Shaping the Future of Urbanism

Many nations have failed at one time or another in creating better cities and urban ecosystems. As such, the urbanization trends are complex and multifaceted, spanning everything from urban planning, investment and informal economies. For cities & towns to function everyone needs to have a voice, and everyone needs to be encouraged to engage with civic processes that allow collaboration across difference. To revitalize democracy, we desperately need updates to our basic mechanisms of collective decision-making and resource sharing. That is what RadicalxChange ideas and models are striving for.

Hans Bouwknegt Digital Strategist • UNSense Hans Bouwknegt is digital strategist at UNSense, an Archtech company founded by UNStudio. UNSense develops an adaptive neighbourhood of 100 Homes in Brainport Smart District, Helmond. The neighborhood is aimed at testing an alternative and fairer economic model in which the residents themselves benefit from the exchange of their data. In addition, Hans is a research affiliate of the Augmented Environments Lab at GeorgiaTech and an independent advisor to various media companies.

Renato Cymbalista Architect and City Planner, Prof. • Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo Renato Cymbalista is Architect and Planner. He Holds a Phd in Architeture (University of São Paulo, Brazil) and a PhD in History (University of Campinas, Brazil). He is a professor in the Department of History of Architecture and Urbanism at the School of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo. He coordinates the research group “Sites of Memory and Conscience” and the “Lab for Other Urbanisms” at the University of São Paulo. He is the president of Instituto Pólis. He sits in the boards of Casa do Povo (São Paulo) and Centro de Preservação Cultural of the University of São Paulo. He is an associate of the Goethe Institut São Paulo. He was visiting professor in the Tecnhische Universität Cottbus (2008), Université Paris 7 - Diderot (2013); Parsons - The New School of Design, New York (2014) and Labex Dynamite Paris 1 (2015).

Joe Lambke Architect & Founder • Animate Joe Lambke is an architect and founder of Animate… a full service architecture firm. Animate is currently designing mixed-community buildings, reinventing urban zoning regulations with the KidCities.org Mechanism, and designing the next generation metropolis-wide fast travel services with infiniteTransit.com. His expertise includes award winning buildings such as the Theory and Computing Sciences Building, research with the Santa Fe Institute, and he was a Studio Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology. When not thinking about the interactions of people and space, he enjoys music, surfing, cycling and listening.

Natalia Olson-Urtecho (Moderator) COO • RadicalxChange Foundation Empowering People, Building Smarter Cities and Resilient Infrastructures by Maximizing Innovative Technologies For the Greater Good. Splitting my time between Barcelona, Spain & the Bay Area SF.

• An entrepreneur with more than 18 years of experience working with international, regional and local entities in Latin America, Europe and Asia. She has professional experience in operations, digital transformation, blockchain, smart cities, finance, government contracting, international diplomacy, commercialization of technologies, environmental planning, sustainable building, zoning, land use, mobility, public engagement and infrastructure development.
• She was the Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, serving as Obama’s Presidential Appointee from 2011-2017, responsible for delivery and management of small business programs, development initiatives and financial assistance & lending, throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Olson-Urtecho oversaw 180 SBA offices; Business Development Centers and other resources while managing a field staff of finance, business, and community outreach specialists.
• She worked with local lenders and successful firms across the region, overseeing more than $34 billion yearly in federal government contracts. Managed the region’s loan program supporting $8 billion in small business loans and $2 billion in grants.
• She was appointed to the U.S. Innovation Advisory Board to advise Congress & the White House on competitiveness and innovation.
• She served on the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Zoning Code Commission boards.
• Recognized as a “Latina Powerhouse” in Maryland, one of Delaware Valley’s (NJ, PA, DE) Most Influential Latinos, Business Journal’s Minority Business Leader Awardee and receiving the Women of Distinction Award for her work in growing the green economy and sustainable infrastructure.
• A triathlete who has climbed Kilimanjaro, Everest, Machu Picchu, loves scuba diving & hiking with her Australian Shepherd. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."