City Planning: Design for Daily Life

The world’s first cities sprung up around 6,000 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia. Since then, many men and women have influenced their planning and design. William Penn believed a grid of wide streets with intersecting right angles would help prevent overcrowding, fire and disease. Norman Bel Geddes and Robert Moses imagined and planned cities shaped by cars. Jane Jacobs championed walkable, community-centered cities. Now, countries like India are planning to build hundreds of smart cities where sensors gather all kinds of data. As cities endure ups and downs, growth and change, what can we expect from their design and what have we learned by the urban planning movements of the past? Join host Walter Isaacson and guests as they map the past, present and future of the urban centers so many people call home. Featuring Ed Glaeser, Emily Talen, Andres Duany, Jeff Speck and Anthony Townsend.