Talking Headways: A Streetsblog Podcast

This week we're joined by Yoni Appelbaum to discuss his book Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity . We talk about the history of moving in the US and how the different traditions of land ownership and management in the US evolved. We also talk about how much people loved apartments at the turn of the 19th century and zoning's targeted groups. +++ Fo...

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo!  But don't worry, we cover a lot of ground including congestion pricing's sparing match with a wannabe King, Canada's high speed rail plans, microplastics, and a big bike experiment in Denver. For more links to items discussed on the show, see below: USDOT wants end to congestion pricing - Streetsblog NYC Seattle social housing gets yes vot...

This week we're chatting with Stacy Mitchell of the  Institute of Local Self Relianc e about her recent article in the Atlantic entitled The Great Grocery Squeeze . We chat about the deregulation mood of the 70s and 80s and what that's meant for shopping, access, and how much we drive. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastado...

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Ren Yee of UN Studio at the Mpact Transit + Community conference in Philadelphia.   We chat about the cognitive workload of pedestrians and creating safe opportunities for mind wandering and absorbing information. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon  theoverheadw...

This week at Mondays at The Overhead Wire, we're joined by Streetsblog USA's Kea Wilson to chat about the new USDOT directives from the Trump administration. We talk about rescinded memos, funding memos, and Kea thinks Jeff might be trying to hard to find logic in the reasoning for using birth and marriage rates to steer transportation funding. Below are items we chatted about on the show.... Dona...

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Member of the Welsh Senedd (Parliament) Lee Waters and Dr. Jennifer Kent of The University of Sydney. They talk about how Wales set climate targets, did a roads review, got to a 20 mile per hour speed limit across the country, and what it might take for other places to do the same. They share the importance of leadership, the data around benefits relat...

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Mike Eliason of larch lab to discuss his new book Building for People: Designing Livable, Affordable, Low-Carbon Communities . We chat about single stair buildings, development on arterials, building back after climate disasters, and the problem with RFPs. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Substack ... @theoverheadwire Foll...

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo, but that doesn't stop us from talking about all the podcasts we've got coming up, news about the LA wildfires, modular homes, and surveillance technology. More news than you can use this week on the Talking Headways podcast feed.   Main News Items Essential eternal apartment - JSTOR Daily Rethining wildfires - Slate Experts on the wildfires...

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Jon Kramer , CEO of engineering and planning firm OHM Advisors. Jon chats about going from Intern to CEO over a 30 year period, competing against large engineering firms, and the state of engineering education. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon  theoverheadwire@sfba.social Support t...

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Bridget Marquis, Director of Reimagining the Civic Commons . Bridget chats with us about connecting public assets, the importance of creating metrics that matter, and better ways to think about community engagement. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon  theoverheadwire@sfba.social Supp...

We're Han Solo this week but have a lot to share from the end of December and the start of 2025.  As we get back into the new year we cover new ways to think about housing construction, transit expansion from Yonah Freemark, and worries about the brightness of headlights. Check out the show notes below.  Transit Openings 2025 - Transport Politic Radical construction rethink - Common Edge   Propert...

This week on the Talking Headways podcast we're joined by Ben Ross and Joe Cortright to discuss their article in Dissent Magazine discussing how modeling is being used to expand highways around the country. We chat about their critiques of highway modeling, politics, and some potential solutions to the problem. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Foll...

This week we're joined by Professor Sara Bronin to talk about her book Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World . We chat about all the ways that land is regulated. And why zoning is an opportunity for people to reshape their communities. We also chat about food policy, connecting the street to property, and the relationship between land and natural systems. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads,...

This week for our holiday break we're going back in time to episode 108 which we recorded in Cambridge England with Daniele Quercia and Luca Aiello of Bell Labs. We chatted about using social media to map sensory experiences in cities including smells and soundscapes. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon  theoverheadwire@sfba.soci...

This week we're joined by Austin Gibble, currently of Stantec but formerly of the City of Indianapolis and IndyGo. We chat about the history of planning for BRT in Indy, the Cultural Trail bike network, transit and infrastructure costs, and the interpersonal relationships that can make or break projects. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us o...

This week we're going back to 2021 to chat with Professor Andres Sevtsuk of MIT about his book Street Commerce: Creating Vibrant Urban Sidewalks .  I really liked this discussion and he just had an MIT News profile out yesterday about his work so I thought it might be of interest to folks.  We chat the importance of location in urban retail, the city factors that might determine a store's success,...

This week we're back at the Mpact conference in Philadelphia and joined by Ruth Miller of Jawnt . Ruth shares her superhero origin story and how employer transit pass programs like SEPTA's Key Advantage Program work to support employees, agencies, and the region overall. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon  theoverheadwire@sfba.s...

This week we're at Mpact in Philadelphia chatting with King County Metro's Rachel DeCordoba about her work educating the next generation of transit riders. She chats about transit education and curriculum and the importance of learning with peers. Also apologies for the audio difficulties 2/3rds of the way though. You can read the transcript of this episode at http://theoverheadwire.com +++ Follow...

This week on Mondays at The Overhead Wire we're Han Solo, but that doesn't stop us from sharing upcoming episodes of Talking Headways and news from the last month or so.  We chat about greening concrete, a car free Congress Avenue, Hamburg's green space compact, and rainways in Vancouver BC. Links from the Show! Reimagining Congress Ave - KUT Greening Concrete - Yale e360 Greening Asphalt and Conc...

This week we're joined by Ryan Kelley, Community development Manager for Hennepin County in Minnesota.   Ryan chats with us about the county's transit-oriented communities program and how they support commercial preservation and aid businesses. This episode was produced in partnership with Mpact. For more information, visit http://mpactmobility.org +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, You...

This week we're joined by writer Rob Walker to talk about his book, City Tech: 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovations Changing the Urban Landscape . We discuss data collection, misconceptions, impressive transportation technologies such as e-bikes, and how technology has progressed in the last decade. +++ Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr ... @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon...

A Flashback! That's right we're flashing back again to Episode 308 of the Talking Headways podcast with Sara Hendren discussing her book What a Body Can Do . Sara chats with us about how we think and talk about disability, reframing independent living, and designing a humane world for everyone. This is one of my favorites and I'm glad we're getting to share it with folks again. +++ Follow us on Th...

This week we're joined by Dani Simons, currently of Alstom but formerly Assistant to the Secretary and Director of Public Affairs at USDOT, to take a look back at how Biden Administration policies evolved from ideas to bills such as the IIJA and Inflation reduction act. We also discuss Buy America, the impacts of outside criticisms from different sides of the political spectrum, and the importance...

John Simmerman of Active Towns joins the Mondays Show post election to talk about some of the transit wins. We also look ahead and wonder if LA really could go car free for the Olympics and whether Canada is ready for high speed rail. Below are the show notes and items we chatted about on the show with John. Voters pass Denver 7A - Colorado Sun Nashville voters pass transit funding - Nashville Ten...

This week on Talking Headways we're joined by Julie Huls, CEO of Waymaker Group .   We chat about economic development strategies for mid-sized cities, the impacts of the pandemic on regional thinking, and what a future of Mega Regions means for cities trying to attract talent. +++ Follow us on twitter @theoverheadwire Follow us on Mastadon theoverheadwire@sfba.social Follow us on Threads or Insta...