Build 2015, part two

Chapter 1

Pittsburgh: poster-city for resilience

Following the decay of the industrial and steel industries, Pittsburgh has become an emerging hub for technology, education and finance in the past few decades. Kevin Acklin, chief of staff at Pittsburgh’s city hall, told us more about how his city has transformed over the past few years.

Chapter 2

Transatlantic lessons

Marissa Plouin works at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in Paris, overseeing its urban policy programmes. She spoke to us about the best way to connect cities around the world.

Chapter 3

Cleveland: race and changing the status quo

The discussion on equality at Build touched on race relations and income disparity. We spoke to Jeff Johnson, president of the Baltimore-based strategy firm JIJ Communications, who works to shine a spotlight on issues affecting African-Americans in the US. He highlighted how empowering a community can be essential in changing the status quo.

Chapter 4

Atlanta: the power of the local community

In many cities across both the US and Europe, it comes down to the community and local leaders to ensure there is room for inclusion and respect. Kwanza Hall, a member of Atlanta’s city council, told us more about the different ways the city can provide both access and opportunities.

Chapter 5

Istanbul: Urbanism and technology

Idema is an Istanbul-based company that has been implementing socio-economic development projects across Turkey and the Middle East for the past 14 years. It brings together civil society and public and private sectors, doing everything from research and analysis to implementing projects in the local community. We spoke with the founder, Dr Ali Ercan OzgUr, about Idema’s work.