Episode #468
468I_Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director
“We’ve been optimizing what’s familiar rather than asking what’s possible.” Are you interested in the Middle East as a testing ground for urban solutions? What do you think about mistaking innovation for progress? How can we improve our from-design-to-implementation ratio? Interview with Shawn Meyers, Middle East Masterplanning Director. We will talk about his vision for the future of cities, urban progress, desert architecture, urban participation and civic ownership, the expectations of upcoming generations, and many more. Shawn Meyers is an Urban Designer with a global perspective, shaped by experience across New York City, London, and Dubai. At DLR Group, he leads the masterplanning studio, focusing on urban residential projects and intensification strategies. His dual training enables him to explore innovative relationships between urban morphology and building typologies, evolving global best practices for the Middle East. Passionate about redefining 21st-century cities, Shawn believes urban design is fundamentally about designing the relationship between you and me. Find out more about Shawn through these links: Shawn Meyers on LinkedIn DLR Group website DLR Group on LinkedIn DLR Group on Youtube @DLRGroup as DLR Group on X @dlr_group as DLR Group on Instagram Shawn Meyers: Crossroads - DLR Group Youtube channel Connected episodes you might be interested in: No.104R - The story of NEOM city: opportunities and challenges No.105 - Interview with Richard Morrison about project NEOM No.444 - Interview with Markus Appenzeller about the opportunities in the Middle East No.467R - A systematic review of passive cooling strategies integrating traditional wisdom and modern innovations for sustainable development in arid urban environments What was 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. If you would like to support the podcast, check out the Building Better Cities book or our Patreon ! Episode generated with Descript assistance ( affiliate link ). Music by Lesfm from Pixabay
