIn; Australian Circular Economy Hub website; Circularity website; Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.110R - Global survey of Precious Plastic Projects; No.111 - Interview with Dave Hakkens about reinventing urban living; No.159 - Interview with Michael Browne about Aboriginal ideology; What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter @WTF4Cities or on the wtf4cities.com website where the shownotes are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by Lesfm from Pixabay

Are you interested in sustainable circular cities? Summary of the article titled Sustainable circular cities? Analysing urban circular economy policies in Amsterdam, Glasgow, and Copenhagen from 2023 by Martin Calisto Friant, Katie Reid, Peppi Boesler, Walter J. V. Vermeulen, and Roberta Salomone, published in the Local Environment – The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability. This is a great preparation for our next interviewee, Dr Nicole Garofano in episode 171 talking about circular economy. Since we are investigating the future of cities, I thought it would be interesting to see circular economy policy analysis. This article investigates current literature on circular economy policies and real examples to develop a new conceptual framework to circular economy discourses. As the most important things, I would like to highlight 3 aspects: The circular economy promotes resource conservation and recovery strategies like reuse and recycle, with cities playing a key role in its varied implementation and impact. Circular economy's implementation is often vague and leans towards a techno-optimist view, potentially neglecting the balance between economic growth and environmental protection. The circular economy and circular cities provide a key solution to unsustainable resource use, aiming to reduce environmental impacts and safeguard the biosphere amid rising consumption and ecological challenges. Find the article through this link. Abstract: Cities play a central role in the circular economy (CE) as they are important centres of production and consumption, responsible for 80% of global GDP. European cities are particularly important due to their position of power in the global economy as major markets, and places of industrial and social innovation. Yet urban CE policies and discourses remain poorly researched and understood. This paper addresses this research gap by analysing and comparing the CE policies and discourses in different European cities to draw critical insights and recommendations. It does so by first reviewing academic literature on urban CE policies to develop a new conceptual framework to analyse CE discourses and policies. This framework is then used to analyse and compare the CE policies of three European cities: Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. Results show that technocentric approaches to CE are dominant in the three cities. Moreover, they have very limited social justice policies for a fair distribution of the costs and benefits of a CE transition. Key policy recommendations to address these shortcomings are thus proposed. The insights brought about by this paper are valuable for both practitioners and academics seeking to improve urban CE policies. Connecting episodes you might be interested in: No.088R - The costs and benefits of environmental sustainability; No.169R - Circular economy; You can find the transcript through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this link⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. What wast the most interesting part for you? What questions did arise for you? Let me know on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WTF4Cities⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or on the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wtf4cities.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ website where the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shownotes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠are also available. I hope this was an interesting episode for you and thanks for tuning in. Music by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Lesfm ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠from ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pixabay⁠

Trailer for episode 171 - the interview with Nicole Garofano, the Head of Circular Economy Development at Planet Ark Environmental Foundation and the founder of UsePlasticBetter. We talk about her vision for the future of cities, circular economy, knowledge sharing, maker and repair spaces, indigenous connections, and many more. Find out more in the interview! Music by Lesfm from Pixabay