Vancouver, Dublin, Los Angeles, Sydney – in so many cities I visit, skyrocketing rents and prices are making housing a struggle for ordinary people. For younger people especially, it is a generational challenge that limits their future prosperity.

But all over Europe communities are using collaborative housing to pool capital and enjoy a host of shared financial and social benefits in return. Is this a better way?

In this episode, I'm in The Netherlands exploring collaborative housing with Darinka Czischke, Professor of Housing and Social Sustainability at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft).

Darinka debunks a few myths associated with the oft-repeated phrase ‘housing crisis’ before diving into the motivations behind these communities and the shared benefits that transcend affordability. She details where and why collaborative housing projects thrive, the importance of scale, how scale has already been achieved in places like Zurich, and the national and cultural factors that support collaborative housing. We discuss multi-generational approaches, and how community-based options unlock more benefits than “aging-in-place” strategies. City governments are identified as key enablers, and Darinka shares what policymakers can do to help.

My favorite part? Darinka’s first-hand observations from collaborative housing projects she has stayed in.

There’s something for everyone in this conversation. Darinka is a passionate advocate for a better future; her insights are practical, universal, and VERY topical.

======

As always, additional commentary and takeaways and the full transcript will be on the Future Bites page soon. More on my work as a Futurist Speaker, and why I do what I do, at www.brucemccabe.com

If you enjoyed this episode, why not share it with friends and colleagues:- getting more people talking about real projects for equitable and socially sustainable housing is a great way to contribute to a better future!

Microscale robots will be conducting medical procedures inside our bodies sooner than you think. That’s the big takeaway from this fascinating conversation with Prof. Bradley Nelson, head of the Multi-Scale Robotics Lab at ETH Zürich, and for those of us who grew up watching Fantastic Voyage, that's a stunning statement!

Brad walks us through the lab’s tiny bio-inspired prototypes and associated innovations in propulsion, power-delivery, external control and biocompatibility. He discusses the special challenges of fabricating and operating robots at micro- and nano-scales, and how all these developments are now converging into tiny robots capable of performing real-world procedures such as thrombectomies and precision drug deliveries to tumors inside the brain.

He also explores targets for first procedures, future aspirations, the regulatory approvals journey and the ‘democratization of surgery’ benefits that will be unlocked by adding telesurgery and more autonomy.

Prof. Brad Nelson has spent more than 40 years researching and building robots and has won numerous awards in robotics, nanotechnology, and biomedicine. He was named to the "Scientific American 50" list for outstanding acts of leadership in science and technology. His lab is undefeated international champion in Robocup's Nanogram Soccer League and he is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the "Most Advanced Mini Robot for Medical Use!

My special thanks to him for hosting me and sharing his insights, and also to Oliver Brinkman, who took time away from his blood vessel navigation experiments(!) to show me around the lab.

It’s an inspiring journey into the near future of medicine. Enjoy!

======

As always, additional commentary and takeaways and the full transcript will be on the Future Bites page soon. More on my work as a Futurist Speaker, and why I do what I do, at www.brucemccabe.com

If you enjoyed these insights, why not subscribe so you don’t miss out on what’s next, and help us spread the word by sharing this episode with colleagues!

Will A.I. use up all the worlds electricity? Or will A.I. contribute more by helping us solve the world’s sustainability problems?

In an era of ‘exponential AI,’ the answers have huge implications for our future, but they are far from clear, because ICTs contribute in so many ways to energy savings as well as use.

I meet with IT & sustainability guru Dr Vlad Coroama for an in-depth look at both sides of the ledger.

After exploring direct contributions and costs, Vlad takes the discussion up a level by exploring secondary effects (positive and negative) to get me thinking MUCH bigger about the dynamics shaping our future. We have a lot of coffee-fuelled fun going back and forth over his ideas! And of course Vlad draws on his research to offer some overall assessments of where we are headed with AI, data centers and energy.

Vlad Coroama heads the Roegen Centre for Sustainability (RC4S) where he assists governments in using digital technologies to save energy and emissions, and in reducing the direct footprint of digitalisation. Much of his work focuses on the rapidly increasing energy/carbon footprint of AI and data centers. He has researched the complex relationships between computing and sustainability for 20 years in Switzerland (ETH Zurich, Empa), Brazil (University of São Paulo), Portugal (Instituto Superior Técnico, Coimbra University), Sweden (KTH Stockholm), and Germany (TU Berlin).

You will enjoy Vlad's company. He is a BIG thinker, he builds his arguments thoughtfully, based on data, and he has a way of cutting through complexity using simple, powerful examples. The world needs 10,000 more like him!

======

As always, additional commentary and takeaways and the full transcript will be up on the Future Bites page soon. More on my work as a Futurist Speaker, and why I do what I do, at www.brucemccabe.com

Enjoy the insights? Follow, share, and leave a review to help more curious listeners find the show :-)