Your City Could Be Better

Accommodating, accessible, and affordable local airports are a resource that many cities need. To find out which cities are leading the charge and the kinds of amenities that elevate an airport to gold status, City Cast CEO David Plotz chats with Scott Keyes, founder and Chief Flight Expert of Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) about everything he’s seen in his work and travels. How does your...

In the first-ever Your City Could Be Better trivia episode, City Cast CEO David Plotz goes head to head with journalist and historian Alexandra Petri to see who knows more about U.S. history, geography, and celebrities ahead of the country’s semiquincentennial. Sean McPherson, trivia wiz and City Cast Twin Cities host, leads four riveting rounds of questions covering everything from The Declaratio...

The state of a city’s sidewalks can be a good indicator of how healthy that city is — and pedestrian safety is just the beginning. In Denver, voters approved a new fee a few years ago to fund much-needed sidewalk repairs, and after a lot of back-and-forth, those repairs are finally underway. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies about what drove this initia...

In the spring, Pittsburgh hosted the NFL Draft, and the eyes of the nation were on the city — and its downtown. Facing vacant properties and empty storefronts, the city decided to try out a new rent abatement program to bring business back, and such initiatives are top of mind for many cities and towns around the country. This week, we’re revisiting this conversation with City Cast Pittsburgh podc...

Residents of Salt Lake County have wondered about their parks for years — that is, until City Cast Salt Lake host Ali Vallarta set out to catalog them all. Over the course of two years, she visited all 511 parks in the county, seeking to record their amenities (e.g., bathrooms, playgrounds), write helpful summaries, and track down the people in charge. The resulting map has already become a valuab...

The water in Vegas stays in Vegas. How else could a desert city possibly have enough water for its year-round tourists, a metro area population of over 2 million, and all those pools? The process just might be grosser than you think. With innovative recycling, strict lawn rules, and infrastructure to monitor it all, Vegas has become a global leader in water reuse. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks w...

Chicago is opening its 82nd public library branch in June, and loaning out books is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what these institutions offer residents. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Chicago podcast host Jacoby Cochran about how Chicago’s libraries have evolved to meet community needs, from opening a food pantry inside a branch to turning student IDs into automati...

City Cast Twin Cities host Sean McPherson hosts this showdown where 12 City Cast reps compete head-to-head and debate which city is the best for a weekend trip this summer. From hot tub boats (exactly what they sound like) to epic outdoor summer festivals, our hosts are bringing the best of what their city has to offer this season. We hope their competitive spirit and passionate arguments inspire...

Would cities be safer if there were more automated traffic cameras? In 2025, Washington, DC, brought in nearly $270 million from more than 500 automated traffic enforcement cameras — including a single camera that issued $9 million in tickets. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast DC podcast co-host Bridget Todd about how these cameras work, the congressional scrutiny they've been getting...

Would your city be better if the bars stayed open later? This summer, Philadelphia is anticipating a record-breaking number of tourists coming to town for World Cup games and semiquincentennial events, so the city is allowing its bars to stay open until 4 a.m. during most of June and July. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Philly podcast host Trenae Nuri about the city’s nightlife, an...

Violent crime in Washington DC has decreased significantly in recent years, but there are still more murders in our nation's capital than there were 15 years ago. How do we make sense of the crime data, and, more broadly, why has violent crime been on the decline in American cities? City Cast CEO David Plotz brings on fellow Washingtonian and public policy writer Matt Yglesias to dig into the numb...

Are DIY urban projects the key to improving the infrastructure in cities across the country? The grassroots group To Nashville, With Love has built and installed 60 benches at bus stops around Nashville, all without government approval. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Nashville podcast host Marie Cecile Anderson about what this guerrilla campaign is doing, why it’s gotten pushback f...

Could public financing get more cities involved in local elections? For the last decade, the City of Seattle has issued $100 in vouchers to every voter to donate to the candidate of their choice in municipal elections. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Seattle podcast host Jane C. Hu about how these Democracy Vouchers work, how many people are participating, and what the impact on loc...

What do you do when your night life starts to dwindle? Nightlife is a huge economic driver for cities, but city offices are often closed when those businesses need help. That’s why Portland is considering hiring a Night Mayor. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Portland podcast host Claudia Meza about what this new position would do, and if it is the answer to the pandemic’s enduring n...

While more and more people are embracing women’s sports, Denver is only the second city in the U.S. to build a stadium specifically for women’s soccer. Will betting on women’s sports drive Denver’s economy or will Denverites be left paying the price for another stadium? City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies about why Denver has invested so much into having...

Austin, Texas, is building more affordable housing than any other American city right now — 50% more, by some measures, than the second most successful city. However, this fast-growing city is also seeing a shortage in housing that middle- and lower-income residents can afford. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Austin podcast host Nikki DaVaughn about this paradox, the city’s affordab...

At Sheri's Ranch, a legal brothel 45 minutes outside Las Vegas, Nevada, some of the workers are seeking both recognition as employees and union representation. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with former City Cast Las Vegas podcast host, current contributor, and longtime Nevada attorney Dayvid Figler about why sex workers are considered independent contractors, what sparked this legal battle, and...

DC Council in Washington recently passed emergency legislation requiring local police to release body-worn camera footage of incidents involving federal forces they patrol with, and to collect the names of federal officers who make arrests. It’s a big shift in local policy, partially motivated by the fact that local cops have damaged their reputation by patrolling with feds. City Cast Chicago podc...

With homelessness on the rise in Utah, the state is planning to build a 16-acre homeless campus on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, where unhoused people with mental illnesses or addiction issues could be sheltered and in some cases involuntarily committed. This controversial idea is the brainchild of conservative think tanks, and it’s one that’s very much being embraced by the Trump administratio...

A lot of cities are trying to figure out how best to revitalize downtown, and Pittsburgh is no exception. With the NFL Draft coming up in April, the city is getting creative with downtown revitalization efforts. To solve the problem of vacant properties and empty storefronts, Pittsburgh is trying out a new rent abatement program. So, City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Pittsburgh podcas...

More data centers are popping up across the country, thanks in part to the AI revolution. But some cities are stemming the tide, including Madison, Wisconsin, who recently passed a one-year moratorium on new data center construction. City Cast CEO David Plotz feels strongly that this was the wrong choice! He’s sitting down with City Cast Madison podcast host Bianca Martin to weigh the pros and con...

Operation Metro Surge is reportedly ending in Minnesota, with the withdrawal of immigration agents expected over the next week. Over the last two months, though, residents of the Twin Cities have organized a range of local collective action efforts including protests, mutual aid, and monitoring ICE — and they’ve done it quickly. City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Twin Cities podcast ho...

Join City Cast CEO David Plotz weekly as he sits down with local insiders from across the City Cast podcast network, to talk through what their cities are doing right and sometimes wrong, the weird things they’re trying, and the surprising successes — so that we can all learn how to make our cities a little bit better. Because they could be! Launching Feb. 13 on YouTube and wherever you get your p...