The Possible City

Former mayor of Salisbury, Maryland, and now the state's Secretary of Housing and Community Development, Jake Day shares his plans for addressing housing issues at scale. A former Urban3 client, he speaks to the importance of smart growth policies to build a resilient fiscal future and the urgent need to repair past wrongs, such as the effects of redlining. 

Bryan Barnett is running in his third campaign for mayor as a write-in candidate, proof that at the local level, partisan labels and tired political tribalism are less interesting to people than getting things accomplished. Mayor Barnett's political skills are so renowened that he was chosen to chair the prestiguous U.S. Conference of Mayors, but his proudest moments are still the small wins that...

"I term limited myself!" Despite being a popular and nationally well-regarded mayor of a fast-growing midwestern metro, G.T. Bynum is sticking to his word and choosing to retire after two successful terms in office. In this conversation with Ben and Cate, he talks about his family's legacy with public service, his relentless commitment to engaging people in shaping Tulsa's priorities, and why loca...

Cate went to Copenhagen, Ben went to Central America, and Kerry spent a few days in Music City, USA. Three different regions of the world, three very distinct approaches to planning, placemaking, development, and design. Hear what the Possible City crew did with our summer vacations and what we're reading as we head into the fall.

Aja Brown became mayor of Compton, California in 2013 after winning an upset election against and incumbent and a former mayor, and used her eight years in office to bring unprecedented transparency, economic development, big ideas, and hope to her community. Referenced in this episode: Fox 11 Los Angeles , November 6, 2020: " Compton Mayor Aja Brown bringing change to her community "  The Ap...

"My granddaughter thinks that all I do is widen footpaths." Rob Adams gave Ben and Cate a number of different descriptions of exactly what he does in his role as City Architect of Melbourne, Australia, but we think that may be our favorite. To call Rob a legend in the urban design world may be an understatement. Alongside Jan Gehl and others, his groundbreaking work to transform the city center (a...

Ben and Cate chat with a luminary from the worlds of planning and politics - Rick Cole , formerly the city manager of Azusa, Ventura, and Santa Monica, former Mayor of Pasadena, and currently Los Angeles' Chief Deputy City Controller. He also served as the executive director for the Congress For the New Urbanism for two years and right now is running for Pasadena City Council. The breadth and dept...

"Zoning's not for everybody." Brooke Thomas , the Senior Director of Strategic Planning for the  Indianapolis  Public Transportation Corporation, better known as IndyGo , knows what she's talking about. Having fought for some truly remarkable and progressive zoning reforms in a growing midwestern capitol, she's spent more time than most talking about the importance of land use and how wh...

A special bonus episode, and something a little different: our intrepid hosts were recently in Charlotte, North Carolina for the 31st convening of the Congress for the New Urbanism , an organization that advocates for people-centered design in cities all over the country. In this episode, we catch up on what what we liked, what we saw, and what we learned at CNU this year. If you were there o...

While the World Health Organization recommends around 30 to 35 square meters of green space per person, the standard in Mexico is currently around 4 to 5 square meters. San Pedro, a thriving suburb of Monterrey, surpasses this standard with six times the amount of green space per resident - a fact that doubtlessly factors into its reputation as having the highest quality of life in the entire coun...

"How can we ensure that we look at every opporutnity possible to make sure that everyone can thrive?" Michele Martinez is one of the Golden State's most accomplished and thoughtful policymakers. In her capacity as special master to an Orange County federal judge, she works diligently find humane, innovative, and effective legal solutions to southern California's homelessness crisis. As a member of...

" Fritz Kaegi took over an office that was literally legendary for being opaque, outdated, and at times, downright hostile to the constituents its meant to serve: the Cook County Assessor's Office. At the time of his election in 2018, the office was under federal monitoring and politically-connected downtown landlords seemed to be running roughshod over homeowners. This in episode, Fritz - fresh o...

In the eyes of the court, Commissioner Ted Terry may technically call himself "aggreived," but you wouldn't know it to speak with him. A dedicated environmentalist in the sprawling Atlanta suburbs and a committed progressive in the American southeast, Terry is used to being a bit of a contrarian, albeit a highly productive one. As a two-term Mayor of Clarkston, Georgia, Terry made headway on issue...

Media outlets from coast to coast have been sounding the alarm about how downtowns are dying since the beginning of the pandemic, most infamously in the New York Times' essay about the coming "urban doom loop." Luckily, nobody's told Cate Irvin that downtowns are dying. As the director of economic development for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, Cate is fervent in her belief that your city's d...

Real talk and absolutely honesty and transparency. Good communication and math. Chickens as public art. In this fun and funny conversation with Megan Sladek, mayor of Oviedo, Florida, Ben and Cate heard about the connections between historic preservation and smart growth, better ways that local government and the free market can work together, and the trade-offs between more density and higher tax...

"A city that works for everyone - and a city that works."  Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird 's vision for Lincoln sounds simple enough, but as her conversation with us demonstrated, actually requires a tremendous amount of hard work to implement. We caught up with Mayor Gaylor Baird at a uniquely busy time for her and her administration -- in addition to being a wife and mom, she's in the midst of...

One of eight children and the mother of five - Christina Brooks knows more than a little bit about multi-tasking, finding your own voice, and getting things done. As the Fort Worth's first Chief Equity Officer and Director of the Diversity & Inclusion, she's had a front row seat to this thriving Texas city's efforts to repair community-police relationships and ensure that the benefits of its rapid...

"Perfection isn't possible but progress always is." After a career as one of the of the country's most innovative and progressive law enforcement officials, Adrian Garcia is now a member of the Harris County Commission, where he represents one of the most diverse and fastet growing districts in the greater Houston area. During our conversation, Commissioner Garcia spoke at length about his persona...

Tim Corcoran is the Director of Planning and Community Resources for the City of South Bend, a community that has undergone some difficult but instructive changes in the last several decades. Tim talks with our hosts about what South Bend has had to learn as its economy has shifted, where it finds opportunities for rejuvenation and redevelopment, and what an award winning reform to their zoning co...

LeVette Fuller has been described by her fans as "an on-the-ground, won't-back-down, pro-bike lane, pro-infill development, pro-creative placemaking, urbanist city councilwoman." She talks to Ben and Cate about her unique journey from librarian to grassroots activist to elected official and her ongoing work to combat the civic avarice that she feels keeps her hometown from reaching its full potent...

Lancaster City Manager Jason Caudle  talks about how this Los Angeles suburb has emerged as a regional leader in building a sustainable economy - in more ways that one - through enterprising energy projects and investing in award-winning downtown districts.  Referenced in this episode: Los Angeles Times: Unhappy with L.A. County COVID-19 response, Lancaster to form its own public health...

Joda Thongnopnua , Chief of Staff to Mayor Tim Kelly in Chattanooga, speaks with Cate and Ben about lessons learned from his own political run prior to joining the administration and how the office balances the many competing priorities that come with being a fast-growing metro.    Referenced in this episode: Bloomberg Cities Network : A community innovator moves inside city hall Chattan...

As he approaches the end of his first year in office, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb talks with Ben and Cate about his city's transformational opportunities along their waterfront and in their neighborhoods, as well as his varied professional background prepared him for public service. Referenced in this episode: Crain's Cleveland Business: Know Your Cleveland mayoral candidates: Justin Bibb Clevelan...