People-Centered Innovation: Urban Sustainability

Ali Cheshmehzangi is a Full Professor and Head of the School of Architecture, Design and Planning (ADP) at the University of Queensland, where he leads the School and researches across the fields of architecture, design, and planning/urbanism. He has been in the World’s top 2 per cent field leader since 2022, recognised by Stanford University. He is among the top 30 global scholars in the urban sustainability research area. Ali has a wealth of experience, expertise, and a strong commitment to innovation and excellence in the fields of architecture, design, and planning, the three core disciplines of his School at UQ. With a career spanning over two decades, he has made significant contributions to the academic and professional communities, with a focus on sustainable and environmentally conscious design. So far, Ali has published over 500 journal papers, articles, conference papers, book chapters, and reports. He also has 37 other academic books, three of which have received awards at the national, provincial, and municipal levels. He also has received international awards and recognition for his research on urban resilience studies and sustainability research, as well as a Vice-Chancellor’s award for his impactful contribution to higher education.
Nicholas You is a veteran urban specialist and thought leader. Prior to his retirement he was the senior policy and planning advisor to UN-Habitat and the manager of the Habitat II Conference held in Istanbul in 1996. He is the founder and honorary chairman of the UN-Habitat World Urban Campaign Steering Committee, former chairman of the Assurance Group for Urban Infrastructure of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, former Chairman of the Urban Strategy and Innovation Council for ENGIE and former co-President of the Global Cities Business Alliance.
He is currently the Executive Director of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, co-Chair of the Open Green City Lab in Shenzhen and adjunct for the Centre for Liveable Cities, Singapore. He regularly advises central and local governments, technology companies and civil society organisations on urban sustainability, urban governance and urban innovation including the nexus between water, waste, transport and energy. He also works as a strategic planning and governance advisor to many metropolitan authorities worldwide. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, he has been part of a network of professionals facilitating the exchange of positive experiences between civil society and grassroots organisations. In 2020 he co-authored several key reports that were presented to G20.
Zaheer Allam holds a PhD in Humanities, a Master of Arts (Res), an MBA, and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Architectural Science from universities in Australia and the United Kingdom. He is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Architecture, Design and Planning at The University of Queensland, Australia. Based in Mauritius, he was the first Chairperson of the National Youth Environment Council (NYEC) and a board member of the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency (MARENA) and works on a number of projects on the thematic of Smart Cities and on strategies dwelling in the increasing role of technology in Culture and the Society. Zaheer is also the African Representative of the International Society of Biourbanism (ISB), member of the Advisory Circle of the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA), and a member of a number of other international bodies. He is also affiliated with Urban Systems Institute, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China, and Institute for Sustainabl