“Cities Matter,” a new episode of the “What Makes Us Human” podcast series, asks whether the environmental issues we face are really urban problems and whether cities can have a positive impact on climate change.

“Place urgently matters. Cities are especially well equipped to influence individual behavior and promote good environmental choices,” Stephan Schmidt, associate professor of city and regional planning in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning, says in his podcast.

Schmidt's research focuses on land use patterns and processes. His current projects include a quantitative land use change analysis of the impacts of regional growth management in Germany; an analysis of the role of local neighborhood leadership in land tenure formalization in Tanzania; and an analysis of the impact of Wildlife Management Areas and community based natural resource management in Tanzania. 

The “What Makes Us Human” podcast’s second season asks the question "Where Is the Human in Climate Change?" and showcases the newest thinking across academic disciplines about the relationship between humans and the environment. The series is produced by the College of Arts and Sciences in collaboration with the Cornell Broadcast Studios and features audio essays written and recorded by Cornell faculty. 

New episodes are released each Tuesday through the spring and are available for download on iTunes and SoundCloud and for streaming on the A&S humanities page, where text versions of the essays are also posted.

This story also appeared in the Cornell Chronicle.