Shaping the Cities of Tomorrow with Advanced Technology

Richard Vestner of Bentley Systems discusses how advanced technologies, from digital twins to AI-driven design, are transforming the way cities are planned, built, and maintained

Richard Vestner, Vice President of Bentley Systems’ Industry Solutions Group for Cities & Water, sits down with Senior Managing Editor Gavin Jenkins to talk about how advanced technologies can help shape the cities of the future. From data-driven intelligence and digital twin automation to AI-enhanced lifecycle planning and responsible design practices, these technologies, whether still in development or already in use, are transforming urban planning, infrastructure design, and construction.

About the Author

Gavin Jenkins, Senior Managing Editor

Senior Managing Editor

Gavin Jenkins is an award-winning journalist based in Pittsburgh. His work has appeared in The New York TimesThe Washington PostThe AtlanticVICE, Narrative.lyPrevention, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Beijing Review

In 2020, two stories he wrote for Pitt Med Magazine earned three Golden Quill Awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania. “Surviving Survival” won Excellence in Corporate, Marketing and Promotional Communications – Written, Medical/Health, while “Oct. 27, 2018: Pittsburgh’s Darkest Day, and the Mass Casualty Response” won Excellence in Written Journalism, Magazines – Medical/Health, as well as the Ray Sprigle Memorial Award: Magazines, a Best in Show award.

After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in 2003, he covered sports for the Bedford Gazette, in Bedford, Pa., and the Martinsville Bulletin, in Martinsville, Va. In 2006, he returned to Pittsburgh to write for Trib Total Media. Based out of the Kittanning Leader Times, he worked for the Trib for two years, and then he moved to Shenzhen, China, to teach English and freelance. After two years in China, he earned an MFA in nonfiction from the University of Pittsburgh.

When he's not at work, he's usually playing with his border-collie mix, Bob.

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