Last month, we attended the opening of The Crystal – an urban sustainability centre run by Siemens in east London. The event lasted a few days (sustainable cities folks sure know how to celebrate) and included the Urban Planning for City Leaders conference. An e-book of the event was also produced which can be read online here.

During this event, numerous urbanism professionals shared their views on how to plan for sustainable cities, covering topics such as land value, citizen engagement and public transport.

Here's eight short videos from the event:

Interview with Richard Rosan, President of Urban Land Institute

Why is capturing land value not more widely used as a way to finance infrastructure investments?

Interview with Pablo Vaggione, Lead author of the UN-Habitat Guide for city leaders

What is the ideal density for a city to be sustainable?

Interview with Mpho Franklyn Tau, Mayor of Johannesburg

How important is it to involve Johannesburg's citizens in the city's planning programmes?

Interview with Joan Cloas, Head of the UN-Habitat

What are the key elements for good urban planning in the 21st century?

Interview with Holger Dalkmann, CEO Embarq/WRI

How does urban planning influence our transportation patterns?

Interview with David Cadman, President ICLEI

How are climate issues linked to urban planning and sustainability?

Interview with Daniel Libeskind, Architect

How do you involve the local community when developing your architecture projects?

Interview with Abha Joshi-Ghani, Senior Manager World Bank

With scarce resources, what solutions are available to finance the infrastructure needs of cities?

Also read, "Mind the Gap" – A flash trip to London by Kali Taylor of Student Energy, and contributor at Future Cape Town