How do we sustain a city's culture and character? With Seeing Better Cities founder, Chuck Wolfe #97

“Imagine if the world around you disappeared and the paths to which you are so accustomed suddenly went away and you had to reinvent them…”Charles (Chuck) Wolfe is the founder of Seeing Better Cities and the author of the award-winning books Seeing the Better City and Urbanism Without Effort.In 2017 Chuck left 34 years’ experience as an environmental land-use lawyer behind and set up Seeing Better Cities to improve the conversation around how cities grow and evolve in the around the world. Chuck helps developers and municipalities with policy-related issues and community involvement strategies and leads explorations of urban spaces impacted by rapid change and growth. “Enough with the touristic experience or the classical fantasy that drives our understanding of a particular place, we need to do the work, we need to dig in,” he says. Much of Chuck's inspiration, he says, comes from his father, who founded the Modern Urban Design and Planning Programme at the University of Washington. Chuck's latest book, Sustaining a City's Culture and Character explores what it means for a city or town to acknowledge and honour its traditional identity as it transitions to something new.We talk about that and also: What makes up the essence of a cityHow to understand the fundamental relationships between people and their cities Taking your home with you versus immersing yourself in a cultureThe LEARN methodology: Look Engage, Assess, Review and Negotiate You can follow Chuck on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and find out more about his consultancy services at Seeingbettercities.com. You can buy a hard copy of his latest book at Blackwells.About The Nicole Bremner Podcast:Nicole Bremner is an investor, speaker, writer, and podcaster. After a successful decade building a multi-million property portfolio in London, Nicole was forced by a number of external obstacles to stop, take stock and figure out what really matters in life.Following a period of healing and reflection, she discovered that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and, so very often, setback is followed by real success. On The Nicole Bremner Podcast, she speaks to others who have triumphed in the face of adversity and explores the lessons they have learned along the way.To find out who’s coming up next on The Nicole Bremner Podcast, follow Nicole on Instagram @nsbremner and facebook or subscribe to her YouTube channel. You can also support the show here.Disclaimer:The views and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. The view and opinions of the guest speakers do not represent that of the hSupport the showDisclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. The view and opinions of the guest speakers do not represent that of the host. Always do your own research.