WISE so far | Reflections ft. Akash, Abhishek and Kejal

“A wise citizen is not a citizen who thinks that their benefit and city's benefit are at odds.” - shares Abhishek. In this episode, Kejal Savla is joined by Akash Upase and Abhishek Thakore to explore how WISE is reimagining our cities by bringing citizens, organisations and local institutions together. They discuss why disconnected efforts often fail to solve civic problems, what it means to move from smart cities to wise cities and how stronger relationships, citizen ownership and collective action can help build a better quality of life for everyone. In this conversation, they explore: Why citizens are checking out of their cities What makes a city truly liveable beyond infrastructure How WISE connects people and efforts to address systemic challenges Why individual solutions can sometimes come at the cost of our shared commons How citizens can move from feeling hopeless to taking collective action At its heart, this is a conversation about reimagining our relationship with the city and recognising that we all have a role in shaping the places we call home. Grateful to Urban Resilience Collaborative for the Informal Sector (URC-IS) for partnering with us in this journey of making urban cities WISE.