Nikolaj Sveistrup

Examples of Keynotes

About Nikolaj

Urbanisation is one of the most important societal transformations in human history. Cities play an increasingly significant role in global change through a multiplicity of societal processes taking place within the next century. The anthropocentric lifestyle is predominantly urban, and the cities of the future will be larger, more complex, and interconnected, presenting a number of global challenges. With New Urban Purpose Nikolaj explores the thoughts of tomorrow based on the needs of today, in order to broaden the scope and understanding of cities.

Nikolaj’s mission is to explore how to make cities regenerative, inclusive, and liveable. His purpose is to ensure that our cities support the lives we want to live without putting a strain on the planetary wellbeing. With a specific focus on liveability, biodiversity, and climate he seeks new solutions for a local place-based development.

Nikolaj recognises that our future trajectory depends on the decisions we make today and believes that futures studies can push us in the right direction by including insights in megatrends, the planetary boundaries, regenerative thinking and leadership in the decision-making process and governance in all parts of our society from the kitchen table to the boardroom.

Through the initiative EVOLVE, he is exploring the futures of urbanism by identifying drivers, building scenarios, and making new narratives through keynotes and workshops all over the world. EVOLVE is a collaborative platform where the Institute builds capabilities to enable individuals and organisations to imagine, work with, and shape the future.

Background

Nikolaj has a deep knowledge of urban governance, architecture, stakeholder management as well as public and private participation and engagement. His extensive operational experience with developing concrete solutions and policy makes him able to translate megatrends directly into actions and agenda-setting activities.