Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

This week we're joined by freelance urban issue writer Nate Berg. Nate talks to us about his love of writing about highways for good or bad, his piece for Curbed on the history of the Bauhaus, our collaborative piece on urban transportation data, writing about housing in Japan, and his process for writing articles.

This week on the podcast we're joined by Candace Brakewood a Civil Engineering Professor of the University of Tennessee and Jonny Simkin of Co-Founder and CEO of Swiftly. We talk about real time transit information including its history, benefits, shortcomings, and potential futures.

This week Chrissy joins the show and we have a blast chatting about the definition of suburbs, electric buses, and Ian McHarg's Design with Nature. News Portland considers bus lanes - Willamette Week Ian McHarg's Design with Nature turns 50 - CityLab Money laundering pilot surprising in its effect - Quartz Odds and Ends Transbay Terminal opening again? Curbed SF Riyahd opens transit system - Cision Sagrada Familia gets building permit - Fast Company Story of the Week How do we define suburbs? - CityLab Why aren't electric buses taking over the world? - Wired Listener Questions and Comments Children in Autonomous Vehicles - Blue Ribbon Panel Puppies and Butterflies Every NIMBY's speech at a public hearing - McSweeney's

This week we're joined by Shailen Bhatt, President and CEO of ITS America. He talks about how we can use technology to reduce collisions, how we should spend infrastructure money, and what policy should focus on and change from a transportation and technology standpoint. He also talks about the problems with the communications spectrum and how conflicts are arising as technology improves vehicle communications.

This week we're joined by Chrissy Mancini Nichols to talk about drones, zero passenger vehicles, CAFE standards and more! Enjoy the podcast? Support us on Patreon! Your help keeps us able to put out the podcasts we do each week. News New York's new payment systems - Wired Magazine 6/10 Californians want upzoning near transit - LA Times Seattle looks at pricing - Seattle Transit Blog Odds and Ends Plans to take federal USDA workers out of DC - McClatchy Auto companies send letter to Trump Admin - NY Times Paris accords can save lives - NY Times Story of the Week NASA tests drone traffic - NASA Planning for zero occupancy vehicles - Fast Company Puppies and Butterflies Vancouver's plastic bags - Vancouver is Awesome Sending lentil soup on the subway - Gothamist On demand pogo sticks - Curbed SF

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Maritza Pechin, a planner with AECOM who works with city staff in Richmond on long-range planning. On the podcast, Maritza talks about the Pulse BRT and the broader bus network redesign that was rolled out at the same time. She also discusses how the new system is bringing people back to transit, how the city might tackle housing affordability, and what big ideas the city is considering for the future.

This week we chat with Kendra Freeman of the Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council, an independent non-profit focused on shaping the Chicago region. Kendra talks about her work with Elevated Chicago and how they are trying to bring equitable TOD to rail and bus corridors around the region as well as the original impact of the city's TOD ordinance. She also chats about next steps in pushing the city to consider equity in its update of the ordinance and how they can support entrepreneurs with strategic investments.

This week we're joined by Maurice Jones, President and CEO of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation). Maurice talks about working with communities and existing businesses to develop talent in the workforce, breaking down barriers to entry in certain professions such as property development, and the history of policies and practices that intentionally excluded certain populations from opportunity.

Chrissy Mancini Nichols joins the show again and we chat a lot about SB50! We also talk about infrastructure and bike lanes. News SB 50 Tabled until January - Los Angeles Times SB50 Urban Footprint Analysis - UF Kim-Mai Cutler tweet thread - KMC Twitter Infrastructure Week PIRG releases report - Frontier Group Repair Priorities - T4America Odds and Ends CA HSR Funding Dropped by FRA- Reuters IM Pei passes away - NPR Facial recognition banned in SF - Vox Thanks to our Patreon supporters! Patreon.com/theoverheadwire Story of the Week Bike lanes need barriers not just paint - Curbed Puppies and Butterflies Tram Bowling - Wired Magazine

This week we're joined by Stephen Smyth, Co-Founder and CEO of Coord. He talks about the need for digital infrastructure to be a new layer on top of physical infrastructure in order to inventory our existing assets including curb space. We chat about the tools Coord has created to measure and document curbs, how they work, and how this seemingly innocuous space will change over time with regulation. We also have a little futurist discussion about street space and learn how regulations might change when fleets are operating on the street rather than mostly individual vehicles. "We talk about mobility as a service, we think of the service as a fleet. Going forward if we look at this as a regulation technology issue, cities and public agencies will be interacting with businesses for a given individuals trip or delivery versus the individual themselves. I think that's an important shift, and actually it may make it easier to change regulations because there is a layer in between the interaction between the city agency and individual which can create resistance to change potentially. I think that if more trips are delivered by businesses instead of individuals in private cars we can innovate more quickly."

This week we're joined by Tracy McMillan and we talk about alll kinds of stuff! Surveillance and city fortifications and aging in place! The show discussion links are below... News I-405 traffic gets worse after widening - Curbed LA Campo dedicates money for I-35 expansion - Austin Monitor Facial recognition data leak - TechCrunch Denver homeless camping initiative - Pew Trusts Visit our sponsor Moovel.com Odds and Ends Uber IPO - NY Magazine Germany testing an e-highway - DW Story of the Week Da Vinci's City - The Conversation Future of Housing nothing like today - Fast Company Puppies and Butterflies WePark in parking spaces - Curbed SF E-Bikes could transform how we age - Fast Company

This week we chat with Colin Parent, Executive Director of Circulate San Diego, an advocacy organization that promotes public and active transportation in tandem with sustainable growth. Colin is also a city council member for the City of La Mesa. As Colin notes, much of the renewed interest and support for transit and transit-oriented development is being driven by one thing: the housing crisis. We learn how the mayor of San Diego is pushing more housing and less parking, and the long term benefits of advocacy.

This week on the show we're joined by Tracy McMillan! The show notes are below... The News What to make of White House infrastructure meeting - Brookings Quadratic voting - Bloomberg LA pushes for a Green New Deal - Los Angeles Times A new way to calculate affordability - USC Odds and Ends Houston's data driven housing problem - Houston Chronicle 3 people make most of the complaints - Daily Bruin San Diego switches transport plans - Planetizen Story of the Week The importance of shade - Places Journal A geocode is not an address - Wired Puppies and Butterflies Medieval city generator - My Modern Met Cycling without age

This week we're at the Shared Mobility Summit from earlier this year in Chicago. Laura Bliss of CityLab moderates a panel of agency leaders including Stephanie Pollack, CEO of MassDOT, Randy Clarke, President and CEO of Capital Metro in Austin, and Sadhu Johnston, City Manager from Vancouver British Columbia. The panel talks about whether it's too late to address climate change through transportation, how the introduction of ride hailing will work with local regulations in Vancouver, how Austin has been watching the evolution of shared mobility from TNCs to scooters, how buses matter for the future of transportation and much much more. If you'd like to skip to the conversation portion past the presentations, fast forward to 41 minutes.

This week we're joined by Brian Ebersol and Eileen Everhart of Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania. They talk about how health care is about more than just patient care at hospitals and how transportation and wellbeing figures into planning for treating the whole person.

This week we're joined by Swedish urbanist Alexander Stahle. He talks about how cities in Europe have a lot of the same problems we do in the United States and what some places are doing to make streets safer and more active. He also chats about how his company Spacescape uses data to think about the value of urban form and where new metro lines should go. Alexander also talks about a new street design guide he's helping to create for Sweden.

This week we're at the 3 Revolutions conference in Davis California chatting with Warren Logan of SFCTA, Mollie Pelon McArdle of SharedStreets.io, and Regina Clewlow of Populus. We chat about all things data; how it's used, privacy issues, the correct geography to collect it, regulations and much much more.

This week I'm doing a solo show reviewing the news because I'll be gone the rest of the month and wanted to share a few things with listeners. Below are the articles we cover in the show. Hope you enjoy it! News Go Triangle Ends Durham Orange LRT - News and Observer New transit payment schemes - Engadget - Smart Cities Dive Facebook faces housing discrimination charges from HUD - NYT Lightfoot elected mayor - Chicago Streetsblog Idaho Stop Legalized - Streetsblog USA Denver announces new DOT - Denverite Story of the Week Experimental walking directions - Gizmodo Manhattan Congestion Pricing - NYT Tallest tower planned - Guardian Self driving cars considered unthinkable in 50 years - Vox Ciclovia 25 years - National Geographic Rockefeller bows out of 100 resilient cities program - Bloomberg Puppies and Butterflies 20 Minute Nature Pills - Fast Company

This week we are sharing an episode we recorded live for attendees at the Safe Streets Summit in Miami where we talked with Alice Bravo, Director of the Department of Transportation and Public Works for the City of Miami and Chris Sinclair, Founding Principal at Renaissance Planning. We cover a lot of topics including transit oriented development, multi-modal system productivity, new fare payment systems, using data in planning, frequent bus networks and much much more!

This week on the podcast we chat with Vanan Murugesan, Director of Design and Innovation at Pillsbury United Communities. Vanan talks about the role of community centered design in creating a nonprofit grocery store in North Minneapolis called North Market. We also chat about pros and cons of the farm bill, technology and convenience, and new initiatives in workforce development.

This week we're joined by Chrissy Mancini Nichols to talk about Gwinnett County's transit election, Level of Service, and transportation data privacy. News Gwinnett County rejects MARTA tax - Governing Amsterdam new homes can't be rented - CityLab More US cities end recycling - New York Times Seattle passes zoning changes - Curbed Visit our Sponsor too - moovel Story of the Week Getting rid of level of service - Brookings Privacy issues come to the forefront - LA Times Puppies and Butterflies Seiichi Miyake's tactile blocks - Curbed

This week we're joined by Susan Crawford, the John A. Reilly Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard School of Law. Susan talks about her new book Fiber which focuses on how cities in the United States are trying to build communications networks with this seemingly limitless technology but get push back from regulators and incumbent companies alike.

Urbanist Ed Parillon joins the show to talk about autonomous technology, Scott Weiner's SB50 bill, pied a terre taxes in NY, and Gavin Newsom's housing plans that could take away transportation funds. Visit our sponsor - moovel News Boeing Crashes Are a Warning to Drivers, Too - Slate Twitter Thread on Boeing Technology Issue - Sumner Pied-à-terre Tax Could Help Pay for MTA - Curbed NY Gavin Newsom's Ideas to Spur More Housing - Streetsblog CA Story of the Week How Three Cities Ended Chronic Homelessness - Fast Company How Santa Monica Is Luring People Back to the 3rd Street Promenade - LA Magazine Spotlight Mobility Scott Weiner updates SB50 - Curbed SF Puppies and Butterflies A mysterious global hum - Guardian

This week we chat with Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender. Lisa, a planner by profession and now a two-term city councilor, chats about public participation in the Minneapolis 2040 planning process locally and the discussions that led to the passing of the city's comprehensive plan last December. She also talks about streets as public spaces and how Minneapolis 2040 plays into the city's vision for transportation. Finally, we ask Lisa about the public discourse overall at public meetings and in planning.

The week friend of the show Tracy McMillan from SafeTREC joins to talk about making money off of mobility, autonomous buses, the Lyft IPO, outdated city equipment and much more! The News Autonomous bus testing in Singapore - Bloomberg Cashless retail could be outlawed - CityLab Uber not criminally liable in crash - Smart Cities Dive Visit our sponsor, moovel. Story of the Week Automakers struggle to make money on mobility - Bloomberg Cities running on software from the 80s - Bloomberg Kings of Dallas Sprawl - D Magazine Spotlight Mobility Information available now on Lyft IPO - Reuters Puppies and Butterflies Risk, Fear, and Freedom As always you can reach us on twitter @theoverheadwire or at [email protected]

This week we're joined by perennial favorite Yonah Freemark of the Transport Politic. We rate his predictions from last year and give predictions for next year, some of which are already in peril! He chats about his zoning paper that has gotten a LOT of attention from housing advocates, high speed rail and California's current dilemma, and Amazon's New York departure. For Yonah's previous episodes, check out 45, 61, 88, 132, or 169

Chrissy joins the show and we talk about Duke rejecting Durham light rail, NY's move towards congestion pricing, Berlin's new transport app, and anchor institutions. News Duke rejects light rail - News and Observer de Blasio endorses congestion pricing - Streetsblog NYC UPMC joins health providers to think about housing - NextPittsburgh Join moovel at SXSW - Link Daimler and BMW join forces - The Verge Story of the Week Netherlands pays people to bike to work - Huffington Post de Blasio endorses congestion pricing - Streetsblog NYC Spotlight Mobility Berlin's all in one app - Fast Company

This week we're joined by Matthias Buehler of Vrbn and David Wasserman of Fehr and Peers. We talk about the City Engine program and how to create realistic cityscapes for movies and planning applications. We chat about the time it takes to code details, how much collected urban data sets can be used, and what these types of programs could be used for in the future. A few notes from David and Matt David: Complete Street Rule on Github Future of the Curb and City Engine - ESRI Software for Bike Planning - People for Bikes Procedural Modeling for City Design - YouTube Matthias: Vrbn Company Interview with Matthias Buehler - Gnomon Workshop Independence Day and City Engine Making a Favela - Ronen Berkman

This week we chat with Jerry Paffendorf, Co-Founder and CEO of Loveland Technologies. We chat about how they collect parcel data from all over the country, how parcels were measured historically, and how they can be used to create better transparency in cities.

This week Chrissy Mancini Nichols joins the show to talk about Amazon, California High Speed Rail, and other top news of the week. News Amazon pulls back on NYC plans - New York Times Governor Newsom to focus on Central Valley HSR Segment - Streetsblog CA Swiss reject anti-sprawl measure - Reuters Story of the Week America's forgettable midrises - Bloomberg California high speed rail "worst practices" - Eno Center Midsized City Magic Denver married couples taking on roommates - Denver Post Spotlight Mobility Were the parking taxes on purposes - Sightline Institute Email congress about the parking tax - Coalition for Smarter Transportation

This week we're joined by Jonny Simkin, Co-Founder and CEO of Swiftly. Jonny talks about what his company does to crunch data at transit agencies and the impacts they've had on transit agencies outlook on service. He also chats about potential futures for mobility as a service and data privacy.

This week Chrissy Mancini Nichols and I talk about infrastructure embarrassment, good congestion/bad congestion, and the green new deal. News Tourism sites charging entry fees soon - Washington Post New York seeks designers for odd lots - Curbed The Green New Deal's flaw - Slate Bolivian Lithium - National Geographic Story of the Week The Infrastructural Humiliation of America - Tech Crunch Topography of Wealth in LA - Nick Underwood Who Got What Chrissy in ITE Journal Spotlight Mobility Good Congestion/Bad Congestion - CNU Public Square

This week we are joined by Sean Northup, Deputy Director of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. Sean chats about the Indianapolis Red Line, the first of three BRT routes that will crisscross the region. Those lines and other transit improvements are being funded in part by local, dedicated funding which was won after a long and arduous process.

This week we have a full house! Chrissy and Anna join the show to talk about the news from the week in cities. Read our original article brought to you by moovel and written by Nate Berg - The Transportation Data Tug of War News World cities sprawling too much too fast - The City Fix Young mom dies after falling down subway steps - New York Times Utah State legislators want housing built, using transport as stick - Salt Lake Tribune Story of the Week The Curb of the Future - Uber Under the Hood on Medium Should Transit be Free? - TransitCenter Zoning Reform Impacts Property Values in Chicago - Urban Affairs Review Spotlight Mobility Dallas rejects highway widening - D Magazine Puppies and Butterflies Cloth seats around the world - Twitter

This week we are at the Brooklyn Podcast festival talking with Ryan Westrom of Greenfield Labs and Ford Smart Mobility. Ryan chats about his report Design Principals for Living Streets and the history of parking. Audience members are asked to give us their favorite streets and I throw in a little Marie Kondo for good measure.

This week Anna and I talk about Uber and Lyft taking share away from transit, congestion pricing in LA, and Viadoom! News Shutdown ends after La Guardia suspends flights - NPR Corporate money and affordable housing - Curbed Mayors want incentives, just not for other mayors - Next City Visit this week's sponsor, moovel. Story of the Week Uber and Lyft cause transit decline - Streetsblog USA LA Considers Congestion Pricing - Los Angeles Times Spotlight New Mobility Viadoom just never happened - Seattle Times Puppies and Butterflies Quote of the week - Yes Magazine Wedding registries turn to down payments - CityLab

This week we're chatting with Laura Loe of Share the Cities. Laura chats about her work as a bus driver and as a housing advocate in Seattle. We talk about how to talk to NIMBY parents and the community that comes along with a bus line.

This week Chrissy and Jeff talk about Smart Cities and Garages and more! Don't forget to visit our sponsor, moovel The News Gavin Newsom Says Housing for Transport Funds - Los Angeles Times NCUTCD says no walk signals - Streetsblog USA Center City Connector Gets the Green Light - Curbed Seattle Story of the Week Alibaba unveils "City Brain" - CNN The Garage is Our Favorite Room - New Yorker Spotlight New Mobility Scooter Regulations Work - New York Times

This week on the podcast we're joined by Regina Clewlow, CEO and Co-Founder of Populus. We talk about some of the research Populus has been working on including on shared and micro mobility and we learn more about the transportation data cities need to operate more efficiently. We also discuss what the media is talking about in terms of new transport technologies and what the best jurisdiction level might be for regulation.

This week we talk with Interim CEO of the Cleveland RTA Dr. Floun'say Caver and former CEO Joe Calabrese about the Euclid Avenue HealthLine bus rapid transit line on its 10th anniversary. The line which connects two major regional employment centers was the product of input from numerous community stakeholders and has been widely deemed a success. We chat about how the line has influenced development on the corridor, the ridership growth on the line, and the potential for expanding lessons learned from the corridor to the rest of the region.

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire Chrissy and Jeff chat about food deserts, the L shutdown, delivery congestion and more! The News Sam Zimbabwe now head of Seattle DOT - Seattle Times L Train shutdown not happening - Second Ave Sagas Cap and trade for transportation - Scientific American Check out our sponsor moovel! Story of the Week Grand Rapids disappeared single family zoning - Next City Dollar stores overwhelm grocers - Eater Spotlight New Mobility Delivery congestion - Time Magazine Puppies and Butterflies 195 Gigapixels of Shanghai - Urban Demographics

This week we're joined by Kelsey Keith, Editor-in-Chief at Curbed. Kelsey tells us about some early memories of New York, how the internet has changed and shaped urbanism and architecture media, and new longform pieces tying together Texas and California in unexpected ways.

This week we're joined once again by Christof Spieler who recently wrote a new book called Trains, Buses, People. Christof talks about how transit isn't a mystery and we all know what makes it work. But ultimately we're not having the right conversations. We also review Christof's time on the Houston Metro board and why it's important to have people who ride the bus and think about it all the time as a part of the agency discussion. You can find the book Trains, Buses, People at IslandPress.org

This week we're joined by Anna Muessig of Gehl to chat about using data and tearing down the BQE in New York. Check out the links below to read along with our discussion. News Dutch reach - CityLab Hiring managers discriminate on distance - HBR Oregon considers four units per parcel - Willamette Week Visit our sponsor - moovel Story of the Week Portland to try Google's Replica data program - Oregon Public Broadcasting The Apps know where you are - NY Times Spotlight New Mobility Tear down the BQE - NY Magazine Puppies and Butterflies Kids in Oslo plan transportation - Geospatial World

This week we're going back to Episode 27 to bring back an episode I had made just for kicks in 2014. It's Walt Disney the city planner. Hope folks enjoy it again or for the first time if you hadn't heard it before.

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire Chrissy Mancini Nichols joins to talk about bad Muni, holiday cities, and lots of mobility discussions. The News Madrid bans cars from central city - Guardian A new AV Start bill? - The Verge Minneapolis passes 2040 plan - Minneapolis Star Tribune Story of the Week New CA bill for density near transit - LA Times Building slow lanes - Forbes Spotlight New Mobility Should Cincinnati built its own app - CityBeat Puppies and Butterflies The Laughing Room - MIT News

This week we chat with Professor Deborah Salon of Arizona State about location value capture. Deborah talks about the difference between location and land value capture and we go over the main points of a research study on the subject she wrote with several colleagues. We also chat about where location value capture shouldn't be used and whether certain mechanisms such as TIF take too much value for individual projects.

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire Anna Muessig of Gehl joins to chat about her trip to Australia, Minneapolis 2040, and we have fun discussing mobility monopolies. Below are links to stories we talked about this week. News Modern Trains - Streetsblog USA New York considers banning cashless business - Guardian Death of Montreal Bagels? Globe and Mail Story of the Week Minneapolis' radical rezoning - Curbed Lina Hidalgo to run Harris County - New York Magazine Spotlight New Mobility Becoming the Amazon of Transport - The Conversation Puppies and Butterflies The first condo - Price Tags

This week we're joined by Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, University of Southern California, and Director of USC's Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII). We chat about a broad range of topics including the Environmental Justice Screening Method and how that research was turned into California environmental policy. The importance of community organizing in getting agreement for legislation, his new book The State of Resistance, as well as his views on rent control as public policy. This episode was first aired at Rail~Volution.org

This week on Mondays we talk about closing down the GM plant in Youngstown Ohio, climate change, more on housing, and Virgin Trains USA. We have a bit of a technical issue but hopefully you still enjoy the show. Below are links to the items we discussed. News Three Big Climate Takeaways - Vox All Cash Purchases Must be Disclosed - 6sqft Trump Administration floats sharing census information with law enforcement - Washington Post Story of the Week Why affordable housing is scarce in progressive cities - Curbed $17 trillion could be saved with compact development - WRI Spotlight New Mobility Bright line will change name to Virgin Trains - Miami Herald Puppies and Butterflies Bruce Hallman and the SF Faces - Mission Local