Reinventing Haifa for the 21st Century: Einat Kalisch-Rotem’s Urban Vision

About this episode

Dr. Einat Kalisch-Rotem discusses her vision for transforming Haifa through urban planning and sustainable development.

In this episode of We Are ETH, host Susan Kish speaks with Dr. Einat Kalisch-Rotem, the first woman mayor of Haifa and a visionary force in modern urban planning. Trained as an architect at ETH Zurich, Einat shares how her ETH experience shaped the bold strategies she’s using to reimagine Haifa’s future. From creating Israel’s first bilingual school to fighting for better public transportation and more livable, inclusive spaces, she reveals how thoughtful design can transform cities. Einat talks candidly about navigating political hurdles, breaking new ground in sustainable urban development, and her drive to position Haifa as a hub of culture, tourism, and innovation. This episode offers an inspiring look at how leadership, vision, and design can work together to reshape a city for the challenges of the 21st century. (00:27) Meet Dr. Einat Kalish-Rotem: Architect, Urban Planner, and Mayor (00:53) Zurich's Influence on Urban Planning (01:41) Challenges and Achievements in Haifa's Infrastructure (01:45) The Journey into Politics (04:14) The Vision for Haifa's Future (05:01) The Impact of Zurich on Leadership (06:18) Anthropological Insights and Public Spaces (10:09) Political…

People in this episode

Host: Susan Kish

Guest: Dr. Einat Kalisch-Rotem

Topics covered

• urban planning
• sustainable development
• politics
• education
• public transportation
• city transformation

Keywords

• urban vision
• Haifa
• ETH Zurich
• sustainable cities
• public spaces
• political challenges
• inclusive design

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ETH Zurich

Places: Haifa, Israel, Zurich

More episodes of We Are ETH

• Building Tomorrow: ETH President Joël Mesot on Innovation, Partnerships, and Real-World Impact · December 18, 2025 · 32 min
• Redefining the Human: Tobias Rees on AI, Microbiomes, and the New Brain · December 4, 2025 · 22 min
• Smart Cities, Hot Climates: How Estefanía Tapias is turning research and experience into real cities · November 20, 2025 · 25 min
• Debugging AI Agents at Scale: Roman Engeler on Traces, Guardrails & Atla · November 6, 2025 · 31 min
• From Physics to Flavor: Sue Tobler & Remo Gisi’s Tastelab Revolution · October 23, 2025 · 35 min
• From ETH Zurich to ANYbotics: Péter Fankhauser on Building the Future of Robots · October 2, 2025 · 27 min